1/72 Black Pearl kit from Zvezda

Nwerke

27" long.

I'm not faffing about with the modified kit, so I've ordered my Black Pearl from the Ukraine. Shoulda just done it months ago...it being Disney I was pessimistic re this. Oh well.

Szyntax

I just ordered one myself. Can't wait to start it

jameth1971

Does the 27" size include the Bowsprit? It does not seem like it. The model seems bigger than I was expecting

Thanks

propcollector

Just bought one today...Looks Pretty accurate.

cosmic_x

21,5 inches

SD Studios

GOOD for them!

I can't STAND Disney licensing. It is like they try hard to put their licensees out of business.

Your project is approved...proceed. (You then spend $30,000 developing the product)

Wait! We take that back. You can't make it now.

Repeat the above 25 times...

I have lots of horror stories from MR...

I am surprised they didn't call their "new" model the "Black Round Orb"!

You GO guys! I have one of the kits and they are GREAT! I hope they sell a ton of them!!!

Szyntax

Got my Black Pearl from Russia today. Don't pay the more expensive shipping, they sent it to me in a thin linen bag, it was crushed and torn but I'm pretty sure everythings there. Kit seems undamaged.

PHArchivist

ANY distributors in the US carrying this...?

Or MUST we order from abroad?

Hotshot

I think Dragon is carrying the "Black Swan" and the only difference is the masthead. Everything else is correct. Hopefully, somebody will get casts of the Maidenhead parts from the Pearl. Either way, the 'new' kit is being advertised in places like Fine Scale Modeler, etc.

Szyntax

I'm sure some of us can help with the maidenhead for those that buy the Black Swan

Nwerke

I help with maidenheads frequently. Constantly in fact. Got a maidenhead problem? Bring it to me.






.............

I think you meant "figurehead".

Nwerke

BTW are you sure the Black Pearl-style capstan is included too? That's a pretty distinctive fictional feature IINM.

Nwerke

Have started modding my kit. Thoughts: correcting the decking at the salon door area - you have to remove the base the rounded wall fits onto - is very easy. Soft plastic, sand and scrape it flat, scribe in plank lines. Paint should cover all sins. Making the new bulkhead is easiest to my mind by using the existing one and cutting out the "bulge". I've cut a thin veneer of styrene to act as a new wall, with windows and door under construction. Obviously one needs to cut out and remove most of the curved section first.

I cut off the railing too mainly because the supports for it are so crap, but also because they should sit on a raised base timber which follows the curve of the poop deck. I'll make my own. If you modify the kit bulkhead then you need to leave the top part of the curved wall in situ - about 6mm or so (equal to two of the scribed planks).

I'm not going to move the mizzenmast. I probably should; I think the whole poop deck is too short by about 4mm or so, and that's one reason the deck furniture seems to be compressed. But I will move the wheel aft slightly and make it smaller and that should give enough space to build a map cabinet forward of the wheel.

Speaking of the wheel, the drum and wheel itself are fine but the supports need to go - they're not remotely accurate to the 2/3 version. It needs that grating for a base, with two large transverse timbers holding it all to the deck. The uprights are identical fore and aft - a thick upright with two thinner angled braces.

The fife rail behind the mizzen mast needs two large gussets running forwards from its ends, on either side of the mast. The three gussets that brace the stern wall with the Tritons need to be trimmed down; they are not straight triangles.

I've modified the poop deck railing stanchions. There should be four, not five. I've also removed redundant supports for the railing scrolls and repositioned the upper scrolls very slightly (the upper scrolls do not rise above the level of the railing).

I've modified the focsle railings too. Again, there should be four, not five, stanchions along the side railings, and a smaller scroll at the step down to the main deck. Removing them is easy, just slice em out, but I chose to reglue them in the right positions bit by bit so as not to leave the railing too unsupported. Just respaced them to the correct spacings for four stanchions by rack of eye, this is quite easy. Lovely soft plastic Zvezda uses.

On the rear focsle railing there should be seven stanchions, not six, so if you reposition the side railing stanchions don't throw the extras away. It also does double duty as the main fife rail, with three belaying pins per section, times six sections, equals 18 pins. This means that the port and starboard focsle fife rail parts are redundant parts - they're not in the films and can be thrown away. Not really looking forward to working out the rigging in that area!

The belfry for the ship's bell has four posts and a cross-shaped vaulted roof in CotBP. In DMC and AWE it has a simpler 2-post design with a single straight vault. It's very easy to modify the kit roof part to the movie 2/3 design: just cut off two opposite edges and glue them together, et voila! You suddenly have a straight roof with just one hump. Then mount it on two of the posts.

I would like to knock off these mods this week so I can start actually, you know, building the ship! So far they're proving quite easy and quick, though.

Nwerke

Here's what the cabin windows look like fixed and unfixed. The sunken panels need to be more sunken too. This is an easy fix and improves the look of the parts a ton.

Attached Thumbnails

     

Sporak

Bumping for interest...I'm thinking about getting one of these...
Is the Black Swan really the same kit (Black Pearl) but with a different Figurehead?

Nwerke

Yes. It has some peculiar small inaccuracies but overall, it is a very fine kit.

division 6

Hobby Terra still carries the Black Pearl.