Kit Review Harbor Tug WARATAH 1902 - HMV - 1/250 - CARD

[ccoyle]

1:250 Steam Harbor Tug WARATAH 1902

HMV

Available from Fentens Papermodels €8.99

 

Photo courtesy of HMV

 

(All photos by the author except where noted.)

The steam tug Waratah was built in 1902 for service in Sydney Harbor, Australia. She is presently part of the Sydney Heritage Fleet and is used for harbor excursions. You can read more of her history at the Sydney Heritage Fleet website. Fresh off the presses and designed by Carsten Horn, Hamburger Modellbaubogen Verlag (HMV) now offer this eye-pleasing vessel as a card model in their usual 1/250 scale. At that scale, the finished model is a mere 133 mm in length (5.23 in.), which may not seem all that small until the kit is actually seen in person! The kit consists of only 246 parts on two sheets, but because of the many tiny pieces, the kit is marked schwierig (difficult), so some prior experience in card modeling is desirable.

 

The printing is up to the usual high standards of HMV, with sharp colors, excellent registration, and a good amount of detail. Reverse-side printing has been done on parts that will be visible on two sides. Parts marked with an "A" indicate alternate parts to provide additional detail, such as doubling doors. An "L" indicates that the part can be replaced with an optional laser-cut piece (available separately). Longtime builders of HMV models will notice that fold lines, which used to be printed right on the part to be folded, are now printed adjacent to the part instead, which is a nice improvement.

 

 

Directions for construction consist in the main of a series of 13 diagrams. A very brief description of how to interpret the various markings on the diagrams is provided in six languages (German, English, French, Spanish, Japanese, and Russian). The diagrams appear to be very thorough; part numbers are plainly marked, and alternate and laser-cut optional parts are indicated as well. Also included is a rigging diagram, which, for such a small model, is thankfully very simple.

 

 

The hull is built in HMV's usual "egg-crate" style, based on a longitudinal hull profile piece and a number of transverse bulkheads. Hull sides are attached to tabs that fold up or down from the base plate and deck.

 

 

With an MSRP of only €8.99, this nice little model won't make a big dent in anyone's budget. The laser-cut detail set, at €12.99, costs a bit more, but in my opinion it is money well-spent, since the set includes nearly all of the "fiddly bits" pre-cut in colored card stock. This spares the modeler a lot of time and nerve-wracking effort spent cutting out tiny and delicate parts, and also greatly enhances the look of the finished model. Waratah's detail set includes a whopping 11 frets of variously-colored parts.

 

 

 

With or without the detail set, Waratah should build into a very detailed and attractive small model, one that satisfactorily captures the certain elegance that workboats of a bygone era possessed. This kit is thus a welcome addition to HMV's fleet of civilian vessels.

 

Thanks are due to Fentens Papermodels for sending out this review example. If you enjoyed this review, you can show your appreciation to Fentens by visiting their website. If you make a purchase, be sure to mention that Model Ship World sent you!

 

Photo courtesy of Fentens Papermodels

[Rik Thistle]

That looks really neat and for less than Euro13 it's an impulse buy 😉

 

Richard

[ccoyle]

32 minutes ago, Rik Thistle said:

less than Euro13

 

Just be aware that the laser set does not include the base model, so the kit and detail set together come to €21.98 -- still a far cry from any plastic kit and its associated PE upgrades.

[Rik Thistle]

Ah, thanks Chris....I hadn't spotted that. Still feel the impulse buy urge though 😉

 

I already have a cardboard model of HMS Alert stashed away that was part  of a 'bulk purchase' to see me through the Great Lockdown of 2021/2022.

 

So I really should complete that one first to see how I get on with cardboard models. However the harbor tug may somehow find it's way into the stash when I'm not looking.

 

Richard

Edited April 5, 2021 by Rik Thistle

[James H]

Paper modelling is still alchemy to me. 

 

I have amazing respect for those who can build this stuff like I've seen.

[Bedford]

Well Chris, I saw you're "likes" on the Model Ship World FB page and followed the link to find this thread so I'll add my comments here as well.

 

I crew the S.T. Waratah on Sydney Harbour. She is still coal fired and very original. We strive to maintain original equipment in the original ways and only add modern equipment as is sensibly required for safe navigation.

 

The model is quite well detailed and includes little things we have added like the wing awnings on the wheelhouse, the life jacket boxes which are either side of both the fore and aft accommodation hatches and one either side of the upper engine room as well as the aft awning and the small square plastic drinking water tank under the original cylindrical tank on the boat deck (we couldn't keep rust out of the water) It should be noted that all such modifications can be easily removed to return her to original.

 

I'm not into card models but do have a set of plans I bought from SHF which portray her at approx 1/33 scale so 1 metre long.

 

She's a beautiful old girl!

 

[Oldsalt2005]

OMG what have I done! £20.95 for a laser cut model of Waratah that has no base and no assembly instructions….SOS…. mayday, Mayday, Mayday

[ccoyle]

22 hours ago, Oldsalt2005 said:

what have I done! £20.95 for a laser cut model of Waratah that has no base and no assembly instructions….SOS…. mayday, Mayday, Mayday

 

I'm not clear on what you are asking for. Did you order the laser-cut detail set but not the actual kit itself? Because the instructions come with the kit.

[amateur]

And where did you buy your kit?

as Chris says: the hmv-s  come as complete sets. Without  base, but you don’t need that to build the model.

jan