Anyone build AL's "King of the Mississippi"?

Zombie thread! Maybe the model killed the guy...

dwtheriault

I did a quick search on this forum for anyone who had built or had pics of their Artesania Latina "King of the Mississippi" but have not had much luck.

I am thinking about building this model in my spare time (aka time away from the AL Constellation) for my dad but wanted to get some opinions and/or build pics of someone who has finished this wood ship model.

I appreciate any response.

Thanks...Dave

Current build: AL Constellation

Recent builds completed: Revell's 1/400 Queen Mary II, Big Boy Train

 

 

This ship is an exercise in frustration.They obviously do not have a QC dept. Had to do a lot of my own fabrication to make things fit. I've lost all interest in working on it. About 2/3 done so I will finish. Don't do it.

I'm not familiar with the Amati kit, but my understanding is that the longtime riverboat modeling enthusiasts don't take it seriously.  There's a great mass of information and lore about those boats; I have the impression that the European kit manufacturers didn't pay much, if any, attention to it.  But I have to emphasize again that I'm not one of those riverboat experts myself.

The Lindberg Robert E. Lee is a reissue of an extremely old Pyro kit.  As usual, it was considered a nice product for its day - but that day was a long time ago.  The riverboat expert I mentioned earlier gave a talk at a Nautical Research Guild convention some years ago about that particular vessel.  His contention was that all extant Robert E. Lee kits - plastic and wood - were seriously deficient.  As I remember, his big criticism was that they all gave her a flat-bottomed hull.  The real boat's hull was round-bottomed.  He had a considerable list of other things that the manufacturers had messed up.  By the time he was done, he'd convinced me that none of the Robert E. Lee kits on the market was worth buying.

I really wish some manufacturer would release a line of accurate American steam riverboats.  Modelers and authors like Alan Bates, John Fryant, and Bill Wiseman have made it obvious that these vessels make wonderful  model subjects.  Their historical importance is obvious, and few vessel types are more thoroughly packed with character.  My guess is that the manufacturer who released a genuine scale model of any such boat would have a best-seller on its hands.  But kit manufacturers rarely if ever listen to people like me.

Not one.

Amati Robt. E. Lee no good as well?

Lindberg Robt. E. Lee is still available I  understand. There was a Natchez, identical except for the paddle housing.

I haven't built, or closely examined, the kit, and I certainly don't claim to be an expert on riverboats.  I do recall, however, hearing it mentioned in a lecture by a well-known riverboat modeler (whose name I'd better leave out, since I can't quote him precisely).  I don't remember all his comments on the kit, but I'm pretty sure he used the phrase "almost every single part of it is wrong."  To my admittedly untrained eye it certainly doesn't look much like the real thing.

It should, I suppose, be acknowledged that the gentleman in question is not an admirer of Artesania Latina kits, and I'm not either.  Those I've seen (not the whole range by any means) have varied quite a bit in quality, but I have yet to see one that I'd call a sound basis for a serious scale model.  (I should say that I haven't examined the AL Constellation kit either.  I seem to recall reading some comments about it - positive and negative - over on the Drydock Models website:  www.drydockmodels.com ).

There's a grievous shortage of American riverboat kits.  Off the top of my head I can't think of one - plastic, wood, or otherwise - that I could honestly recommend.  (Caveat:  there almost certainly are some out there that I haven't heard of.)  That's really a shame.  They make wonderful, fascinating models - and quite a bit of good information about them is available.