Kit review ESSEX - Whaler (Moby Dick) in scale 1:60 from Occre

Uwek

Administrator
Staff member
Administrator
Forum Moderator
Joined
Dec 25, 2017
Messages
30,718
Points
1,238

Location
Vienna, Austria
ESSEX - Whaler
known by the book and film about Moby Dick

History


mentioned by Occre:


In November 1820, the sinking of the whaling ship Essex, along with the survival of part of her crew, thrilled and moved the US public. The year before she had set sail from Nantucket on a new whaling campaign that was scheduled to last two and a half years, sailing the South Pacific.

Captained by George Pollard, the whaling ship Essex was attacked by a large sperm whale, which rammed the ship on various occasions, finally sinking her, some 2,000 nautical miles from the South American coast. Of the 21 crew members only 8 survived.

Herman Melville was inspired by this tragedy to write Moby Dick, one of the masterpieces of world literature. The title of the book is taken from the name given to an actual whale, "Mocha Dick", sighted in the 19th century close to Mocha Island, off the central coast of Chile.

OcCre brings this ship to life with fine detail in their 1:60 scale model. The kit features double planking and fittings of wood and cast metal. We recomment this kit for the intermediate modeler.

This kit includes a set of pre-sewn sails.

Essex_photo_03_b.jpg


and on Wikipedia:

Essex was an American whaler from Nantucket, Massachusetts, which was launched in 1799. In 1820, while at sea in the southern Pacific Ocean under the command of Captain George Pollard Jr., she was attacked and sunk by a sperm whale. Stranded thousands of miles from the coast of South America with little food and water, the 20-man crew was forced to make for land in the ship's surviving whaleboats.

The men suffered severe dehydration, starvation, and exposure on the open ocean, and the survivors eventually resorted to eating the bodies of the crewmen who had died. When that proved insufficient, members of the crew drew lots to determine whom they would sacrifice so that the others could live. A total of seven crew members were cannibalized before the last of the eight survivors were rescued, more than three months after the sinking of the Essex. First mate Owen Chase and cabin boy Thomas Nickerson later wrote accounts of the ordeal. The tragedy attracted international attention, and inspired Herman Melville to write his now famous novel Moby-Dick.

read more on:


The finished model from Occre:

essex-whaler-2.png

The Model KIT from Occre:

Specifications:

OC12006 or OC12006B
Scale: 1:60
Height: 552mm
Width: 225mm
Length: 735mm

The kit version with sails is available directly from Occre for a very reasonable price of 129,95 Euro
https://www.occre.com/novelties/essex.html

and the version without sails for the price of 109,95 Euro:

occre-essex-whaling-ship--cropped.jpg

occre-essex-whaling-ship-(1).jpg

occre-essex-whaling-ship-(4).jpg

occre-essex-whaling-ship-(2).jpg

essex-whaler-3.png

In the following posts we will show you the kit more in detail......
 
The box and general information about the content:

I received the models of the HMS Terror and of the Whaling ship Essex directly from Occre, every single kit secured packed in an outer box for safe transport

IMG_4799.JPG


IMG_4800.JPG


Both boxes have a cutaway area to see the box / tray with the small fittings - nice idea to see the quality of these important parts
IMG_4801.JPG


But now let us take a closer look to the ESSEX

IMG_4996.JPG

IMG_4997.JPG

IMG_4998.JPG

after removing the cover we can see the safely packed kit content
IMG_5000.JPG

the complete content in overview
IMG_5001.JPG

the overview of the content shown by Occre
content-essex01.jpg

the small fittings safely separated in a special box
IMG_5002.JPG
 
Kit Content - TIMBER - Strips for planking etc

IMG_5004.JPG

IMG_5032.JPG

IMG_5033.JPG

The model hull has a double planking

For the first planking level the kit offers Ramin strips
IMG_5035.JPG

The second planking is Sapelli
IMG_5034.JPG

also the other timber strips and spar / dowels have very good quality and are straight
IMG_5036.JPG

The quality of the timber (all strips) is excellent with good, clean edges and no splintered wood, no wrong dimensions or defaults like knotholes etc.
Also the strips have overall the same color and have a good a relatively small grain - Very Good


Kit Content - TIMBER - Other wooden parts like Bulkheads etc.

The rest of the timber is packed and sealed separately in a plastic blister to avoid moisture
IMG_5021.JPG

all parts shown in an overview
IMG_5022.JPG

the bulkheads and some other parts - clean laser cut Plywood
IMG_5023.JPG

IMG_5024.JPG

IMG_5025.JPG

No warp - good quality plywood is used by Occre

The false keel and the false deck are also made out of plywood - the same high quality - already ready to use, so no removing from a sheet necessary
IMG_5029.JPG

some other sheets - here plywood of a higher grade used for smaller components, such as the mast tops etc.
IMG_5026.JPG

a close up
IMG_5027.JPG

the whaling boats
IMG_5028.JPG

final timber parts for the bulwarks, made from thinner plywood
IMG_5030.JPG

a walnut-stained piece of plywood, that contains the parts for the keel and rudder
IMG_5031.JPG

Overall good quality timber - Well done Occre
 
Kit Content - SAILS

the sails are also packed in a separate bag to avoid moisture and protect them from humidity
IMG_5005.JPG

IMG_5058.JPG

IMG_5056.JPG

IMG_5057.JPG

Kit Content - Brass photo etched

IMG_5052.JPG


Kit Content - Rigging cord

IMG_5006.JPG

IMG_5053.JPG

IMG_5054.JPG

The quality of the cord is good - and I guess it is enough material to rig the ship completely
 
Kit Content - Fittings etc.

The fittings are separately boxed - clever idea, so you can open and close when ever you need one of these fittings

IMG_5002.JPG

IMG_5038.JPG

IMG_5039.JPG

IMG_5040.JPG

IMG_5041.JPG

IMG_5042.JPG

IMG_5043.JPG

IMG_5044.JPG

IMG_5045.JPG

IMG_5047.JPG

IMG_5048.JPG

IMG_5050.JPG

IMG_5046.JPG

IMG_5051.JPG

all over good quality fittings - for this price level of kit - very good Occre
 
Kit Content - Manuals and Drawings

I will show the manuals given in the kit in Thumbnail size, for a better overview
Two sets of paper manuals are encluded in the kit, printed on DIN A3 paper.
The black and white sheets contain the vessel history, parts inventory, deck layout for parts placement, and some masts and yard drawings.

The parts list
IMG_5016.JPG IMG_5017.JPG

IMG_5018.JPG IMG_5019.JPG

IMG_5020.JPG

The color package shows the construction of model as a photographic experience, with simple and clear annotation.
Some Illustrations for masting and rigging are also available, plus the parts overview that you will need for marking the various laser-cut parts
IMG_5007.JPG IMG_5008.JPG

IMG_5009.JPG IMG_5010.JPG

IMG_5011.JPG IMG_5012.JPG

IMG_5013.JPG IMG_5014.JPG

IMG_5015.JPG


Important related to after-sales service:

Occre wants to make a good after-sales-service -> take a closer look at this paper, which is included in the kit (in six languages)
IMG_5059.JPG


Important additional info: VIDEOS

Occre posted on their youtube channel a session of videos with the step-by-step building process of the model.
There are all together 69 videos, each 1 to 2 minutes long!
I guess that will be very helpful for beginners, but also interesting for everybody building this model.





etc....


Overall this kit represents a very good cost / performance ratio - good quality material, well presented and with a good parts fitting - Highly recommended
I hope to see soon a building log of this model here on SOS......
 
Thank you for another great report Uwe. You've given us another well documented look inside with all the kit has to offer. I think Don is onto something as on Occre's site and possibly others, you won't find plans for these latest kits that are coming out without them. If it is to cut costs both to them and the consumer it would be nice if they could include them as an option at additional cost for those that want them. I initially looked into getting the plans for the Terror from them, thinking for a bashed scratch build. No go so my Terror kit is in town and I will be getting it delivered Monday :) Cheers ~
 
I do believe (by viewing the post) all the rigging, profile, and "plan view", plans are all there and the kit seems very suitable for a beginner to intermediate and even to experienced modeler that might want a relaxing build for a while. Thank you, Uwe for your excellent review. Uwe can expound on this if need be.
 
This might be my next build after I finish the Mary Rose and I came close to building a whaler. My home town (Hull, UK) was heavily involved in the whaling industry and I got some great research support from the Hull Maritime Museum. Thank you for an excellent kit review, much appreciated.
 
Yep, Ed is right, a VERY good book. Dark story and quite sad but a good read. Question is are you going to build her as she came off the wharf or as she was after the whale did her in?:eek::D
 
Thinking about attempting this model. One question. I have seen a video where the builder uses pins to hold the first layer of strips. Before adding the second layer do you sand the pin heads off?
 
Well my son I and pulled a bowl of dip and chips up and watched the full set of videos.

Well edited to show basic of tasks, without getting to down into weeds on small tasks.

Mast and rigging work were a fun watch for all the standing and running rigging, even if some areas were a bit of model comprise for space on deck, with extras ropes on rigging mostly cut off.
 
Thinking about attempting this model. One question. I have seen a video where the builder uses pins to hold the first layer of strips. Before adding the second layer do you sand the pin heads off?
If necessary - YES
Important is to get a smoothe surface all over the first planking, to get a good basis for the second planking.
Some modeler are pressing the pins deaper into the first planking, or the sand the heads away, some times it is maybe also possible, after the glue is dry to pull the pins out and close the holes with a filler....
 
Kit Inhalt - SEGEL

Die Segel sind auch in einem separaten Beutel verpackt, um Feuchtigkeit zu vermeiden und sie vor Feuchtigkeit zu schützen
View attachment 129145

View attachment 129148

View attachment 129146

View attachment 129147

Kit-Inhalt - Messingfoto geätzt

View attachment 129149


Kit-Inhalt - Rigging-Kabel

View attachment 129150

View attachment 129151

View attachment 129152

Die Qualität der Schnur ist gut - und ich denke, es ist genug Material, um das Schiff vollständig aufzurüsten
Qualität ist okay sehr fusselig, leider nur 0,15 und vom dunkelbraun eine Rolle zu wenig.
Ich habe 0,5 und 0,85 beider Farben nachbestellt um Akzente zu setzen.

google translation:
Quality is okay, very fluffy, unfortunately only 0.15 and one role too little of the dark brown.
I reordered 0.5 and 0.85 of both colors to set accents.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Back
Top