Statenjacht UTRECHT by DORIS - HISModel - 1/72 - new 2026 version of the kit

[DORIS]

Hello everybody,

Allow me to introduce myself. I am a builder of large card models of historical sailing ships, especially scratchbuilds. I have been involved in model building since childhood, still enjoy it, although now I will be focusing on plastic model kits for some time.
A few years ago I finished my largest card model - scratchbuild of the Royal Katherine.

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The beautiful historical painting by H. Vale also depicts the royal yacht, which had already impressed me so much during the construction of the Royal Katherine that I planned to build it in the future. I have not yet been able to find accurate and complete plans for a similar yacht, but now I have the opportunity to build a nice model of the Dutch royal yacht Utrecht. It is a plastic kit with a whole range of high-quality accessories in 1/72 scale, manufactured and offered by HiS MODEL (www.HiSModel.com).

Statenjacht Utrecht 1:72, Premium version - stavebnice lodi - HiSModel

This model appeared on the market some time ago, but now it comes with a completely redesigned decoration and a different stern in 3D printing. So I will present here a prototype model representing the yacht Utrecht in its older and much more decorated form than the original kit version, including the current replica of the yacht Utrecht.



I plan to build the model according to museum models of similar sailing ships and try to imitate natural wooden materials as faithfully as possible.



Prins Van Oranje (1764); Royal/ceremonial vessel; Royal yacht; Dutch | Royal Museums Greenwich


Please excuse my English, which is not very good, so I have to use Google translator.

 

[DORIS]

Here are previews of what the model will look like with the new 3D printed decoration and stern section:


Appearances may be deceiving, but as I found out, it will not be exactly a relief considering the very detailed designed kit with a number of metal and wooden accessories for a more realistic rendering. From my point of view, this is a kit designed for more experienced modelers, it is significantly more sophisticated than plastic kits from most other manufacturers. Basically, it contains many accessories like luxury wooden kits, but plenty of parts in this kit are designed directly to measure, which will give the model more realism

I plan to create the model with minor improvements. The hull structure will require additional modifications and reinforcement of the side parts of the hull so that everything fits perfectly.

 

[DORIS]

The model's castings are of high quality, the softer plastic used makes it easier to work with and shape the parts. However, it is necessary to study the instructions very carefully, drill holes in advance and make adjustments to be able to place the individual parts exactly in their places. In some cases, I had to add areas and reinforcementfor precise gluing of the parts (stern section and front bulkhead of the cabin and front section of the deck).

Here are some photos from the process:

Assembled hull - in some places I corrected the joints by putting, but otherwise everything fit nicely:



Filler spraying + minor corrections and cleaning of the joints:

Preparation of the base for future wood imitation - will be done with oil paints:

The deck is attached to three beams in the hull and is closed by precisely designed side panels from the top side. This gives the hull an optimal thickness and the inner side has completely elaborate details. However, it was necessary to underlay the deck at the bow so that it would be slightly raised and fit tightly with the interior panels - solved by gluing plastic profiles into the hull.

This premium version of the kit also includes a wooden deck, which needs to be glued to the plastic molding with a suitable glue. I used colorless glue from Pattex for this, which took a long time to dry and it was necessary to use clamps around the perimeter of the deck, but the advantage is that there is enough time to place the deck precisely and in case of glue stains, this can be removed without any problems. I previously impregnated the wooden deck with Tamiya's colorless matte varnish (TS-80), it worked well for me on previous models.

 

[DORIS]

Next up are the first 3D printed parts from the new version of the model. The stern has exceptionally beautiful decorative details, the coloring (considering their fineness and small scale) is a bit of a challenge, but even more challenging is "standing the macro photos", which reveal a lot of flaws. Well, I still have a lot to work on, although I have the basics down and I will deal with minor repairs on the model, where this part is already glued in place:

Overall view and a few pieces of decoration provisionally placed on the model:

3D printed parts are hard and fragile at the same time, so it is necessary to work with them with utmost care. Gluing the decorated stern panel into the hull was quite challenging, it is not possible to shape it to fit and for a stronger joint I had to strengthen the edges of the hull and pull them together at the top - the sides of the hull protrude slightly and here correction is also necessary for gluing the front bulkhead of the cabin. I used wooden strips, which I glued inside the cabin and created an auxiliary structure for reinforcing and shaping the hull. Once again, it turned out how an accelerator for superglues is an indispensable assistant...

I note that for this version of the Utrecht yacht I will use a different color scheme than the current replica. I am partly based on museum models and also on my own aesthetic sense, simply so that I like the model and it looks like wood. There is still a long way to go, but it is also a great challenge....

 

[DORIS]

The model has already received its final color form, I used oil paints + powder weathering from Tamiya to paint the hull and imitate wood. I gilded the decoration with decorative spray paint from Motip. Most of the 3D printed decorations are already placed on the model, the most difficult part was inserting the window fillings into the fragile rear galleries - they are designed quite accurately, but since the material is very unyielding and the columns between the windows are extremely thin, you have to be very careful. I managed to break off two columns + the material tends to shatter. Here it would probably be better to use photo-etched parts considering their thickness for subsequent glazing or print the window fillings as a part of the galleries. Well, it was more difficult, but in the end it worked.

 

[DORIS]

The railing on the bow also required minor adjustments and adaptation to fit without problems. Compared to the original version of the kit the new one contains also beautiful decorations and a very successful lion statue, which really worked out.

The model is photographed with a SLR camera with a flash, so the colors are more vivid in the photos than in reality, where they have a more muted shade. The macro mode did not disappoint again, which after significantly enlarging the details again revealed flaws, so I will still have to correct and retouch what the eyes can hardly see.

Enjoy the photos and have a great time.

Doris