We’ve just started stocking these amazingly detailed 3D printed ship’s boats kits from Vanguard Models. These kits are almost entirely in 1/64 scale to match Vanguard Models’ larger wooden ship model kits. But, unlike their wooden ship’s boat kits, these have most of the hard work done for you, and should compliment your ship models nicely.
The available 3D printed boats are similar to the selection of wooden ship’s boat kits produced by Vanguard Models, but not exactly the same. The designs also appear to vary a bit between the two lines, so, for example, the 18′ cutter in wood has a slightly different appearance from an 18′ cutter that’s been 3D printed. We haven’t done an in depth look at all the kits, but it’s good to understand that there may be differences between the two lines.
But, today, we’re taking a look at one of the more unique 3D printed kits produced by Vanguard Models, the 33′ Royal or Admirals Barge. What makes this particular kit unique is that it is available in the expected 1/64 scale, but is also the only one of these kits (currently), that’s available in 1/48 scale. Plus, it comes with it’s own laser-cut pear wood display base, making an ideal stand alone miniature model.
The product comes in ‘no frills’ packaging, which is understandable, since these aren’t designed to sit on store shelves, so they don’t need to stack nicely on shelves and have pretty marketing photos on them. The sealed plastic bags separate the resin hull from the rest of the parts, assuring that the neither damages the other. The sealed bags are very tough and will easily prevent any moisture or insect damage.
The wooden parts are taped together, which will also keep them from sliding around and possibly damaging each other. The tape peels off easily, but it’s a good idea to exercise a little extra caution to prevent pulling a part out of place and possibly breaking it. Most of the sheets in this particular kit are relatively substantial. The included sheets are 2mm, 1mm, 0.8mm, and 0.6mm pear wood. All sheets are nicely engraved with part numbers, sheet thickness, and kit name or number, and scale.
That last wooden sheet shows the nicely laser-cut base and cradle pieces, cut from pear wood. Again, this is ideal for those who may want to build this as a stand-alone display model.
The instructions are minimal, being just a single sheet of paper displaying the parts sheets, and labeling the locations of the parts as they are shown in place on the model. There is nothing describing the construction steps, but these are very simple kits, designed as accessories to your larger ship model, and since the bulk of the work has been done for you by giving you a fully pre-made resin hull, there is little to say.
Note that there is no painting guide included. The designer Chris Watton says to paint it like you would any other plastic model. Builders who are unsure about the color scheme, particularly beginning ship modelers, can easily find photos on the Internet for painting ideas.
From our own product listing, we have these, which should help…
Ship modeler James Hatch also created a brief, but detailed build log on Model Ship World. You can find that here: https://modelshipworld.com/topic/37966-33-royaladmirals-barge-by-james-h-–-finished-vanguard-models-148-scale-3d-printed/
That should suffice for most builders. But, for those who want more examples, there are images of a pair of beautiful modern models of British Admiralty barges at Michael Wall’s American Marine Models gallery here: https://www.shipmodel.com/acadp_listings/two-english-admiralty-barges-c-1700/
images of contemporary models can also be viewed online from England’s National Museums Greenwich here: https://www.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/rmgc-object-66450
And another one here: https://www.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/rmgc-object-66293
In any case, this 3D printed kit from Vanguard Models should take you a long ways towards completing a beautiful display model. And, of course, there is a smaller, 1/64 scale version of this same kit. Both are available here at Ages of Sail, just click on one of the links below: