Please, Help Identify Ship and Model Manufacturer

On the basis of Watchmann's excellent, detailed description I can only think of one plastic kit that fills the bill:  the old Aurora U.S.S. Hartford.  It was on the market only briefly in the late sixties or very early seventies, just before the company went out of business; I don't believe it's ever been reissued, and it's now considered a collector's item.  Somewhere on the web there probably are photos of the kit, but I have no idea where to find them.

About the only other possibilities are the Revell Alabama and Kearsarge, but both of them are considerably larger - about three feet long. 

The description is pretty general but it "could" be the Revell CSS Alabama or USS Kearsarge, both of which have been reissued recently. However, both were a bit bigger than two feet. Check out pictures of these kits and see if they jog the old memory. WS

I'm %90 percent sure that it was Revell's 1/96 USS Kearsarge

The two big Revell kits are certainly possibilities.  (One point that hints in that direction:  every Revell Alabama and Kearsarge I've ever seen has announced its arrival in advance with the sound of all those boats banging on the sides of the hull.)  The big argument in favor of the Aurora Hartford is the size. It was indeed about two feet long (or maybe a little less).  Such things are, however, highly subject to the vagaries of memory.  (I speak from considerable experience.) 

Watchmann - do you remember whether the model had sails or not?  The Revell Alabama came with thin, vac-formed plastic sails; the modeler had the option of adding them or leaving them off.  The Aurora Hartford had heavy, clunky, injection-molded ones (which would have to be sawed from the integrally-molded yards if the modeler wanted to remove them).  The Revell Kearsarge didn't come with sails.  If the model in question had those thick, heavy plastic sails, we've identified it.  If it had thin, vac-formed sails, it was probably the Alabama.  If it had no sails, it might have been any of the three, but probably wasn't the Hartford.

Another question that might help.  Watchmann - do you remember what color the hull above the waterline was?  You say the modeler left most of the parts unpainted.  The Revell Kearsarge's hull was molded in black, with the underwater portion pre-painted copper.  The Revell Alabama's hull was very dark grey, also pre-painted copper below the waterline.  The Auroral Hartford's hull was a medium grey - about the same color the company used for its modern warships - and the modeler had to paint the bottom.

Along with the sails think about if the masts were somewhat crowded together or spaced out. The Hartford would have had a much busier look to her. The Alabama would have looked a bit more sparse, almost stretched out. I know that this is kind of fuzzy but so are old memories. We are working with general impressions. WS

I could curse my brother, but he's my broker, so... (insert impetus rage here)

I believe you gentlemen have found her for me.  In all probability it was the Kearsarge.

jtilley - There were no sails, but my uncle could have left them off.  I don't recall seeing any marks where sails were removed by cutting.  The hull above the waterline was black.  Pre-painted hull you say?  Do you think it had the green painted on at the factory as well?  When I built my small scale USS Constitution I remember thinking, "I wonder how long it will take this copper paint to turn green?!"

Dreadnought - I remember that the deck being very sparse.  That is one reason I couldn't remember if there were two or three sails, as if two sails gave it the appearance of being uncluttered.

I found pictures of the Hartford on the web, and there were far too many cannon.  Searching the web for pictures of the Kearsarge, I found this German website. http://www.sir-tom.net/kearsarge.htm

I clearly remember the markings on the deck for the large cannon's traverse.  And that was definitely the stack that I salvaged.

WS, I'm so glad to hear that they have been reissued!  Unfortunately, I can only find the Alabama for sale, not the Kearsarge.  I cannot find either of them on Revell's US or German websites. :(

Thank you all so much.  I knew someone here could answer my questions. :)

Yours,

m@

If you cannot find Kearsarge at any of the online hobbyshops or through your local shop you can always find examples on eBay. Lots of people buy them and never get around to building them. The last time they came out they were issued by Revell of Germany and the price was quite high so you are not likely to find one cheap. WS

Watchmann wrote:

Pre-painted hull you say?  Do you think it had the green painted on at the factory as well?  When I built my small scale USS Constitution I remember thinking, "I wonder how long it will take this copper paint to turn green?!"

I'm going to really stick my neck out here because it's been a long time since I built the kit, probably in the early 70's.

I think there was a method to streak the hull green that was included in the instructions because I remember doing it to one of the big Revell ships that came with copper already on it, but I don't remember which one. As though there was a green undercoat and you wiped the hull up and down with thinner. Sound familiar?

Unless it was the Thermo and I was just wiping the paint OFF! but I don't think so.

Definitely a very impressive kit. My Dad hung mine on two wires over the fireplace, I may have a picture somewhere.

My guess is that bondoman is right:  the builder added the green weathering to the underwater hull.  That technique was included in the original instructions.  I don't recall the last time I saw one of those prepainted Revell hulls - and if I could remember, I'd have no way of knowing how old it was.  But I don't think copper paint of that sort turns green naturally.

If you do try to seek out a Revell Kearsarge on e-bay, consider buying an older one.  The recent reissue from Revell Germany was notorious for its sloppy molding, vast amounts of flash, and other defects stemming, it seems, from a combination of old molds and lack of quality control.  (Some months ago I downloaded the instructions for the reissued Alabama from Revell Germany's website.  They were disastrously bad; if those of the reissued Kearsarge were comparable, I'm not at all sure a competent model could be built on the basis of them.) 

The old original, issued (according to Dr. Thomas Graham's Remembering Revell Model Kits) in 1961 (to coincide with the Civil War centennial), was considered a state-of-the-art showpiece in its day. It's also, according to Dr. Graham, "today's most sought-after Revell sailing ship."  That has ominous implications in terms of money.  But people who sell such things on e-bay sometimes don't realize what they're worth.  You may get lucky.  My suggestion is:  if you find one in an old U.S. Revell box for less than $100, and you can afford it, grab it as quick as you can.

Good luck.