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Revell 1/250 Sovereign of the Seas

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  • Member since
    September 2005
  • From: Groton, CT
Revell 1/250 Sovereign of the Seas
Posted by warshipguy on Thursday, December 11, 2008 9:09 AM

I just saw this kit listed on Ebay and have never heard of it.  Does anyone know anything about it?  1/250 seems small.  It could be the old Pyro/Lindberg kit or the Aurora kit; indeed, did Revell ever release an original of this ship?

Bill Morrison

  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: Greenville, NC
Posted by jtilley on Thursday, December 11, 2008 10:53 AM

Well, I've certainly never heard of it - and there's no mention of it in Dr. Graham's history of Revell.  (Caveat:  that book only covers the products of Revell USA, and its coverage stops in 1979.)

I know of three plastic kits that purport to represent that ship:  Airfix, Pyro/Lindberg, and Aurora.  My guess (just a guess) is that this one is the ancient Aurora one.  (I've seen a few old Aurora kits - the Chinese junk, for instance - in Revell Germany boxes; I can't recall any Pyro ones being sold that way - though it's certainly possible that some were.)  The connection may conceivably be that the Aurora molds went to Monogram when the latter bought the remains of Aurora - and, of course, Monogram later merged with Revell. 

I can't remember having seen the old Aurora one outside the box.  My guess, though, is that it probably doesn't amount to much. 

Youth, talent, hard work, and enthusiasm are no match for old age and treachery.

  • Member since
    January 2006
  • From: istanbul/Turkey
Posted by kapudan_emir_effendi on Thursday, December 11, 2008 10:53 AM

Hello Bill,

It's indeed Pyro's old kit. Nowadays sold as "Blackbeard Pirate Ship" by Lindberg. If you agree doing some scratchbuilding (shrouds-ratlines and spars free of molded styrene "billowing" sails) it's a fair kit overall.

Don't surrender the ship !
  • Member since
    September 2005
  • From: Groton, CT
Posted by warshipguy on Friday, December 12, 2008 9:27 AM

Thanks everyone for responding!  I didn't think that Revell had launched anything new.

Bill Morrison

  • Member since
    March 2007
  • From: NJ
Posted by JMart on Friday, December 12, 2008 3:34 PM

So, not a bad kit to get for a sailor-ship newbie? I want to build one with my daughter, a big "pirates" fan,  but the Revell PoC "glow in the dark" kit is a disgrace, even as  a "toy" build to take into the bath tub.

 

 

  • Member since
    September 2005
  • From: Groton, CT
Posted by warshipguy on Friday, December 12, 2008 7:22 PM

I would say that it isn't a bad kit for a beginner to sailing ships.  It is a fairly simple build with reasonable results, especially if you discard those hard plastic billowing sails and hard plastic shrouds and ratlines.  Rigging shrouds is straightforward and you could use rolled tissue paper soaked with diluted Elmer's glue for the sails.

Bill Morrison

  • Member since
    July 2009
  • From: Jacksonville, Florida
Posted by Vagabond_Astronomer on Wednesday, August 26, 2009 9:48 PM
Just picked up the Lindberg release, and did some measurements. The model is much closer to 1/200 than 1/250. Yes, quite a bit of work needed, but there is potential here.
"I have loved the stars too dearly to be fearful of the night..."
  • Member since
    January 2009
  • From: Central CA
Posted by Division 6 on Thursday, August 27, 2009 5:25 AM
 JMart wrote:

So, not a bad kit to get for a sailor-ship newbie? I want to build one with my daughter, a big "pirates" fan,  but the Revell PoC "glow in the dark" kit is a disgrace, even as  a "toy" build to take into the bath tub.

It's actually the Chicken of the Sea Restaurant that used to be in Fantasy Land in LA, I believe there is a copy in Tokyo.

The Tokyo vrsion has the Jolly Roger on the stern where the one in LA (torn down in the 80's) had a Mermaid.


Eric... 

  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: Greenville, NC
Posted by jtilley on Thursday, August 27, 2009 9:01 AM

That Revell "pirate ship" must be one of the weirder stories in the history of scale (?) modeling.

According to Dr. Graham's history of Revell, it was originally issued in 1960, with the kit number H-377 and the name "Peter Pan's Pirate Ship Jolly Roger."  It was a scale reproduction of the "ship" at the original California Disneyland (which had opened five years earlier - the first of what later would be called "theme parks").  I never bought the kit, and I've never been to Disneyland, but as I understand it the kit actually is a highly detailed and accurate reproduction of the real thing - the real thing being based on the fertile imaginations of the animators who created the Disney animated movie "Peter Pan."  Neither the model nor the "ship" itself bears any resemblance to anything that ever floated.  (The "ship," in fact, never did, as I understand it; it was mounted firmly in concrete.)  The web site to which Division 6 kindly linked us is most interesting.  Apparently this...thing...has acquired not only a second life but a Japanese offspring.

The Revell kit, according to Dr. Graham, was reissued once:  in 1969 with the kit number H-364.  (Yes - the reissue had a kit number that was lower than the original one.  Revell did that sometimes.)  Dr. Graham's coverage stops in 1979; I think it may have appeared again sometime after that.

In its most recent incarnation it's labeled "Caribbean Pirate Ship."  Note the verbiage:  the phrase "Pirates of the Caribbean" is conspicuous by its absence.  This clearly is not an "authorized" movie tie-in.  Reading between the lines, it's obvious that Disney holds copyright on the phrase "Pirates of the Caribbean," but nobody can copyright the individual words "Caribbean," "pirate," and "ship."  Note the careful avoidance of any reference to the movies in the catalog description:  http://www.revell.com/catalog/products/1_72_Scale_Caribbean_Pirate_Ship-840-0.html .  Revell clearly is trying to reap some profit from the popularity of the movies, without paying Disney.  (Interesting irony:  the kit is based on a half-century-old Disney design.  I suspect some people at Disney are getting a rather sour laugh out of it all.)

The entire ship catalog of Revell USA now consists of twelve kits.  (That's actually an improvement over a few years ago; in March, 2008, we had a discussion of the fact that there were only ten.)  What an assortment.  With acknowledgment to Dr. Graham for the dates, here's the current Revell ship line, with dates of original release:

1.  U.S.S. Tarawa, 1/720 - 1977

2.  U.S.S. Helena, 1/481 - 1954

3.  Steamboat Robert E. Lee, 1/271 - 1956

4.  U.S.S. Constitution, 1/96 - 1965

5.  Gato-class submarine, 1/72 - quite recent (not in Dr. Graham's book) 

6.  PT-109, 1/72 - 1963

7.  "Caribbean Pirate Ship," 1/72 - 1960

8.  U.S.S. Constitution, 1/192 - 1956

9.  U.S.S. Lionfish, 1/180 - 1971

10.  U.S.S. Missouri, 1/535 - 1953 (Revell's first ship kit)

11.  U.S.S. Arizona, 1/426 - 1958

12.  R.M.S. Titanic, 1/570 - 1976 

Note that, with the sole exception of the big Gato-class kit, all of these are at least 32 years old - i.e., they've been on the market for more than half of the 56 years that Revell has been selling models.  It's getting hard to take Revell (Revell of the U.S., that is) seriously as a manufacturer of scale ship model kits.  The good news is that the picture at Revell Europe looks considerably brighter.

I have the impression that the 1/72 Gato is selling pretty well.  Maybe - maybe - that fact will cause the decision makers at Revell to rethink their attitude toward ship kits.  But I'm not holding my breath.   

Youth, talent, hard work, and enthusiasm are no match for old age and treachery.

  • Member since
    January 2009
  • From: Central CA
Posted by Division 6 on Thursday, August 27, 2009 3:31 PM

The Disney boat was originally Chicken of the Sea but later when that company was no longer a sponsor they removed the mermaid from the bow and renamed it the Jolly Roger. 

According to the site they orignally intended to move the boat but decided it would cost to much and instead detroyed it.Sad [:(]

I had bought (on line) the RoG Pirate Ghost Ship thinking it was the reissue of the Golden Hind since years ago they released the Hind in black plastic with glow in the dark paint and an extra bow with an eagles head.

Turns out I over paid for something I could and intended to get at Michaels.

I already knew from seeing pictures that the Caribbean ship was the Jolly Roger/Chicken of the Sea boat.

I actually picked up 2 more of the US versions for $4 each from Squadron, I plan to modify one into a diorama of the park restaurant, although going through all the pix on that site I noticed that they moved the doors on the sides probably in the 60's.

it will still require sculpting the Mermaids on the stern and bow as well as a few other things and redoing the decking.

Long term project.

I bought the cheap ones for parts but one may be done stock or as the Tokyo version.
 

Eric... 

  • Member since
    February 2004
  • From: Weymouth, Dorset, UK
Posted by chris hall on Friday, August 28, 2009 1:28 PM

The entire ship catalog of Revell USA now consists of twelve kits

By contrast, Professor, Revell Gerrnany have sixty-nine ships in their current catalogue, from a 1/18 Laser-class dinghy to a 1/1200 Queen Mary 2. New releases this year include a 1/700 QM2 and a 1/36 offshore power boat, a 1/350 Tirpitz and the Federal German Navy version of the 1/144 Fletcher-class destroyer.

It's not all bleak out there.

Cheers,

Chris.

Cute and cuddly, boys, cute and cuddly!
  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: Greenville, NC
Posted by jtilley on Friday, August 28, 2009 1:57 PM

Yes, as I noted, the picture at Revell Europe looks much brighter.  (The website seems to imply that the company is now using the phrase "Revell Europe" rather than "Revell Germany" - but maybe not.)  Whatever the official name of the company, it can now quite legitimately claim to be one of the leaders in the field of plastic ship models.

I'm also watching with interest what's going on at Airfix.  It wouldn't be reasonable to expect too much from a firm that's had such a narrow and recent brush with bankruptcy, but it looks like the management is taking the ship modeler (the modeler of twentieth-century ships, at any rate) seriously.  I'll be very interested to see the forthcoming Airfix 1/700 Titanic.  I might just be tempted to build it.

Youth, talent, hard work, and enthusiasm are no match for old age and treachery.

  • Member since
    February 2004
  • From: Weymouth, Dorset, UK
Posted by chris hall on Friday, August 28, 2009 2:35 PM

Don't get too excited about the Airfix Titanic. It will almost certainly be a re-pop of the Academy kit, which is nice, but hardly new. The 1/350 Illustrious, OTOH...

Cheers,

Chris.

Cute and cuddly, boys, cute and cuddly!
  • Member since
    March 2010
Posted by KRGF15 on Tuesday, March 23, 2010 11:50 PM

Well, with that being said, was it also the same old Pyro or Aurora kit that was issued as Soverign of the seas?

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