Airfix A09252 1:180 Scale HMS Victory 1765 Classic Ship Classic Kit Series 9

First, I should establish that I have not assembled a plastic ship model for many years and do not pretend to be an inveterate modeler. So, my comments as a relative amateur are: (1) All parts were in the box, with only one small part poorly molded. (2) a few of the hull holes provided for the canons were too large and had to be filled and reshaped. (3) the assembly instructions were in some cases a bit difficult to understand, being only pictorial. (4) I had to 'think ahead' of the instructions and often altered the order of painting and assembly suggested in those instructions. (5) It was problematic finding the suggested paints (6) For me, the biggest problem was that the upper portions of the masts (being very thin plastic) were not at all rigid and thus it was most most challenging to complete the rigging without producing an unwanted bend in the topmost parts of the masts. Perhaps more experienced modelers would find these problems 'normal' and would not consider them as challenging as I felt them to be. In the end, the project was a success and the ship has been mounted on a newly made shelf.

This is the second tall ship I have tried to build. The first was made by Revell (The Constitution) I found that the instructions on the Airfix model to be just photos that you had to figure out how to build the ship. The hall when I put it together fit well in the bottom but the front and rear didn't fit and didn't match up and had to be puddy in and the sanded and painted. The rigging went well. It has a frame and the instructions were well documented I suggest you do the Vertical shrouds then the Horizontal ones so when you apply the clear glue it will connect with the top and bottom of the shroud. I used a toothpick at the top of the frame under the vertical ones to make sure the lines touch so the glue will penetrate both strings.It wasn't a bad model the masts on the top need to be made a little rigid. They didn't say how the sails get attached you have to figure that out your self. I'm still building the ship. more to follow

This is a professional type model. I have no idea how it will work out until I build it. If the parts are good?. The model should work out. Your state of mined at the time you build a kit like this also effects the out come of a kit like this.

Purchased for my boyfriend. Who has enjoyed countless hours putting it together.The only drawback is that he is consumed with the model and sometimes he forgets that I'm in the room. Oh well...

Unless you are pro... Dont waste your money until you become one...

some very small parts and the rigging frame is very daunting, as i was expecting the ratlines to be preformed in plastic as i had found when i had last made up this kit.

A wonderful plastic kit that is a great project for any amateur to experienced modeller. This iconic piece of British Naval history is a pleasure to build from start to finish and looks absolutely perfect when finished.

I bought this to do with my 7 year old son. Most of it was too advanced and fiddly for a small child but he enjoyed helping with painting and with the larger parts.The negative first. The standard of moulding was poor with a lot of excess plastic to remove. One or two of the smallest bits were incomplete mouldings. There are no transfers with this model and the level of detail to be painted is therefore very challenging - especially the stern section. As someone else noted, there are no paints included and these could cost an additional £10 or so. Many holes neede extra drilling out to make the pieces fit together.Positive points - nicely detailed and the instructions are clear. The model goes together easily enough and the hard work is in the painting and the rigging. I seem to rememeber that the rigging shrouds were once supplied ready made up. This is no longer the case and you are supplied with two reels of twine and a jig to make the shrouds from scratch. After a few false starts I found the best approach was to use low viscosity super glue on a cotton bud to apply over the shroud and fix it. I also found that there is not enough supplied cord for many mistakes so simply bought a 100m reel of extra heavy duty cord from a haberdashers for about £3. This also had the advantage that I could buy something hemp coloured rather than stain the white cord that came with the kit.I recommenend acrylic Admiralty paints rather than enamel. The colours are more authentic and they dry quickly. All in all I enjoyed making this.

Very poor molding with excess plastic on many of the smaller parts. There are over 70 tiny gun emplacement covers and more than half require trimming. Many are fused together. I don't know how Airfix have the gall to sell this item from old and worn molds.

A nice enough model, but I actually bought it to convert into a French ship of the line.