I agree. These excellent photos also are a tribute to the artisans who worked for Revell in those days. Ok, some of the details are oversized. (Powder Monkey's earlier point about the mast bands is well taken - though rcboater's paint job has minimized the problem.) And in those days it was customary to cast more details integrally with the main components than we like nowadays. But take a look at the countersunk "seams" between the deck and hull planks. And the copper sheathing. And the stack of capstan bars on the forecastle deck. And those coils of rope, with scale blocks on their ends. (Note that every coil is a little different.) And the pinrails molded on the insides of the bulwarks. This kit originated in 1957. Countersunk surface detailing didn't become the accepted norm in 1/72-scale aircraft kits until at least 1980.
It's hard to believe that such things improved sales of the kit significantly. Those details are in that kit because the people who designed it wanted them to be there. Quite apart from the fact that the kit is a good representation of the ship, it's also a rather awe-inspiring example of just how good a mold could be - almost fifty years ago.
Revell Germany - the next time you're looking for an old Revell sailing ship kit to bring back, stay away from the Beagle, Seeadler, United States, Alabama, Thermopylae, and Stag Hound. Those things aren't scale models; they're merchandising stunts. Please, please give us back the Mayflower, Golden Hind, Charles W. Morgan, Viking ship, and Flying Cloud.
Youth, talent, hard work, and enthusiasm are no match for old age and treachery.