Magenta

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Bluemaxone

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I just completed "Magenta" from about 1870. Flagship of the French Mediterranean Squadron. She exploded at Toulon while carrying antiquities from Carthage. Some of these ended up in the Louvre. This model is a miniature, scratch built, and I made the sails (see my posting on making styrene sails). This was a gift to a loved one. The presentation box is temporary, but shows Malta in the background surrounded by storm clouds. The model is OAL one foot, and is about 1:320

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Yes, she had a "horizontal return connecting rod" engine and nine oval boilers for an IHP of 3450. She made 13 knots. She cost 6 million francs to build, in 1861 francs. This class of ship was the only two-decker ironclad built. I like this period because the technology was changing so quickly, from sail to steam.
 
I wish there was a kit of this ship. The transition from sail to steam seems to be a very under utilised area for ship modelling.
 
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Artesania Latina had the frigate Numancia in its catalog, although it did not sell it. Built in the Toulon shipyards and launched in 1863. It had a long operational life in the Spanish Navy and was the first armored ship to circumnavigate the world.

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Lorenzo said:
Artesania Latina had the frigate Numancia in its catalog, although it did not sell it. Built in the Toulon shipyards and launched in 1863. It had a long operational life in the Spanish Navy and was the first armored ship to circumnavigate the world.

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This would be also a great model - highly interesting period and ship -> Does somebody knows, why Artesania is not releasing this kit?
 
They presented it in the 2006 catalog but they did not get it out on the market. Artesania Latina changed owners a few years ago and it would be interesting if they resumed this project.


regards
 
Thank you all for your kind remarks. I have distant plans to make a larger scale model of Konig der Nederlanden, which is a sloop rig as I recall, but with full engine capability. I love the period from the large Ironclad sailing ships up through the predreadnoughts.

Lorenzo, the Numancia you show is a nice model. Did you make it? I like the brown boats with the white scalloped tarps. Nice touch.

My Magenta is only 11 inches long, so might be rightly called a "bookshelf miniature."
 
I couldn't get around that large anchor chain. It's the smallest jeweler's chain I have! Probably should have used linen rigging line. Hindsight...
 
The Numancia frigate is an AL kit that was never released. It is a period with very interesting ships that would surely have acceptance among modellers.
I see that the Magenta model is very small, it is difficult to work at that scale.


Greetings
 
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Similar ship as Magenta, only 10 years older, from the Netherlands. I have this on my list at 1:160. Konig de Nederlanden. The problem with many of these ships is that I don't have good deck plans. Photos of museum models do help somewhat.
 
Interesting ship too. I still think that kit builders should go for it and introduce ships from that era. For example, the Napoleonic era is very well represented but from the second half of the 19th century there is very little, some river steamers and little else. Another thing is to start a project from plans and I don't know if there is much documentation about it.

Greetings
 
Lorenzo, for the kits, do you envision plastic or wood? What scale? Would there be a demand, do you think? Finally, why do you think this period is ignored?

Personally, I find it easier to build from scratch. I do have some tiny 1:700 resin kits of predreadnoughts, by Combrig. These are awfully small though. Very nice product, the parts fitting and precisely molded details.
 
Bluemaxone said:
Lorenzo, for the kits, do you envision plastic or wood? What scale? Would there be a demand, do you think? Finally, why do you think this period is ignored?

Personally, I find it easier to build from scratch. I do have some tiny 1:700 resin kits of predreadnoughts, by Combrig. These are awfully small though. Very nice product, the parts fitting and precisely molded details.
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I was referring to wooden kits in usual scales such as 1/60 or 1/80 for example. The ARMO brand www.jadarhobby.pl has several pre-dreadnougts in 1/700 including the Solferino, twin of the Magenta. I believe that in larger scales and in wood they would be accepted, but I could be wrong.
 
In Spain we have several brands of wooden kits and none of them have in their catalog a ship that participated in the Spanish-American war. some of these ships with heroic actions both in Cuba and the Philippines. Why? I do not know.
In the USA you have marks with civil war ships. Spanish marks with ships from the Spanish civil war...nothing. But that's another issue. I think that all of us who are in this forum, in addition to boats, also like history and I think that there is an era that is underrepresented. Referring to wooden kits and major scales

Greetings
 
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