USS Constitution by Force9 - Revell - PLASTIC - Revisiting the classic 1/96 kit

[vacotton]

Please don't get me wrong, Popeye.  This has been my favorite plastic kit over the years. So much so that this is my second go at it and this time with you guys helping me, I am going to get it right.

 

Yes, unfortunately, time travel is not an option so we often have to take our best guess including Revell back in the 60's.  The most enjoyable part of this process for me is the opportunity to learn so much about Constitution and that era that I was unaware of.

 

Regards,

Verne

[popeye the sailor]

no verne....I'm just saying     plastic kits can be rather vague with some of the more intricate detail.....this is the reason why I not a big replica fan.  it's very hard to build something that is even close to the real ship.......manufacturers can only do so much as well.  you are correct......the original molds for this kit,  were made in the later part of the fifties.  kits to follow were:

Cutty Sark

thermopylae

U.S.S. United States

C.S.S. Alabama

U.S.S.Kersarge

spanish Galleon

....not exactly in this order.....but this was a series that Revell put out.   sadly,  the Constitution was the only kit to live on.  back in the day,  I built plastic as my main medium...........for the last few years though,  I made the jump to wood.  I still revere this series of kits, to be the finest of all I've had the pleasure to do.  since making the jump,  I have refined my thoughts on kits in general.......generic would be a better description.   they have enough of a challenge for the average modeler,  but enough of an 'open end'  for the modeler that desires to add to their builds,  the detail and functionality that will make their build stand out.  for example......the rigging for the cannons,  which has been left out.....all they show is the breech ropes.  in the connie kit,  they have the stern quarters......but in the United states,  these parts are omitted......the locator holes are still there for them.....wonder why

 

I built the Connie a long time ago........love to get another,  but the admuiral doesn't want me to do any more plastic LOL!   I have the United States in the closet....she knows it getting built.....I didn't get it for nothing.  this will be my second time doing this ship.  I also have the Cutty,  which is my second time as well.  I built the Alabama too....sadly,  the rest of these kits are becoming rare.  when I got this kit,  I paid $89.00 for it........I last saw it online for over $250.00!  please don't think I'm upset or anything.......I just find it sad that Revell gets a bad rap on these kits.......I've built some that were far worse!

[lambsbk]

I agree. In general I am happy with the Revel kit (except for the 3 way split in her deck!). I am adding the detail to my build for the fun of it. On the fiber optic placement one thought led to another. I knew what I wanted and then figured out a way to try to make that work. My early pics show how bad I got it on the first set of light sources for the build but I revised them to the point where I am happy...and that is what it is about. Anything else becomes, well, drudgery. I am certainly grateful to have a chance to rework and perhaps even finish this classic Revell kit.

Edited August 21, 2013 by lambsbk

[KimatHm]

^{I Concur with all...Popeye, and Dave ( especially with the 'Famous' 3-Way deck on all Revell Ships ( But for the 24" Thermopylae, & Cuttys' ) I've always been very pleased with Revell, and have a 'Really Nice' relationship with Ed Sexton, Director of marketing, ( He's the confirmation RE: "No Cancellation of the U.S.S. Constitution"  that I mentioned previously...)   Anyway...Pics are in progress of the Three ( 3 ) sizes of eyebolts... and preformed 'dead-eyes' that came in all of the kits that Popeye's mentioned ( ( I've also had the pleasure of building them all previously, in my younger days, and now have the experience from the 'wooden ships' to apply to the 'plastics', and thus combine the two styles to make a truly intriguing model ship...!!!...and thanks to all of the hundreds of failures and screw-ups, mistakes, and throw-aways that lead to our experiences...eh?? !!!)}

[vacotton]

Yeah, I am amazed at how easy Styrene is to work with.  First experience with making parts and such.  As I said in another thread, I am learning to break things down into little "mini-projects".  Cuts way down on the frustration factor and forces me to plan better.

 

I remember the Therm. with its green hull.  Did the Cutty too.  Too bad they are gone now.

 

Popeye:  I have one of those admirals too. Already has a place picked out for the Constitution.  She wants to know what's taking me so long. 

 

Verne

Edited August 21, 2013 by vacotton

[popeye the sailor]

ha...ha....just wait for the time you tell her that you forgot something.   I was doing the M&M fun ship for her.  here on the site,  folks were throwing ideas at me left and right.  one suggested windshield wipers.......why not?........the windows are large enough.  I told her about it,  and she got mad......she thought I was dragging it out...........she got even madder when she saw me making them!.   when I was finished,  she stood right there as I put it on the shelf.........every once in a while I tease her about doing something more to it,  but all I get is the evil eye.

 

yea.......I wish I had gotten a thermopylae kit when I had the chance.  a friend of mine in Honolulu has three Cutty kits......one of them come from the very first run {no sails}.   there is also a museum production kit {special edition} out there,  that is pretty old too...late 60's.  you can tell........long skinny box with a father and son building it as the box art.....no sails for that one either.  early kits of the series had white sail sheets......later ones from the 70's had beige colored sails.   I have seen many bash works done on the Connie......there's some really nice stuff out there,  as well as here in this thread.  you would think that when they retooled the molds for the Connie,  they would have added some of the missing detail.  I'm sure they got feedback from builders.   I am quite certain that they've retooled the molds a couple of times by now.   the United states kit is a spin-off from the connie......sadly they omitted a few aspects.......I intend to put them in.  for this second time of the build,  I'm going to use wood....for the decks and the masts.  I will change even the dead eyes and rigging over to wood blocks.......should be cool when I finally can get rolling on her      no crappy lines in the decks for me!

 

we need to get together and tell Revell thay they are fools for NOT bringing them back!

[rommoz13]

force,

love your ship, plastic seems to be forgotten these days.i have a question that even revelle cant seem to answer (no Reply from them).  do you happen to know the difference between the kit #80-5062 and #85-0398?   the former is bigger (although both are 1/96) and higher priced than the latter.  any help would be awesome.

 

thanks

romm

[lambsbk]

The online search (Revell 05062 and 85-0398) appears to be without a visible change. Although one of the 05062 kits I saw had the copper plates painted by the factory. In addition (although I do not know the kit number) I am sure the kit I bought as a teenager in the 60's had the copper pre-painted.

[vacotton]

Dave:  Back in the day mine was painted copper too.

 

Popeye:  I just got off the phone with my neighbor who is a master ship builder.  Name is Mike Allmond, you might recognise the name.  He told me not to fool around.  Plank my deck with wood.  I would be a lot happier.  Now I see you do the same thing.  My only concern is the vertical dimensions of the hatches.  Wouldn't they be swallowed by the planking?  

 

Verne

Edited August 21, 2013 by vacotton

[rommoz13]

Thanks Dave, although I built one in the 80's same scale (had the terrible molded ratlines) no copper paint. Hmm intriguing. Gonna build a titanic for my granddaughter then start "Connie"

[lambsbk]

Evan I think your build log is starting to take on a life of its own.  

Edited August 22, 2013 by lambsbk

[vacotton]

ROFLMAO, Dave!

Verne

[JerryTodd]

I agree, I've seen wonderful jobs done on this plastic decks, but what you get with wood is hard to beat.  Bass strips can be stained and do a very nice job.  You could lay a sheet subdeck and cover it with strips making it, in essence, bass plywood.  The hatch combings are, I believe too short anyway.  The gun deck (& berth deck) combings were typically taller than the spar deck's as well.

 

Dave:  Back in the day mine was painted copper too.

 

Popeye:  I just got off the phone with my neighbor who is a master ship builder.  Name is Mike Allmond, you might recognise the name.  He told me not to fool around.  Plank my deck with wood.  I would be a lot happier.  Now I see you do the same thing.  My only concern is the vertical dimensions of the hatches.  Wouldn't they be swallowed by the planking?  

 

Verne

[popeye the sailor]

right.......planking for the deck is only about  0.7 x 3 x 550mm.....this is what I'm going to use.  it's the lighter Annegre,  but you can also get the mahogany.......won't even have to stain it.  I've already cut the sections for the gun deck,  and I used 1/16 x 1/16 around all the grate holes.  once planked and sanded...it will bring them down to where they should be.  I did miscalculate though......I need to get more! 

 

a lot of naval ship builders have been doing their deck in wood for a while now........they look beautiful!   don't think I recognize the name,  sorry about that.  

[rommoz13]

I was reading a log of a recently completed revell Connie that had amazing rigging on it. Now I can't find it anymore. Does Anyone know who's log it is?

[KimatHm]

HI Dave, and crew (following !!)  Here's a couple of pice of the stock that I have, and that I plan on building some time...One of these ( the 'Museum Issue' ) was lpurchased at a nearby 'Wal-Mart Sized' Antique Mall, By Accident Really !!!, and I was able to purchase it for ...are you ready for this..???!!!  $ 13.00 ...and it was Complete...!!! The Owners of the booth, ( that was unattended ) obviously had NO IDEA what they had their hands on...I got it about 2 years ago now...One of the oldest kits has now been reduced to parts only ( still LOTS of parts !!) and is dated ( one of them that I've completed, with sails, has 'Revell-Monogram 1959' in raised lettering on the deck ( as proof of age now, when viewed with the Magnifier ('Sherlock !!')  Bring Back some Memories...???!!!  Kim

Edited August 27, 2013 by KimatHm

[popeye the sailor]

ohhhhh,  I envy you man!!!!!  ........and you have a Thermoplyae too!   I love the rigging thread in those kits.......I tried to get some from Revell,  but they don't sell it separately.   I do recall though a father and son as the box art on the museum kit........perhaps a later cover.... maybe??    are they all 1:96?    a wonderful collection indeed!

[vacotton]

Hi rommoz13,

 

Could it be texxn5's: http://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/1796-uss-constitution-by-texxn5-johnf-revell-plastic-196-kit/?hl=texxn5. His is complete and very detailed.

 

Verne (vacotton)

[vacotton]

Yikes Kim,

You have enough work to last you a lifetime there.  What a trove!  You could probably flip those kits as is and make a neat little sum.

Verne

[rommoz]

Thanks Verne that's it...

Joe

Edited August 28, 2013 by rommoz

[lambsbk]

rommoz: check out Andymech's log as well.

 

Hey; has anyone seen Evan lately on his build log? :)

[KimatHm]

Hello Again, Mates...!!! In the one Pic, there's actually 3 Thermopylaes...!!! The one on top I got from an gent in England, and it's a 24" Scale...All of the others are 1/96 Scale, or the 36" Models...If I ever decide NOT to build them, (as I already have them done !!) I'll let you all know, and you can decide who wants them the most...Ehh..???!!  Kim

[rommoz]

I just scored a 1/96 revelle Connie on eBay for $17.48....got big plans for this baby. Anyone mind if I use some of your ideas?

[AndyMech]

Awesome price - I hope it's intact inside when you get it.

 

As for ideas - I wouldn't have posted to a build log if I wanted to keep them to myself.  Use them, extend them, combine with other people's ideas.  Go for it.

 

Andy.

[rommoz]

It came the other day... Not bad condition sails were damaged (but who uses them anyway) broken belaying pins other than that great shape. Got a question for everyone... wouldn't the gun deck cannons rigging (the main rope, not the blocks) be hooked or shackled to the eyelet on the gun deck wall instead of just seized on both sides so the cannon can be removed? Any thoughts on this?

[KimatHm]

Hey There...Rammoz...Kim Here...!!! Had to comment on the 'Sails'issue...Usually I've done my own, or had my 'Sails Lady' sew them...but a cople of the older kits that I had, including one of the Connies I'm doing now, will include the 'Stock' styrene sails that come supplied with the kit...Anyway with a little patience, and a few hundred mistakes under your belt, you can actually convert them into some pretty awesome, very cloth / muslin appearing sails...it really does take a bit of work, but when the comments come from all different professions viewing the ships on display ask "how did you do those cloth sails, and get them to retain their billows like that ??" is the rewarding part, cuz I know the secrets...!!!  Sails are always debatable...whether or not to hide all of your painstaking rigging, or...???  One of the reasons I always build in pairs...One with...and one without...But that's just me...!!!  Any other thoughts...???

Edited September 4, 2013 by KimatHm

[Force9]

Folks -

 

Just back from an RV adventure around the American West... Tahoe, Yellowstone, Zion, etc.  Always great to get out in wide open spaces... Always amazed at how many Europeans rent an RV and make similar treks.  They are universally polite and seem genuinely in awe of the scenery.

 

Looks like my build log has a life all its own... I can probably leave for a month or two and the thing will double in size!  

 

Kim - a very impressive collection of cardboard boxes full of plastic... I know you like to build 'em two at a time, but that does seem to be a few lifetimes worth in your pile.

 

Regarding wooden decks... I am steadfastly trying to stick with plastic for this effort - no wood except for the base. This is an exercise in plastic modeling skills.  I'm confident that I can do a respectable job without resorting to the real thing...  For those who will consider wood, I know there is a new veneer deck set from the folks at Scaledecks.com... The first version doesn't seem quite up to their other deck offerings - it doesn't have a butt pattern or margin planks with joggling, etc.  My understanding from postings on another forum is that they are working to improve that on the next version.

 

 

http://shop.scaledecks.com/1-96-USS-Constitution-Old-Ironsides-Deck-for-Revell-096-001.htm

 

The workshop is back in business and I am hoping to start back on my build soon.

 

EG

[KimatHm]

Hey Force9...You're 100% right on your build log taking on its' own life...!!! Amazing how that happens...Ehh???  Kim...!!!

[texxn5]

that is so true as to how they obtain their own life....with or without you...they keep on going..Kind of like the Duracell Bunny

[Force9]

Folks

I'll have a new post soon...

 

In the meantime - here is a plea from the folks at the USS Constitution museum:

 

Impact of the Partial Government Shutdown on the USS Constitution Museum

 

We wanted to keep you - our visitors, members and supporters - apprised of the impact the government shutdown is having on the USS Constitution Museum. Though we are a private not-for-profit that receives no direct federal funding, we are situated within Boston National Historical Park, a federal property which is now closed to visitors. As a result, we unfortunately cannot welcome the many visitors we usually greet this time of year. Our exhibits are empty of school kids exploring, our program staff working at computers instead of in our galleries, our donation boxes empty and our Store shelves fully stocked.

 

October is one of Boston's busiest months for tourism, with increased cruise ship traffic, leaf peepers, conventions and more. Add into the mix school kids on field trips and the Museum is generally buzzing with activity this time of year. This same time last year, daily revenue generated through on-site donations, Store sales and group visits averaged nearly $7,000 a day.  For every day the shutdown continues, this is critical revenue we must generate elsewhere.

 

While we are hoping resolution comes quickly, there are a few ways you might be able to help:

 

Make a tax-deductible gift to our annual fund

Get an early start on the holiday season by shopping our online Store

Write to your legislators to express your concern over the impact of the closure.

Let us know if there are affinity organizations or companies that might be willing to share our story with their constituents or employees, directing them to our website.

Spread the word! Share with Facebook friends, on twitter and more.

Other ideas welcome!

 

We recognize that we are just one of many organizations feeling the impact, and hope in the end the burden is minimal for all. Unfortunately, it looks as though this might not be as short lived as originally hoped. We appreciate your support, and welcome any suggestions you might have as we ride out the storm. And in the interim, take a few minutes to make a virtual visit to the Museum, and explore our collections and more online at www.ussconstitutionmuseum.org

 

Thank you -

Laura O'Neill

Director of Development

617-426-1812, x. 112

loneill@ussconstitutionmuseum.org