Didn't see the announcement of additional sets of English sailors but having seen them, they are exactly what I want. Now I'm getting excited. Need to dig out my Airfix Golden Hind.

I recommend you also buy a Heller Mayflower since, contrary to what Heller says, the scale is not 1/150 but about 1/76. The kit was originally released by Revell and also included some sailors the size of whom confirms that the ship is about 1/76. The Heller re-release has no sailors, though.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.Xheller+mayflower.TRS0&_nkw=heller+mayflower&_sacat=0

Or even better: buy the original (including sailors). Here they say it's in 1/72 but the figures are slightly tinier/slimmer:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VINTAGE-REVELL-1-72-MODEL-KIT-MAYFLOWER-/331679036322?hash=item4d399c73a2

Careful, this is not the same kit as sold by Revell as Mayflower in 1/83 (which isn't correct either, the scale of that ship being about 1/96 or even 1/110).

PS: In case you want to buy the Mayflower on eBay or so, make sure it's actually the bigger version of the ship. Ask the seller. Total length is about 20" or 50,8cm (the hull length including the galion is about 40cm).

I found some interesting DShips in the shipyard section here including a Mediterranean Dhow.

http://oldglory25s.com/

Bob

Just dusted my Revell mayflower which I've 'launched' twenty years ago. Seems to be the larger one. Lenght over all is 49-50 centimeters. The crew figures stand 22mm 'tall' (no bases, feet on deck). Compared to average 1/72 scale figures, they still look more tiny than 1/76. Guess it rather might be 1/80.
With 1/72 figures on board, standing on their bases, too, the railing is looking fairly low.

Revell also made the (in)famous big and expensive 'Spanish Galleon' and 'English Man O'War' models. Scale officially 1/96 but 1/72 figures match well. But these ships are just generic and (30 years ago)meant to be more a decorative furniture than a painstakingly constructed replica. Especially the masts are far too high. Without the upper sails (top gallants)the overall shape will improve.

BTW: Hope the old Revell Conquistadores will match their new RedBox mates.

True, cannot recommend these kits. I'd not call them "generic". They don't have a lot to do with the actual thing. The proportions are just ridiculous. You've already mentioned the far too high masts. The stern area is too high and far too protruding as well in relation to the overall hull, the bow is too narrow, the galion to massive in relation to the narrowness of the bow, etc. On the whole, a joke.

Revell has re-released the same old "Spanish Galleon" kit in a new box representing a ship with approximately the correct dimensions/proportions. By doing so, they are fooling the unaware customer. I'd call it a swizz!

Here you can compare the box art, representing a reasonably dimensioned galleon of the time, and the model you actually get, a Disneyland caricature of a galleon:

http://www.aliexpress.com/item-img/Revell-plastic-saill-ship-model-kit-05620-in-1-96-scale-Spanish-Galleon-medieval-war-ship/32306133851.html

As for the railing of the Mayflower. It's ok. Well, you have to remove the bases of the figures, of course. No wonder the railings look as if they were too low. However, railings were not that high anyway. Look at this painting by Vroom, for example:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/27/Vroom_Hendrick_Cornelisz_Dutch_Ships_Ramming_Spanish_Galleys_off_the_Flemish_Coast_in_October_1602.jpg

As for the scale of both the Airfix Golden Hind (meant to represent a small war galleon) and the Revell Mayflower (meant to represent a small merchant galleon), remember that both ships are reconstructions not replicas. That is, the exact appearance and dimensions of the actual ships are not known, they are approximative/guesses (usually, all we know from contemporary sources is tonnage, keel-beam ratio, and the like). As a consequence, the size of the figures is relative as well. One could easily argue that the Revell figures have been made a bit too short and tiny in comparison to the ship itself which, as mentioned, goes very well together with the Golden Hind (for which the size of such features as doors or gun ports is a good indicator ).

Generally, one must also bear in mind that everything on board those ships tended to be crowded and small from a modern point of view (the ships themselves would have been of the same type but built in all sizes, from huge to midget). Same as can be observed e.g. with period cottages. Modern humans usually have to stoop when crossing the rooms...

You all should think BIGGER!

How about this vessel? Row row row Your boat!

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Heller-80898-Franz-Gallere-LA-REALE-1-75-Top-Plastikkit-/201299735984?hash=item2ede6635b0

We all?

Check the thread "Turkish sailors!" below...

You are right. Revell’s Spanish Galleon is Disney’s castle afloat. The new box art deceives the buyer. But there are just few plastic model kits available, if you want a vessel from the 16th century in nearly 1/72. (I tried to convert Revell’s Spanish Galleon by altering the masts, shortening the gallion (and the stem), reducing the superstructure (poop deck) by one storey and removing the upper balcony. But that still is more ease the pain rather than a cure. So I didn’t finish that major surgery yet.

On the other hand, some war gamers prefer straight out of the box gaming to extreme modeling (and use unpainted figures). In that case matching scale and easy assembly might be sufficient. Even then, there’s a very exclusive club of vessels available: the Airfix Golden Hind, the oop IMAI/ERTL Golden Hind, the big Revell/Heller Mayflower and the ‘ fictitious fantasy’ Revell Spanish Galleon/English Man O’War caricatures. IMAI’s chebec IMHO is rather 18th century.

Right again, all these are best guesses to reconstruct a generic ship, since no original, even plan did survive. Also most 16th/17th century artists were no sailors themselves and could misapprehend dimensions or details. (Some of the few seadogs was the Dutch artist Zeeman). Personally I visited some of the few survivers like the Vasa, the Victory and the Bremen cog. The latter BTW featured planks running from port to starboard, not lenghthwise as usual. (Zvezda hasn’t noticed that…)

Using the gun port sizes as a lead is a clever idea!

Another way may be scaling up paper craft models. I’ll try that soon. Shipyard does some very decent ones. Like the Revenge (1/96):

http://www.model-shipyard.com/html/images/okladki/42.jpg

Here’s a work in progress pic which I found in a paper modeler’s forum:

http://www.kartonist.de/wbb2/attachment.php?attachmentid=323768

Absolutely correct. I think that in principle it's based on the same ship as Hellers 1/50 chebec, i.e. the French mid-18th century Requin, or so...

http://ancre.fr/fr/monographies/18-monographie-du-requin-chebec-1750-.html

Bob Richman said he was looking for a lateen rigged ship to be used for a later period. So I thought this was it...

Hallo

The last two sets with english sailors are up to

wery nice

regards

Tommy