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October 3rd - Join us to discover something inspiring

Where, where... is it? Oh, it must be this: I really like the inclusion of pear wood and American walnut. This is a big plus to me, quality woods. Furthermore, inclusion of the figurines is another big plus for me... I can wait to hear for even more details but so far, a definitive + on my list.

A side note for the future: I would be nice to see an upgrade to the HMS victory with the side parts (frames) in actual wood, not plywood. Lastly, A full POF build (with quality wood), of any model, would bring the company to a style of building that many like here.

 
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7/10 from me. I would have given it a 9/10 if it weren't for that artificially cheap burnt deck, bleeh, it simply needs to be replaced during construction. Thanks for keeping it to scale; i knew it was her, French corvette Thumbsup
 
The video refers to the ship in the movie Master and Commander. Is this model supposed to be the fictional ship from the movie that used the modern replica ship Surprise 1970, the real ship 1757 Rose on which the replica was based, albeit with some changes, or the real ship HMS Surprise 1796? There are some oddities that make it difficult to tell what ship this is supposed to be.

If it based on the Surprise 1796, she had 8 stern lights, but the video shows only seven. I doubt the British tore out the original framing when they captured Unite and redid it to accommodate seven instead of eight lights.
The RN did not allow names of ships on the stern except between about 1771 and 1780 in the days of sail.
If it is based on HMS Rose there was only a single wheel, not a double wheel. The double wheel in the kit seems to be near the fore end of the QD rather than aft of the mizzen mast. The tiller would have to be much too long.
The model shows 13 gun ports compared to 14 on the contemporary drawings of HMS Surprise 1796 or 12 on the HMS Rose.
Looking at the figures, they could not get their hands and fingers around the giant belaying pins or the wheel handles a mistake seen on all AL kits.
The bottom stops in the gun ports are missing.
The number of deadeyes does not match either the Rose or Surprise 1796
There may be more, but these were easy to spot.
Allan
 
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kuba91nt said:
7/10 from me. I would have given it a 9/10 if it weren't for that artificially cheap burnt deck, bleeh, it simply needs to be replaced during construction. Thanks for keeping it to scale; i knew it was her, French corvette Thumbsup
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I would suggest to wait for chris watton, in February or march also with a big "surprise"
 
AllanKP69 said:
The video refers to the ship in the movie Master and Commander. Is this model supposed to be fictional ship from the movie that used the modern replica ship Surprise 1970, the real ship 1757 Rose on which the replica was based, albeit with some changes, or the real ship HMS Surprise 1796? There are some oddities that make it difficult to tell what ship this is supposed to be.

If it based on the Surprise 1796, she had 8 stern lights, but the video shows only seven. I doubt the British tore out the original framing when they captured Unite and redid it to accommodate seven instead of eight lights.
The RN did not allow names of ships on the stern except between about 1771 and 1780 in the days of sail.
If it is based on HMS Rose there was only a single wheel, not a double wheel. The double wheel in the kit seems to be near the fore end of the QD rather than aft of the mizzen mast. The tiller would have to be much too long.
The model shows 13 gun ports compared to 14 on the contemporary drawings of HMS Surprise 1796 or 12 on the HMS Rose.
Looking at the figures, they could not get their hands and fingers around the giant belaying pins or the wheel handles a mistake seen on all AL kits.
The bottom stops in the gun ports are missing.
The number of deadeyes does not match either the Rose or Surprise 1796
There may be more, but these were easy to spot.
Allan
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The origins are a work of FICTION by Patrick O'Brian. Does this source define the number of stern lanterns, ordnance and deadeyes?
Filming presumably used what was available and is not source material. The filmed ship is merely an actor playing a part.
 
I found this quote from AL's page on the Surprise interesting:

1759498608466.png

and yet ...

1759498639082.png

Perhaps AL doesn't yet know the difference between POF and POB construction? And apparently, they don't realize that a single laser-etched deck is not quite an "Authentic wooden shipbuilding technique".
 
RussF said:
I found this quote from AL's page on the Surprise interesting:

View attachment 548071

and yet ...

View attachment 548072

Perhaps AL doesn't yet know the difference between POF and POB construction? And apparently, they don't realize that a single laser-etched deck is not quite an "Authentic wooden shipbuilding technique".
Click to expand...

That's why I wrote earlier that it significantly understates the value of the model.

I simply don't see the point in buying a premium model made of pear and walnut, then painting it and covering it with copper tape. There should be two separate models: a premium pear model and a standard one made of limewood or some other eco-friendly wood. The model is great, but paying for high-quality wood painting is absurd. Or fake nails in 1:48 scale, heh. Someone hasn't really thought this through...
 
Who has room for a fully rigged 1:48 scale frigate? I'll wait for Vanguards release, it will be a much better model at a much better scale for fully rigged models. This just feels like AL is trying to lazily cash in on all the excitement that Vanguard has made with their Surprise kit.
 
Actually I dont think its a bad. Its targeted towards kit builders who wanting to build a representation of the ship based on the movie. It could be enhanced by some after market accessories and bashed a bit at a nice scale of 1/48. Its certainly better than those limited edition OCCRE kits coming out lately
 
CarlosEcheverria said:
Not sure about this new model. As an avid reader of Patrick O’Brian’s series, I would prefer a version more closely aligned with the French corvette Unité. If the goal is to stay truer to the origin, the Unité lineage feels like the more authentic direction.
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Both the rigging and armament would require rebuilding. Therefore, as i mentioned earlier, if the model were made of limewood, it would be somewhat cost-effective to rebuild. With premium wood, rebuilding is pointless.

L'Unité - 1:48 - French Frigate - 1794 - under build

L'Unité - Designed by Pierre-Alexander Forfait and built in Le Havre ( Normandy ) in 1794. Originally classified as a Corvette, with a 218 crew complement , it was armed with 32 - 8 pounder french gun, later rearmed with more powerful guns, and classified as Frigate. It was a highly successful...
shipsofscale.com
 
CarlosEcheverria said:
Not sure about this new model. As an avid reader of Patrick O’Brian’s series, I would prefer a version more closely aligned with the French corvette Unité. If the goal is to stay truer to the origin, the Unité lineage feels like the more authentic direction.
Click to expand...
Vanguard models will issue the HMS Surprise both with the ability to build the ship both as the real one and M&C fictional one
 
Why companies moving in this direction???
Seriously, introducing cheap laser cutting into the model is a complete failure. I thought only deck boards and decorative elements were burned, but gratings, sails??? Yeah sails... Come on, let's be honest... deep FFFFUUUCCCC...
First boarding Santa Ana, still 10/10.

1.png2.png3.png
 
kuba91nt said:
Why companies moving in this direction???
Seriously, introducing cheap laser cutting into the model is a complete failure. I thought only deck boards and decorative elements were burned, but gratings, sails??? Yeah sails... Come on, let's be honest... deep FFFFUUUCCCC...
First boarding Santa Ana, still 10/10.

View attachment 548246View attachment 548247View attachment 548248
Click to expand...
Hmouai, must be fun to clean charred wood cuts... These kinds of kits are for all those who like assembling giant jigsaw puzzles with all the pieces nicely arranged and numbered, helped along with most elaborate and unmistakable instructions. But if it makes one happy to be taken for a fool, then just go for it. I rather stick with my, sometimes very old, imprecise, 'passé' vintage Steingraeber sets. At least, that way I can build something of my very own, just shy of a right out scratch build. OK, it doesn't always turn out as I hoped it would, but then ...
 
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Pepite 1/60 said:
Hmouai, must be fun to clean charred wood cuts... These kinds of kits are for all those who like assembling giant jigsaw puzzles with all the pieces nicely arranged and numbered, helped along with most elaborate and unmistakable instructions. But if it makes one happy to be taken for a fool, then just go for it. I rather stick with my, sometimes very old, imprecise, 'passé' vintage Steingraeber sets. At least, that way I can almost build something of my very own, just shy of a right out scratch build.
Click to expand...
Deck elements, gratings, and jointed decorations are impossible to clean. In 1/48 scale, this would permanently damage the wood. From a distance, it's not a problem, but up close, it's incredibly painful. I understand doing this in larger scales like 1/72 or 1/84, as the burn marks are small, but in 1/48 scale???
20251004_140637.jpg
 
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