Personally, I was surprised that I got a ship because, never did it cross my mind that I would be surprised that I got a ship. Sometimes, I surprised myself that I was surprised because I got a ship.
Why I got it was also another mystery which I could not even remember. All I could remember what that it was gone when I wanted it. This ship, which has been sitting on the shelves of Hobby HQ for years, unsold and even looked at, was gone when I really, really want it.
At first, to me, its just a red ship. All I was interested in, was how to light up the light beacon. That's it. But when I Googled for more information, I realised that this particular noble ship has a sad history.
On November 27th, 1954, the Lightship South Goodwin broke from its anchors in the winds of 80Kmh and broke on the Goodwin Sands. All eight crews perished save one, Ronald Murton, who hung on for eight hours until rescue arrived.
So, after that fact, I really wanted it. Alas, when I arrived at Hobby HQ, Mr. Low said someone had already bought it....
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| Luckily for me, he had a spare kit in the storeroom!!! This kit was first issued by IMA (International Model Aircraft Ltd) under the FROG label in 1960 with a 1/110 scale. Then the company went into receiver ship 1971 and was acquired by Dunbee-Combex-Marx. Some of the molds ended up in Russia and so, they were produced under the Novo Brand name. For this particular model it was acquired by Revell. |
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| The parts are all here since the box has not been opened before. Mr. Low and I checked it and I think he was very interested too. This is a ship that has no propellers. It was towed and the diesel engine inside was used as a generator for electricity. |
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| It is very rare to see this note from Revell. As stated, the model kit is from FROG. Its a small gesture but to a customer like me, I am very happy to get such notes as this not only tells me why the model kit is unique and also, address some of its possible shortcomings. |
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| Note the bigger plastic ring on the left. This is, I think, the 60's method of detailing the 1/144's scale railing when Photo etch technology was not available. Then again, in the 60's this is the only way to mass produce the railings and also, this is not a problem for kids at that time. |
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| This is the size of the Lightship's beacon which is the main reason I wanted the ship. Right now, I have no idea on how to replicate the light effect. If I used LEDs, the effect is there but the degree of its rotation is very limited and also, looks faked. I am thus going to look into motors. |
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| For a 1/144 (or 1/110?) this is a very big ship. Its longer than a foot... |
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| The size of the beacon. Although it looks big, I 'm afraid I might have ditch it and use something better but this all depends on how I solve the problem of it rotating. |
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| I was surprised at these black railings because they are not solid plastics but rather, soft ones... |
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| The answer became quite clear when I read this part of the instructions. You are meant to bend them like so since (I repeat) photo-etch technology has not been invented yet. |
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| Ah, the support structure to the lighting beacon. For some reason, it looked very appealing |
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| Again, this is how it would look once assembled. Nice |
