Revell Container Ship Columbo Express 1/700

Planning on it; I watch similar shipps go by every day...

I haven't seen an actual kit yet, but it looks like a nice one from what I've seen on the web.  Revell Germany really puts out some refreshing subjects.

I also see the 1:1 versions docked in Seattle regularly.  I'm not sure they are the exact same class, but the same company.  I've been meaning to stop and take some reference photos if I can avoid arrest by Homeland Security.  :)

One thing I notice is the kit includes container stacks that represent a full profile load of all Hapag-Lloyd boxes.  That's not very realistic, and it would be a good idea to mix up logos and colors on the containers, and maybe cut the container stacks down somewhat.

Fred

 

Not the same class; I live in Seattle and it was one of the first things i checked when I read the announcement ;)

You are spot-on with the load comment, but I imagine it would have been a trademark and copyright nightmare to get all of the logos....

At least it is in my scale! I am going to have to check into this one.

As soon as I saw this one I knew I had to pick it up and make one for our office.  We're in the logistics business.  Even in 1/700 scale it's huge at just under 19" long.  Just doing a quick check among the usual suspects I don't find any interest so far in after market or even decals for the containers.  I'm hoping that will change if enough people inquire.

The containers are too perfectly stacked.  I'm going to have to investigate cutting the containers up to get a more natural distribution.  A full load of company containers is just too unusual, although it would be no problem to mask off and paint containers in different colors.

There also seems to be no interest in doing a photoetch set either.  However really all you need are 3 rail photoetch sets with stairs to do this one well.  I found that the railings run the entire perimeter of the hull except for the bow but doubled up on the stern.  There is also some railing required for the mast on the bow.  Then rails are required for the bridge structure too.  I figured that 3 sets of the White Ensign Models 3 rail set and ladders would do the trick nicely so I bought four.    Throw in some PE sailors for good measure.

I think there's lots of opportunities for adding detail.  For example steel music wire can be cut down and placed on the ends of the containers for door locks, rigging can be added for container support and the bow mast supports.  I think I'll scratch build some cooler units for the ends so we have some refers on board, etc. 

I'm thinking of cutting down the hull and making it a waterline model.  Throw in a couple of modern tugs (if I can find some) for good measure perhaps.  Still haven't decided on that yet.  Hmmm... this might end up being two kits! 

Overall a very nice kit and I'm looking forward to putting it together.

Dave

It begs for somebody ( not me   )  to do a dockside diorama with a scratch built container crane boomed down over an open hatch......

Different container logos can be had, but I don't know how much detail one could get on home made decals in 1/700.

See this:

http://www.fotoreisverhaal.net/containers/summary.html

Fred

PS  I also like the idea that the kit contains decals to make several other ships of the same class.

At our ship club meeting today I talked with my friend Hugh Letterly about finding somebody to do some container logo decals.  He thinks he may know somebody so I'll leave it in his capable hands. 

That was a great reference!  Competitor contianer markings aren't necessary (Maersk, APL, etc.) but consolidator and private containers would be great.

This will be fun!

Dave 

I picked this kit up at ScaleModelWorld, Telford, for £7 cheaper than it sells for (equiv. to 28% off the price) in my LHS.

One of the first things I did, when I got home, was check at Shipspotting.com for photos of the real thing. There are many, and of the Colombo Express's sister ships. All show an astounding variety of colours and loads.

Check for yourself here... http://www.shipspotting.com/modules/altern8news/

Use the Advanced Search facility so you can restrict your search to photos only.

Loose Cannon has you covered as far as the tugs go: http://home.earthlink.net/~loosecannonproductions/Kit39.html and I guess I did not realize how big this monster is, even in 1/700!

Hugh from Loose Canon showed me one of his tugs.  It's older than what i had in mind.  I'm looking for a modern day tug that would look appropriate with these giant modern container ships.  Here's an example of what I had in mind.  I haven't seen this done in 1/700 scale.  If anyone knows different please let me know.  If I could get my hands on some dimensions perhaps I could scratch build one. 

Also be careful on variants of the Colombo.  They are all a little different in hull and superstructure.

The Foss tractors are 78 ft long.  I know this because I asked one of them once.  I used to use the length of a tug to help estimate distances and clearances when we were trying to shoehorn our ship past one of the big Maersk ships in Tacoma.

http://www.foss.com/equipment_fleet.html

http://academyphotos.net/photogallery/displayimage-464-Tractor-Tug-Wedell-Foss.html

 

That's pronounced WEEdle Foss.   In 1/700 this shouldn't be too hard to scratch build.

Fred

 

Now it occurs to me that to be really accurate you'd have to do tugs that are located in ports actually visited by the Columbo class ship.   More research is in order.

I built the Imex Tampa last year for a model for my office. The company that i work for does a lot of business with China and importing goods. I've been there quite a few times. I think I might have to build this one and add it to the shelf next to my Maersk ship. a nice photetch railing set would clean this revell kit up nicely.

There are lots of modern tug designs out there.  It looks like it's pretty common to have one in front and one the back, both pulling in opposite directions.  Here are some examples of tugs and The Colombo Express...

Dave

Just looking at the shipspotting.com pics, I see the Colombo Class in Hamburg, Rotterdam, and Southampton.   Rotterdam would be Smit company tugs, and there are lots of pics of tugs in each of those ports. Just google 'Hamburg tugs' etc.

Picked mine up this weekend. Generally it looks pretty nice; no warpage and very, very minimal flash. The raised line for the waterline fades away amidships, but this is in the flat slab section and it should pose no problem masking a straight line in this area. Hull halves test fit well.

Containers stacks are flat pieces so it'll be a bit of work to make every-day stacks.

 Hi. I,ve just been following the thread and I must say that is an interesting ship.I have the 1/350 CONTI-BELGICA from WILEMSHAVEN in paper. I built it once for a client and was so impressed with the detail, I had to have one for me.The CONTI has a medium mix of containers on board AND you can even order more! I wish they had done this ship in 1/350 because I find 1/700 too fiddly for my liking(too Small).By the way, in passing.The newer "tugs" are now referred to in ship industry publications as (SHIPHANDLING UNITS )NOT tugs.I guess thats because of VOITH-SCHNEIDER drives and such.(they,re almost as wide as they are long!) The word tug of course is NOT incorrect, but these babies can move sideways easier than I can park my car! I would recommend the CONTI-BELGICA for anyone.You can use the paper for patterns and build the ship from plastic.Remember there are BREAK-BULK ships that have been converted to carry containers and they look way different from this ship too.I would recommend also that you go to the library and go to the maritime publications area and you would be surprised at whats there on those ships! I hope this helps anyone that wants to go containering!   tankerbuilder

To dust off this thread a bit, I was poking around on the Revell-Germany site and they now sell PE! Who knew? Including a set for this very kit: http://revell.de/en/products/model_kits/model_kits/products/?id=210&KGKANR=0&KGKOGP=10&KGSCHL=9&L=1&page=1&sort=0&nc=&searchactive=&q=&SWO=&ARMAS4=&PHPSESSID=eb2f523a2904e255c5d8b91043b69acb&KZSLPG=&offset=1&cmd=show&ARARTN=00703&sp=1

I had no idea either Revell even new what PE was.

The review of the kit in the current (February 2010) FSM indicates that the reviewer's only CON (in the side-bar box) was that the color call-outs were for Revell paints only.   

The reviewer in the text, notes that the instructions call for all of the containers to be painted orange & decaled with Hapag-Lloyd markings.  He than deviates from the out-of-the box review/build to mask & paint the containers in various colors and does not use the provided decals.    While not a fatal flaw, I would call that a CON also.    I hope that an aftermarket producer (Hey Micro Scale - you have contacts through your model railroad decals - listen up!)  would come up with a sheet of 1:700 scale container markings.

I'll get one.  I have a hundred dollar commission payment-in-supplies for a build I'm doing for Squadron's Nuremburg Toy show display.   I've marked this kit and a couple others in their January sales flier.

.   

Looking at the Revell web site they seem to have a few PE sets out there.  Like you said, who knew!  Any I've seen are in Europe.  It looks like it's going for about EUR 25 or $36.00. 

I purchased White Ensign Models PE714 3 Bar Rails set in 1/700 which should be enough to do this model.  I got 3 of them in fact.  They include some ladders and steps which you can cut to size that I think are important to finish this kit off right.  Three of these sets were a lot less than EUR 25/USD 36!  They were UKL 1.49 each. 

Dave

I sent some messages around to the usual suspects about making some container markings.  The answers I got were "too busy", "don't have the equipment to do anything this small", "worried about copyright protection", or they just didn't reply.  It would be nice if somebody with the right equipment would step up and do something for this kit but I'm not that guy and I don't know who will. 

I think a reasonable job could be done by going with a load made mostly of Hapag-Lloyd containers, using the kit decals for those, and then some different colored containers mixed in with lettering that can be done with either a artist pencil or well placed dots of paint to represent letters.  Let's face it, in 1/700 scale they're going to be pretty tiny anyway. 

I also think that carving down and carving up some of these containers is a good idea.  I need to explore this further but I would think that some of the side panels cut from the bottom of a stack could be used to fill in areas carved out above, if that makes sense.  And what the heck, why not scratch build some flat racks to boot!  Maybe a tank container or more thrown in as well.

You CAN do 1/700 decals on an inkjet printer if you set it to the maximum dots-per-inch resolution, and they will look OK, not great but OK, but - you can't do white lettering. For that you need someone with an ALPS printer. Skimming through the index here, http://www.fotoreisverhaal.net/containers/summary.html, it looks like a lot of the shippers use white lettering, which is awfully inconsiderate for us modelers.

Color laser printers give you much crisper decals at that scale, but are generally cost-prohibitive for the casual modeler. I was glad that at least Revell made an attempt at putting ribbing on the containers, I shuddered at the thought of trying to add that on to several hundred individual containers with little bits of Evergreen strip!

 

Hi Wilbur,

Just adding to what Ed Grune wrote about the current kit review, the direct link for it is here.

I am looking forward to my LHS stocking this since non-military subjects are usually not as plentiful.

I too plan on having a staggered container load of varying colors with homemade decals to give the model a more realistic appearance.

RODC

That Revell PE doesn't look too bad; I was trying to tempt Loren Perry from Gold Medal Models into doing a set but he's going to steer people to his civilian ship set designed for the Titanic and Lusitania kits.

I was hoping for some tie downs such as you can see on the bottom twp rows of this picture:

http://www.hapag-lloyd.com/images/press_and_media/photo_library/ColomboExpress03_print.jpg

I'm going to put it in my display to my trumpy 1/700 USS Stennis.

Can a modern US hospital ship be made from this kit with some scratch building?

Hospital ship from this?  I think you might as well scratch build the whole thing.

As for container logos being white, making it inconvenient to make decals on an inkjet printer ( no white ink) the solution would be to create decals covering  the whole side of the can.  Then just print them on white decal paper.

I picked the kit up on sale just before Christmas.  It looks like it'll be a lot of fun to build.  I plan to cut down the container stacks, especially near the bridge, so you can see the bridge superstructure better.

Fred

Printing to decals on white film the full width of the container would work, but ... getting that film to conform to the ridges on the containers would not be fun. Still, for the sheer joy of being able to build something that is not all-over gray, this kit is on my list!

Since I bought this kit I've been  noticing the loads on Hapag-Lloyd ships in Seattle.  I go right by them on the way to work.  The orange Hapag-Lloyd containers make up only about 25% of the load.  The rest are mainly reddish cans, with quite a few blue NYK boxes.   The trade on the Far East to Europe run may differ from the Far East to US run.