Revells "Pirate Ship" in 1/72nd, your thoughts?

Looking for something different, in a size I can work with. The kit looked OK on the youtube video’s. I do not want buy a 125$ kit and be grumpy with fit or detail. Anyones thoughts on the kit?

Thanks ahead of time.


1 Like

I built this kit in 1962. Didn’t look half as good as this one! :cry:
:smiley: :canada:

I might be wrong but to me it looks more like a Hollywood pirate ship rather than the kinds of vessels the majority of pirates of the 16/17th century are described as having used.

From what I can find online, it was originally sold by Zvezda as the Black Pearl from Pirates of the Caribbean, followed by Revell. It was then modified with new figurehead to become Zvezda’s Black Swan and subsequently reboxed by Revell.

According to Scalamates it was rather Peter Pan pirate ship…

https://www.scalemates.com/fr/kits/revell-kikoler-h-337-jolly-roger–1165094

H.P.

Different kit. The kit from the 1960s was based on Captain Hook’s ship from Disney Peter Pan attraction at Disneyland

That was the original Revell pirate ship. The easiest way to tell them apart is the much shallower draught of the original kit and the swan figurehead of the new kit.

I should have double-checked the kit chronology…My bad :grimacing:

H.P.

1 Like

I was not after a specific historically correct ship. I ignore the “Pirate” part because they probably would not be weighed down by 36 cannons. I am thinking (based on no reliable gage) that this would be a typical ship design of the time. I expect the swan to “disappear” as Hollywood fluff. I do not think the 3 large lanterns on the stern were typical either, could be wrong. Some of you might be able to point out other inaccuracies for a ship of this period and that would be helpful. I know nothing about rigging so some of you sailors might notice things that would be useful. I see you can get wooden decks and cloth sails for it.
Originally, I was curious if someone has built the kit and could say how well the kit went together. However any other pointers from a nautical perspective would be greatly appreciated.

You may want to take a look at the Batavia, this is the replica

Other 17th century ships like the Vasa ship could provide hints about the rigging back in those days.

About that lantern:


Stern of the Batavia

Not necessarily the case either. Check out the Queen Anne’s Revenge, Blackbeard’s “Pirate” flagship. It was a captured French slave ship which he refit with a compliment of 40 cannons (alleged), 30 (so far) found on the excavated wreck.

Blackbeard’s Queen Anne’s Revenge Project (qaronline.org)

3 Likes

Small addition to what Gino writes:

The back story of the Black Pearl in Pirates of the Caribbean was that she had started life as an East Indiaman.

This kit seems quite similar in style to the Amsterdam

Sorry for contributing to taking your post off topic. I found that by searching for Zvezda Black Pearl and Black Swan there were quite a few build reviews across the internet, which generally seemed quite favourable.

A quick read of the Amsterdam shows she carried 42 guns.

Yes, the Amsterdam was more heavily armed but the style is otherwise similar to the kit.

Not directed at you at all. My point was reinforcing my above post that these ships (many of which became pirate or privateer vessels) did have a lot of guns to protect them.

1 Like

My family built the Spanish Galleon and the Constitution when I was a kid. We did it together. There was a third, it may have been a pirate ship. There probably weren’t many to choose from in the 70’s.
I think these came with molded rat lines. If you really wanted to you could make them yourself, which I think we did. I remember a block of paraffin wax we used on the rigging.
At any rate, I don’t remember them not going together well.

As for the three lanterns - who can forget that great scene from Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World?

3 Likes

The things I learn by delving into an unfamiliar subject!

1 Like

Great movie ! :+1:

H.P.

1 Like

After looking around I finally found a kit to order. My normal plastic pusher said that Zeveda (the maker of the kit that Revell repackaged) is not being imported due to the Uranian war and back order/ resupply may not be until the conflict is over. Best pick up a Zeveda kit, if it is on your list, and it is still available.