AURORA BUCCANEER PIRATE SHIP & BLACK FALCON

I'm reasonably certain (though not entirely) that they're the same kit in different boxes.  It was originally released (under the "Black Falcon" label) in the early to mid-fifties - one of the very first plastic sailing ship kits ever.  As such, it's of considerable historical interest.  As a scale model...well, the less said the better.  In those days neither the manufacturers nor the customers were particularly interested in historical accuracy; it was pretty, it had a black skull-and-crossbones flag on it, and that was about all the average purchaser cared about.  (A year or two later the first Revell and Pyro sailing ships started to appear, and the rules of the game changed.)

Its basic hull shape doesn't really look much like anything from the eighteenth century (which I guess is what it's intended to date from), and the level of detail can most gently be described as primitive.  (All the decks are molded as one piece, with such things as fiferails cast integrally.  The fiferails look like solid fences around the bases of the masts.)  And the shrouds and ratlines are ludicrously thick injection moldings.  I was about five years old when I saw this kit for the first time.  My twelve-year-old brother and I agreed even then that it wasn't worth building. 

On the other hand, if you do a Forum search you'll find a number of posts from folks who've tackled this kit as a newcomer's project and turned it into something pretty respectable.  Such things always boil down to matters of personal taste.  This old fossil belongs to a different world than the big Revell Constitution.  But, as we've established more than once before, it's possible to turn anything, up to and including a beef bone, into a nice-looking ship model.

Later edit:  I found examples of both "Buccaneer" and "Black Falcon" on a website:  http://www.oldmodelkits.com/index.php .  (Search on "Civil Ship" and "Aurora.")  It's quite obvious that they are indeed the same kit.  (The "Buccaneer" issue, it seems, was a tie-in with the 1958 movie of that title.  It starred Charleton Heston - who else? - as Andrew Jackson, and Yul Brynner - with hair - as Jean Lafitte.  Not a bad flick, if taken with several large grains of salt - though it had nothing to do with any vessel that looked even vaguely like the model.)  Take a look at those prices!  If I had one of those kits I'd probably conclude that it made more sense to leave it in the box than to build it.

I picked up this kit a few years ago on the e place.

It builds into an excellent model of a sailing vessel, when placed in the appropriate setting.

Of course, that setting is in the bottom of a fishbowl, right next to one of those treasure chests that has the opening lids... you now, you run an airline into it and the bubbles build up in the lid until it swings up and lets those sparkly jewels rise to the surface.

If you don't have a goldfish, or a six year old who is fascinated by cartoon pirates, I'd agree with Dr. Tilley, this kit's best place in the box.

If you have either of the above, I have a Black Falcon for sale... cheap. 

Greetings:

Thank you for the information. I just happened to see them on that site and was curious as to how bad they might be. I thought with a little effort maybe they would be worth the effort of replacing a few things on them and end up with something half way decent. I should have taken my clue from the pictures of the box art as to what type of model they were. Also, at those prices I'd expect something more. So it looks like instead of a diamond in the rough we have simply cut glass in the rough. Thank you both for your responses I greatly appreciate it. It was fun strolling down memory lane looking at all those old kits listed on that web site. I grew up in the sixties and I sure don't remember the vast majority of those kits that were shown.

Sincerely

 

Michael Lacey 

 

 

I have an Ideal wooden kit of the Black Falcon only it is called Pirate Brig by Ideal. I recently got it on ebay. I built this kit as a teenager in the 50's. I've also seen a kit by a company called Boucher which dates back to the 30's. I wonder who came up with the original design. modelbob@hotmail.com

jtilley wrote: But, as we've established more than once before, it's possible to turn anything, up to and including a beef bone, into a nice-looking ship model.

Has anyone ever seen a ship made from a beef bone? They are quite amazing. I've seen them where even the rigging is made from bone. The people in prisons in Europe (especially Spain) in the 18th century had to generate their own income to pay for meals etc. and they sold these models for that purpose. Many of the "gift shop" ships I've seen are called "Spanish Prison" models since that style of model originated there.

Just Google "ship models made of bone" and you'll see some amazing craftsmanship, even from 200 years ago. This just goes to show you that hobbies will never die. Not even in prison.

schoonerbumm wrote:

I picked up this kit a few years ago on the e place. It builds into an excellent model of a sailing vessel, when placed in the appropriate setting. Of course, that setting is in the bottom of a fishbowl, right next to one of those treasure chests that has the opening lids... you now, you run an airline into it and the bubbles build up in the lid until it swings up and lets those sparkly jewels rise to the surface. If you don't have a goldfish, or a six year old who is fascinated by cartoon pirates, I'd agree with Dr. Tilley, this kit's best place in the box. If you have either of the above, I have a Black Falcon for sale... cheap.

LMFAO!

Those eighteenth-century bone models are indeed astonishing - and, when one thinks about the circumstances when they were built, emotionally moving.

Building them was also a popular activity in British prisons during the Wars of the French Revolution and Napoleon.  Many of the surviving models represent French ships, having been built by French POWs.  Apparently they were permitted to sell such things, presumably using the money to buy tobacco, extra food, and other "luxury" items.

The joint where I used to work (the Mariners' Museum, Newport News, Virginia) had one such model, and an exquisite one it was.  I had occasion to do some very minor cleaning and restoration work on it once; I was literally almost afraid to touch it.  Its rigging, which was quite elaborate, appeared to be made of human hair, which seems to have been typical.  Apparently the ladies of the community took pity on the prisoners. 

To study these things is a humbling and moving experience.  Consider that they had to be built without reference to any sort of plans; these modelers almost certainly were working entirely from memory.  (In some of them the hull forms, quite understandably, are distorted - especially below the waterline.  But the details of the rigging frequently are incredibly precise.)  Think of the tools they had to work with.  And, for that matter, the amount of light that must have been available to them.  (Modeling after dark must have been almost impossible.) 

One of the better collections of bone models (most of them French) can be seen at the Naval Academy Museum in Annapolis, Maryland.  Years ago the Conway Maritime Press published a fine book about them, by Ewart Freeston, but it's long been out of print.  A reprint of it would be most welcome.

 NOT to take the wind out of J. TILLEY,S sails BUT , the BLACK FALCON and the BUCCANEER are an excellent kit for begining modeler . The kit leaves a lot of room for improvement and with a heller rigging tool and evergreen scored.060 sheet to begin the rebuild . The old ships were to my experience turned into fishtank bubblers and that,s the last I saw of it . If you find one I say build it , it was for all it,s flaws a lot of fun to build .     tankerbuilder

This is my build of the Black Falcon kit, completed a few years ago:

Other than replacing the plastic shrouds/ratlines with hand-rigged ones, it doesn't have many changes to the basic kit. I have another of these kits which I'll eventually build converted to HMS Sophie from the novel "Master and Commander" (Aubrey's first command), with a scratchbuilt replacement stern, decks replaced with Slaters plank sheet, and the guns + carriages, fife rails, ladders and other fittings replaced with spares-box and scratchbuilt items. 

This kit was reissued by SMER (Czech company) in the 1990s and isn't hard to find in the UK or Europe with a retail price of around $10. At that price, it's not bad as a basis for conversion/kitbashing!

  Hey I had a Black Falcon model years ago, but was missing most of the small parts and had no instructions, and if Schoornerbumm still wants to sell that model cheap, I take it off his hands.before I could do anything to her my son got it and finished her off with ....yup you guessed it...firecrackers, I think it could be built into a good looking model. 

  EPinniger you did a great job with her especially the color, just a very possible color a ship of this type would most likely have.   Karl

That did turn out nice.

Years ago I used to play a game called Privateers and Gentlemen (aka Heart of Oak).
I had a 20 gun Sloop Privateer called the Black Falcon.

 

Eric... 

EPinniger wrote:

This is my build of the Black Falcon kit, completed a few years ago: Other than replacing the plastic shrouds/ratlines with hand-rigged ones, it doesn't have many changes to the basic kit. I have another of these kits which I'll eventually build converted to HMS Sophie from the novel "Master and Commander" (Aubrey's first command), with a scratchbuilt replacement stern, decks replaced with Slaters plank sheet, and the guns + carriages, fife rails, ladders and other fittings replaced with spares-box and scratchbuilt items.  This kit was reissued by SMER (Czech company) in the 1990s and isn't hard to find in the UK or Europe with a retail price of around $10. At that price, it's not bad as a basis for conversion/kitbashing!

It IS a fun kit, simply because it IS so simple, and it can be made to represent so MANY different ships!  It can be had cheap, is an excellent 'first ship model' for the youngsters, and it makes a good bathtub toy.  So what's not to like?  Sure it is not a 'high-tech' scale model of anything in particular, but it IS a good representation of a wide variety of 18th century ships, so on this basis, I have to give it a 'thumbs up' (it was also MY first ship model, about 40 years ago, so perhaps I AM biased!!).

Just an addition to Epinnigers post from may 18th. He writes that the
Black Falcon kit was reissued by czech company SMER. That its partially correct.
Partially because the SMER kit is, like the Viking Ship and Cutty Sark kits,
a reiusse of the british MERIT kits. These were COPIES of the Aurora kits,
not from the same tool. Mr. Thomas Graham tells us this in his fantastic
book about Aurora Models, he called the models "pirate copies".
I have the Aurora and Merit Viking ships and indeed, there are small
differences in the engravings.  The Cutty Sark has a small difference
in length and width. All models also had no engravings on the hull
below the waterline. So the SMER kits are a good alternative if someone
wishes to rebuilt a model of his youngster-days.

Hope this helps,

Modellers greetings from Germany

Axel      

Hi,
I just ran across this by mistake searching google for information on a ship called the "Black Falcon" which is supposedly one of William Kidd's ships... Though I've never heard of anything other then the Adventure Galley and the Adventure Prize and a small sloop.
First off, I am not trying to review this kit or bash this kit in any way. I do not own this kit myself. I just thought this was funny.
"schoonerbumm" Made a comment about this kit belonging in a fish tank. I actually have the split shipwreck ornament that you hook up to an airline. (I've never used it though) What I find kind of funny is that on the stern's nameplate of the wrecked ship it says "Black Falcon"
The ship is supposed to be a two masted brig that's split in two. Funny thing is, look closely at EPinniger's finished kit at this. There are lots or similarities. I wonder if the guys at Penn Plax used this kit as a starting point? Just thought that was kind of funny and couldn't resist.
EPinniger - Looks nice! Heck I'd build one if I could get it to come out that nice.

Good looking model. I had one of these when I was a kid in the mid 1960's. It spent lots of time floating in my bathtub ! It would float upright instead of immediately capsizing like all the other sailing ship models I had. It eventually went away till just a few weeks ago when I found the hulk of  it behind a cabinet in my parents garage where it had fallen. Been there all these years. I always wondered what had happened to it. Wish I could build another one so if anyone has one up for grabs,even the SMER ones drop me an email.

NOW HEAR THIS , and PROMISE not to laugh ! I have about a even half dozen of these things that I built as gifts years ago. The thing is I still had three unbuilt ones . Well, being a glutton for punishment, I converted two to small ships of the AMERICAN navy circa 1775 . They don,t look to bad and were a heck of a lot of fun to build . I did use a rigging tool I got with a hELLER ship kit and put real taffrails and pinrails on her . Now about that fishtank bubbler .It has to be made from the same molds or thereabouts . Why , well, the last ship was missing some parts and in desperation I bought one for the parts I needed . It cost less then the kits did . The stern piece fit the kit perfectly and lined up like it came from the same box .  I replaced her cannons with some from the parts box , but I think they were from a HELLER kit also . I build mostly modern now , but , those were a kick When you were getting modeling money by hauling in returnable soda bottles ! The AURORA kits were more within reach than the ones from REVELL ! When I got older I laughed at them but still had fun building them . That,s kinda like the little ones that PYRO and then LINDBERG , as well as LIFELIKE came out with years ago . I still build one of those now and then for gifts for folks who like sailing ships but don,t have room for the big guys . Would I recommend them as a beginners first sailing ship ? YES . The reason is simple , the little ship would let them learn about the sticks (vertical and horizontal) and what they do and why . That,s a simple start , but it,s a start. It,s fun looking at these " old dogs"        tankerbuilder