Amerigo Vespucci Part 1 Box Open and Review of Kit

A lovely little kit originally tooled by Imai, then re-boxed by Aoshima, and now released by Lee Models. Despite its small 1:350 scale there is a lot to love about this simple kit of a very famous Italian Sailing Ship. I will make this my end of year break build and see how far I get before the dreaded rigging needs doing.
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Chapters Click and Go
00:00 Intro and History of Kit/Ship
04:32 What's in the Box
08:22 Look at the Hull
11:28 The Pedestal and Base
12:18 The Sprue
19:55 Summary

[@petermerz2704]

Looks like an interesting build! Happy days and model on! 😎

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Thanks, you too!

[@PiperStart]

"What have the Romans ever done for us?" Well, Sophia Loren is a good start. Italeri kit of the Bugatti Napoleon is another. Good advice about the base and the PE ratlines. I am nearly finished the Revell kit of the 'Charles W. Morgan'. I had the chance to buy a Heller 'Amerigo Vespucci (chi, as in cheese)' some time ago - regret not doing so.

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Well said Max.. We must never forget Sophia, Gina or Raquel. Although I think the last was Bolivian... That Heller kit will be huge, but yes, if one crosses my path for the right amount of shekels I would snap it up.

[@syrmalcolm]

Looking like a fun kit, HH.. have fun with it! Lookin' forward to seeing it. Ya keep making me want to get another ship.. :)

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

We will get salt flowing in your veins yet Mal

[@aussiefrenchman-hobbytable9960]

Hi Harry, great fun kit mate , I once had 1/96 Constitution, yep it went flying with the wind , lol gold fish loved it !

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

ha ha ha well it worked out well for the goldfish

[@Yves95128]

Hi Harry, This kit looks like fun, I love to fake wood. I really enjoy your videos, have a great new year eve and a nice little scratch on Miss Bask's head. 👍

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

I will pass your scratching on to Bask

[@toboldlygosmodelworks1973]

Thank god for that Harry, suspected you'd been kitnapped by the Bask on the orders of Bernard 😉fantastic that You are well👍👍👍

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

I am better, but still resting James. I could not resist a quick review as I started to build this kit. Already assembled the hull and am painting the deck, stripes and bulwarks.

[@anthonylichfield3540]

Happy New year old boy 👍🍺🍺🍺

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Happy new year Anthony!

[@claytonmcclain182]

Looks like a fun little build Harry. Since it's a steam powered also couldn't you have the sails in the stored position?

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Yes with this ship they can be furled but still at sea... not so with a 17th century galley like the St Louis LOL

[@davidbalducci4312]

Harry, Do I remember correctly, did you do 1 or 2 videos about ship rigging a couple of years back? Love to watch again.

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Yes David I did about a dozen videos on rigging the Revell Bounty kit. I will do some more as I build the St Louis in January. The Amerigo Vespucci is just too tiny to shoot rigging videos, plus it’s over simplified. But I will show progress in photos to the YT Members. In the meantime you can look up any specific rigging technique by using the chapters marked in every Bounty video. I worked them all out, took me a few weeks, so that anyone can quickly go to a video, scroll down the description and then click on the timecode to go directly to the knot or line they are interested in. houdinimodels.com/Revell-HMAV-Bounty/

[@davidbalducci4312]

Thanks Harry, I'll check out the bounty videos. Those are the ones I remember.

[@basfinnis]

Handsome looking ship 😙 Thanks for the review. You starting this one soon?

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Already working on the hull today. Should have it painted and ready for masts on the weekend.

[@4ngu54110tt]

Cheers Harry. Pretty sure the 'cc' is pronounced 'ch' in the Italiano lingo...so I reckon you got it right. Look after yourself mate...stay well and have great new year. 😊

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Cool, thanks Angus... looking forward to the Live New Year Eve Show

[@thomasdailey9280]

Ha ! One of the ads was for an Italian restaurant . That does look like a tasty kit .

[@finlayfraser9952]

Harry, what is happening with the St Louis, it seemed to be coming along so well?

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Hi Finlay, I was planning to get back to the St Louis in Dec, however with unexpected contract work issues and personal life problems, it was delayed until January. In the meantime I will just spend a week getting the Amerigo Vespucci together, as a mojo restarter, then we will be back to St Louis videos.

[@guidor.4161]

I was going to do a simple kit so i got me a vintage 1:32 Auto Union racecar from Matchbox. It's turning out to be a bit fiddly and needs some filing as well here and there to get it to fit. So i may start my Bandai ATAT as well, or finish my 1:72 Ratte or 1:35 128mm PAK or Border Model Tiger or or or...;-) Or start a Tamiya 1:35 Toyota staff car... LOL

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Build them all.... they are your models mate... enjoy!

[@guidor.4161]

@@HarryHoudiniModels I think I'll compromise...by starting the 2 new kits :-)

[@danytalloen]

I'm not sure, but I think I build this some 35 years ago...

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

You might have if it was an IAMI kit

[@modelcitizen6759]

Hi HH, name pronounced Amereego - Vespucci, is spot on, LOl. Warning, this is a Scot telling you how pronounce an Italian name, always a bad thing.... Have a great New Year mate, 2022 here we go!

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Bellissimo!

[@modelman424]

I can find the wood deck by art wox for the Amerigo Vespucci but can't find the wood deck for the nippon maru by art wox. No luck anywhere.

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

They either don’t make one or it is out of production. I just bought a generic wood plank sheet and laid my own wood deck to fit my model. Watch Part 2 to see how I did that. Plus one sheet of generic planks is enough for 2 to 4 boats, so much better value.

[@modelman424]

@@HarryHoudiniModels Thanks Harry Just watched part 2. What do you use for the rigging if you're not using the kit supplied thread? PS love your videos!

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Thanks George.. I have a lot of Imai cordage stock. It is fury free and only requires a light waxing to use. I have also used Ezyline in the past but found the resin line degrades after years in a display cabinet.

[@modelman424]

@@HarryHoudiniModels Hello Harry,if I wanted to purchase a spool of waxed rigging thread what size would I need. I have managed to purchase a couple of 1/350 sailing ships for a good price. I figured I'd purchase a spool for the builds. Thanks George

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

I did not know you can get prewaxed, I just buy a block of wax from the hobby shop and pull my thread through it. I showed that in the early Bounty videos on rigging. Scale is not the determining factor for ships rigging. It all depends on how big the masts and sails are. A small ship in a big scale, like my Bounty at 1:110 can have exactly the same size ropes as 1st Class Ship of Line in the smaller scale of 1:200. You’ll need at least three thread sizes for your model ship. The thickest is for the forward stays off the main and foremast. These are 1/6 the diameter of the mast. Then if you are running shrouds for your ratlines, these are half that forward stays diameter. But at 1:350 I use photoetch ratlines. Both are dark brown or black as they are tarred fixed rigging. So much easier to work with as I did on the Nippon Maru in 1:350 You also have back stays (black) which should be thiner than the shrouds and are also black. Next you need the running rigging which is jute or light brown chord. Now as your kit is a very small scale just use the thinnest you can cope with for back stays, lifts, braces, and halliards. It is usually half the diameter of the shrouds. So in short, measure the diameter of your main mast. 1/6 of this is the size for forward stays (black or dark brown) 1/2 of the forward stays for the back stays and shrouds (black if you are adding them) then go as small as possible for the running rigging (jute or light brown), ideally at least no thicker than your back stay thread.

[@guidor.4161]

Romani ite domum! or vaffanculo in Italian...LOL. Actually I am not Italian though my first name is, but I had an Italian colleague a while back. Somehow i only learnt swear words and phrases?

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

You’ll always be Italian to me mate. Veni Vicci Styrenie... I came I saw I Modeled.

[@guidor.4161]

@@HarryHoudiniModels Yes, very appropriate! LOL

[@genojoe3176]

Amerigo VespucHi with an H

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Thank you... I think that's how I now say it... makes sense :)

[@benlahrman4149]

“ A French person”

[@HarryHoudiniModels]

Yes Ben I often talk in funny accents… no offence intended