British 74

Don,

I have been lobbying Airfix for the past 10 years about just this issue.  I have also written several threads about this on the Airfix.com website. Please feel free to join me in this effort.

At one point two or three years ago, Airfix pointed out to me that they had just released the HMS Endeavor.  Upon my telling them that that kit was over 50 years old, and that, in order to increase sales, they must release new products periodically instead of repopping the same tired kits that we all have anyway, they ignored me.

So, please, please all sailing ship enthusiasts log onto their website and click into "Contact Us" and let them know that we need new products. A new British 74 would be a nice start!

Bill Morrison

I think any plastic 74 would have to be 1/96 or larger because of the difficulty in rigging at smaller scales.  In other words, a model like the Constitution, only a 74.  Of course, the problem is in the investment required for bringing out a new kit.

It's not a 74, but Revell Germany is apparently going to bring out the Cutty Sark at 1/96 in December.  I would think that would cause some excitement.

To my knowledge, there is no plastic kit of a 74 gun sailing ship. However, if one is into scratch building, "Ships of the American Revolution and their Models" by the late Harold M. Hahn has plans for building the 74 gun ship ALFRED. Launched in 1778, she took part in the battle of Cape St. Vincint in 1780. Broke up in 1814.

This book is no longer in publication. It must be bought through second hand book sellers dealing with marine subjects. This book is a gold mine of scratch ship building for 15 plans that have to be bought seperately from the son of the late author.

Happy modeling   Crackers 

Crackers,

To the best of my knowledge, there are two plastic kits of 74s on the market. They are the French Le Glorieux and Le Superbe, both by Heller. Unfortunately, there are no British 74s, or any from any other naval power.

There are several in the wood ship market.  Corel produces HMS Bellona, Artesania Latina produces the San Juan Nepomuceno, and Amati produces HMS Vanguard. I am not sure about any others.

I do know that you have advocated scratch-building for many years.  I think I might be coming around to your way of thinking.  But, I will keep pestering the plastic manufacturers.

Bill Morrison

There is/was a wood kit of a British 74. I believe it was the Bellona.  Haven't seen it advertised in years.  Seems to me they were asking about 300 for it, and it was about 1:75 or thereabouts.  There was another wood kit of the Superbe, which was a few bucks cheaper, and I went with that one. It is still a work in progress.

Don,

The Corel HMS Bellona is currently listed on the Ages of Sail website for $649.00.  I also neglected to mention that Caldercraft's Nelson's Navy line offers HMS Agamemnon (64). I have my sights set on her in the future.

Bill

But it is so easy :-)

Just take the old english custom, wait on the corner until a french 74 comes by and grab it! So use the Heller ones and enjoy the build and you have a nice British 74 ;-)

:-) :-) :-)

XXXDAn

CWG,

One of the points I have made with all of the manufacturers is that they expect sailing ship modelers to get excited about re-releases of old products. How many kits of the Cutty Sark (albeit a very nice model) are we expected to purchase before someone gets the idea that sailing ship modelers need new products?  How many re-releases of the HMS Victory? How many re-releases of the USS Constitution?  They expect us to be satisfied with the same tired old products, and then cite poor sales to deny us new kits.

Several years ago, while discussing this with Airfix's Director of Product Development, I was informed of the upcoming re-release of their HMS Endeavor.  He did not seem to grasp the notion that that kit was over 50 years old, that a re-release does not interest me because I already have a previous re-release of the kit.  In other words, Airfix wanted to see sales go through the roof on a kit that has been on the market intermittently since the early 1960s.

Imagine that you are an airplane modeler and that the only plastic models of your genre are the Messerschmitt Bf 109 E, a Mitsubishi A6M Zero, an F-4U Corsair, and a Supermarine Spitfire.  These kits are the only airplanes available in the various standard scales, and each was manufactured to the standards of 50 years ago. Each has cycled in and out of production.  Would you get excited when one manufacturer announces the re-release of the Bf 109 with no updates?

At least Revell of Germany and Zvesda occasionally release a new kits for sailing ship enthusiasts.  None have been of a 74 gun ship-of-the-line.

Bill Morrison

Dafi,

I love it! 

Bill Morrison

warshipguy

At least Revell of Germany and Zvesda occasionally release a new kits for sailing ship enthusiasts. None have been of a 74 gun ship-of-the-line.

Bill Morrison

And Zvezda has the new molding technology. It is quite nice.  I would certainly buy a British 74 from them!

At the risk of whipping a dead horse, like all companies, plastic ship kits manufacturers observe their profits as the bottom line. The enormous cost of issuing a new kit is a risk. Cutting new dies is a major expense and a gamble that kit manufacturers can not afford to make. That is why they stick to the same old tried and true like MAYFLOWER and CONSTITUTION et al. I firmly believe that scratch building is a way to avoid this frustration.

The late Harold Hahn is a great teacher of scratch building ship models. If one can read the English language, you can scratch build, believe me. I have made three models from his instructions. Reading Hahn's directions is as if he takers you by the hand and walks you step-by-step through the various stages of assembly. For the beginner of scratch building, I would highly recommend Hahn's book "The Colonial Schooner, 1763-1775" and start by building the HANNAH, one of the first vessels in George Washington's navy. This ship is simple in construction and rigging at the basic level.

Once the scratch builder has mastered the different steps of scratching, then there are more complex vessels like the 74 gun ALFRED to challenge the modeler. All plans are sepertate from the book and must be purchased by Harold Hahn's son living in Ohio. Consult your computer for additional information.

Amazon.com has 35 copies of "The Colonial Schooner", at $21.98 per copy. Or, one can go to E-Bay and see what they have to offer. Try scratch building. You might like it and post your work on the Forum.

Happy modeling     Crackers  

Pardon me for tooting my horn, but I do not have any great skills of scratch building. Here is the BOUNTY from Harold Hahn's plans he created for a friend of his. If I can scratch build, ANY Person can do the same.

The completed model of the BOUNTY is now on display at the Jerome, Idaho Public Library. This is not the work of a professional. You too can accomplish the same results. Try it. You might like it.

Happy modeling    Crackers  

Anthony,

Your Bounty looks really beautiful!

Is there a possibility that you could post a larger picture so we might see more detail?

Mike, this is the largest picture I can post on the Forum. Thanks for your interest.

  Happy modeling       Crackers  

warshipguy

Messerschmitt Bf 109 E, a Mitsubishi A6M Zero, an F-4U Corsair, and a Supermarine Spitfire. These kits are the only airplanes available

Whchi is not helped when the Spitfire is released with a razorback couwling as a Hawker Hurricane, or the B-109 as an FW-180 (and not even as a Dora, but as a "A" model).  Or the Spit releasesed with so9me ME-109 parts as an Aeromacchip--and the manufacturers are condused about the backlash from consumers.

Oh, and to fully parallel ship kits ,the aircraft kits would need to be in 1/48, 1/50, 1/60, and 1/40 scales for no obvious reason.

Excellent point!

Crackers, I believe that a fundamental truth of capitalism is that "Nothing ventured, nothing gained." Without manufacturers and businesses taking risks, capitalism would be dead. This truth applies even to corporations manufacturing plastic model kits.

Albert Einstein once said that the definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over again and expect different results.  It seems to me that it is a poor business approach to give their customers nothing new and to keep expecting them to repeatedly purchase the tired old products.  I am not a capitalist, yet I can see the truth that, for a manufacturer to succeed in selling their products, they must continuously offer new products.  It is no wonder to me that the sailing ship market is in decline.

Bill Morrison