Artesania Latina - Belem 1896 - 1:75 - Kit Review

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With Artesania Latina going out of business, their kits are drying up quickly from the market place. In the US, MicroMark is one of the larger sellers of AL kits. I recently purchased this kit from MicroMark via Amazon for about $300. As of this writing, they only have 2 left in-stock. Since the model was produced in 2017 it would be one of the final models made by AL. I find it a curious topic and a handsome ship and thought I would share with you my thoughts on the kit itself.

The Belem is a 3 masted barque from France. She began life as a cargo ship in 1896 and is the oldest active French sailing ship today. She is powered by both sails and two diesel engines. You can read more about her history here:


The 1:75 scale model measures out to a little more than 31"/806mm long when completed. 21"/540mm tall. 10"/256mm wide.

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The first two sheets of basswood/poplar ply are 1/8" thick. The laser cutting is very fine with small tabs. There is zero burn on the back of the parts.
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The second two sheets are the same as the first but this time about 1/16" thick.
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Next we have 3 small thin sheets with fine details.
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A large sheet of photo etch is included. This is a nice touch.
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A package containing pre-sewn sails and rigging thread of average quality. Basswood/poplar stripwood, dowels and brass rod. No hardwoods are included.
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Two plastic boxes of hardware: more photo etch, silkscreen flag, a lot of metal parts, the usual substandard rigging blocks and other bits. The dinghy is in plastic.
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Waterslide decals, wooden parts map sheet, cutting templates, some clear acetate for windows, and a CD full of hundreds of photos and instructions. There are no printed plans or manual.
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However, there is a giant two-sided full color photo sheet of the model to include a 1:1 scale side view.
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The other side has a 1:1 scale top view and some other detail shots.
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All-in-all, I would say this is a typical kit for AL. Added bonus is the nice photo etch and clean laser cutting. The ship has an interesting history and is still active today. I am not aware of any other kits of this vessel. Not a bad addition to the kit collection.

Enjoy.
 
Many thanks, Mke! It does look like a very good kit, it should be a great model out of the box. What skill level will it require to build?
 
What skill level will it require to build?
Oh good question Jimsky, I should have mentioned. The kit is plank-on-bulkhead and should classified as an INTERMEDIATE skill level. However, because of the lack of full-sized plans, a lot of photo-etch, a lot of painting, and a total of 1300 parts it may lean a bit more towards the advanced side. People who have prior experience working with AL kits, in general, should have no problems. I hope this helps.
 
Thanks, Mikie! As you may guess, my next question will be: Any plans to assemble this kit in the near future? We would love to have a build log of this model... What do you think?
 
I have been away from to hobby too long, I just found out in the last week or so that AL is no more and that Mamoli's factory burnt down.
Was there any specific reason AL went to Davey Jones Locker?
Sweet looking kit though.

Clair
 
I have been away from to hobby too long, I just found out in the last week or so that AL is no more and that Mamoli's factory burnt down.
Was there any specific reason AL went to Davey Jones Locker?
Sweet looking kit though.

Clair
Dusek is producing Mamoli kits,they took over the business,AL is mismanaged the whole thing,bad customer service and such

 
I have several AL kits, with them out of business, any problems will become scratch built replacements.

I like there kits for beginners and intermediate level builds, not sure any advanced modeler would really want one, as they are good but basic kits for most part.

This kit looks nice, might be something to think about adding to the SABLE collection.
 
I note that throughout this website in the past that many think that Artesania Latina has gone out of business. I think this an error. The company no longer has a web site but has moved to Facebook to promote its business. The location on Facebook is https://www.facebook.com/ArtesaniaLatina.net/about/?ref=page_internal. Here you will find all the info on A/L. They have moved from Spain to Hong kong a few years ago.

Try Facebook and I think you will be suprised.

Bob Elliot
 
I note that throughout this website in the past that many think that Artesania Latina has gone out of business. I think this an error. The company no longer has a web site but has moved to Facebook to promote its business. The location on Facebook is https://www.facebook.com/ArtesaniaLatina.net/about/?ref=page_internal. Here you will find all the info on A/L. They have moved from Spain to Hong kong a few years ago.

Try Facebook and I think you will be suprised.

Bob Elliot
Hallo Bob, Many thanks for the info.....
but it is no real activity there since more than one year.....
 
By the way, I am just finishing a build of the Belem. It is a great looking model but a tough one to rig. I have two square sails left to rig and I am also planning to install the seven stay sails. I am a glutton for punishment. Here is a pic of the model in its present state.
 

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