Anything of CSS Alabama?

yes, revell in 1/96. not bad, lots of potentail for detailing

Revell-Monogram is supposedly re-releasing their old kit. It is a nice kit...but supposedly innacurate, and actually based on their Kearsarge kit (ironically), or so I have read. I have not actually eyeballed the kit in a LONG time.

Info:

And a nice AMPS review (scroll WAY down to June 11, 2000):

However, there is also a nice wooden kit, by Mamoli:

June 11, 2000

Kit Review: Revell (Revell Monogram) Authentic Kit No. 85-5621; C.S.S. Alabama;

653 parts (2 in black styrene, 20 in creme colored styrene, 41 in white styrene, 570 in dark grey styrene, 10 vacuformed off-white sails, 6

pre-formed ratlines/shrouds, 1 section coarse brass chain, 1 section fine brass chain, 1 spool black cotton thread, 1 spool tan cotton thread, paper flag sheet); retail price $65.

Advantages: Re-release of an old favorite; molds not too badly deteriorated (see text).

Disadvantages: Lots of ejector pin marks, only an approximation of the original ship.

Rating: Recommended.

Recommendation: for all fans of this old favorite who don't like paying Ebay prices for originals.

When I was 13, two of the things which were tops on my Christmas list were the two 1/96 scale Civil War ship kits released by Revell to celebrate the centennial of the US Civil War: the USS Kearsarge and its legendary opponent, the CSS Alabama. The first one was $9.98 and the second one $11.98 that made them out of the league of someone lucky enough to get $2 for mowing a lawn. But Santa was on a budget that year, and Christmas came and went without either ship gracing the spot under the tree.

Two months later, the family owned store where my father worked (as part of the family) had a fire (put out by the sprinkler system ) that ruined one section of the storage inside the building. My uncle called for family to pitch in, and so I spent five hours lugging out soggy shoes and bras from the back rooms on the 2nd and 3rd floors of the store. My uncle was very happy with the help and as a reward for pitching in my father brought home the CSS Alabama two days later. Needless to say, I had a very happy time putting the beast together and it was always one of my favorite models, and even graced my mother's dining room table for a short while.

I noted that Revell re-released the CSS Alabama about 11 years ago, but at that time I was getting ready to retire from the Army and had no room for one. By the time I got settled, all of the re-released kits were snapped up and thus nowhere to be found.

Prices for the Alabama, and the rarer Kearsarge, were astronomical by 1999. (There is an urban legend, with probably a great deal of truth behind it, that Revell trashed the molds of the USS Kearsarge to get the CSS Alabama. They share a lot of parts and the hulls are nearly identical. However, both kits were offered at the same time in 1961, so think it was more likely a pantographed mold rather than a re-working.) Prices of $125 to $250 for either the original or the re-release were becoming common. I had to seriously think about that, after seeing an original 1961 CSS Alabama for sale for L65 ($97) at Plastic Past-Times in Poole, Dorset, six weeks ago.

Returning home, lo and behold, Revell-Monogram re-released the kit for $65. Admittedly this is a 40% jump over the 1989 re-release at $46, and 540% of the original 1961 price, but compared to Ebay, I'll take it!

Many older kits have suffered badly over the years, due to running the molds long past their amortization period. I was surprised to open the box and discover that the Alabama has fared better than most, and much of the original detail is still sharp and impressive. The model is now in a slightly modified version of the original "Frameable" box art carton with a John Steel painting, but it no longer comes in "Five Colors" of styrene. (The original came in dark grey, grey, dark brown, white, and a greenish tan for the decks.) All of the original parts are still included, along with the 20 figures that came with both the Alabama and Kearsarge kits and the vacuformed sails and pre-formed ratlines or shrouds.

There are some serious ejection pin marks, however, and some are extremely unpleasant to remove. At least one is smack in the middle of one of the deck gratings, which will make a very long and unhappy evening to remove. Modelers who have a few sailing ships under their belt may wish to replace a number of the parts with either brass or metal, such as the deck eyebolts for rigging. Likewise, the cord provided for rigging is very thick and needs finer thread for the running rigging of the ship. (Revell noted that in the rigging instructions, but I could swear that they provided it anyway in the original kit.)

Overall this is a big model when done up, it goes about 38" x 20" x 8" (965 x

500 x 200 mm) less its two plastic stands. The use of the sails and pre-formed ratlines is a matter of taste (most ship modelers toss them upon opening the box) but for more lubberly ship builders like me they're fine, and my wife likes ships with the sails up.

One big problem with the kit that many people have pointed out is that it really isn't a true model of the Alabama. What Revell did was amortize the molds by cutting an accurate set of molds for the Kearsarge and them massaging them to look like the Alabama (hey, in 1961, who knew?). All of the pertinent features are here, but published plans show the actual vessel with more sheer (swoop at either end) and the kit, like the Kearsarge, is nearly flat. Also, the Alabama had a number of exotic features like rig that could be changed at whim to fool pursuers, as well as a retractable stack and propeller. The latter is featured on the kit (it also is a "working" feature) but not the former or the rig flexibility. (The real vessel was also recently found to have four flush toilets below decks, a first for the times.) Also Revell's painting directions do not match contemporary sources which give quite a different picture of the famous cruiser, the actual ship being black overall with bare wood ("bright" and "drab" shades being noted) and sporting red, white and guilt trim.

But what the heck, it DOES look impressive on a mantel or a shelf where it can shine, and even at $65 in this day and age is a bargain!

Cookie Sewell

An excellent synopsis, Cookie. This brings back many of the same memories.

My problem is the opposite. I have an original copy of each ship and am too nastalgic (or idiotic) to build either. No, folks, I will NOT part with them.

Dick Beemer

June 11, 2000

I picked mine up at Hobby Lobby about 2 years ago at a 1/2 off sale for $30 (reg $60) Revell kit# 85-5621 was made in 2000 as per the dated box. Scale is probably 1:96 and the box says "Molded in 5 colors - 32¾" overall length - variety of chain and thread for rigging - Whale-boats, Launches, Dinghy - Moveable chain hoists, yards, gun barrels - vacuum molded sails - 20 action figures". The box also shows pics of other Revell models Thermopylae, USS COnstitution, USS Kearsarge, Pedro Nunes and Cutty Sark.

Grandpa

Bret81C wrote:

I have one. it was started in painting, I have stripped most of the paint. the instructions are complete. the sails are tattered, one has a small tear. I don't know if it is complete, it's possible one or two small pieces are lost. all the guns and carriages are complete. the hull is in fine shape as is the deck. neither were painted or glues. I would sell as is for $30 and shipping or trades for the stuff I like, each side paying own shipping. I can answer any specific question/check things for you. if interested ask here for email.

In article , Grandpa writes

I know there have been several "Cutty Sark" threads of late, but I must have been dozing in class again: is the "Thermopylae" generally available at the moment? I ask because I think I saw one a few weeks ago, I'm trying to remember where...

Regards,

I haven't seen the Thermopylae kit in years, and do not remember it being re-released.

One has to keep in mind that Revell faithfully reused the second original box art in its last Alabama repop, and those were the kits advertised on the box back in the mid 1960s.

Cookie Sewell

As others have mentioned, Revell releases both an Alabama and a USS Kearsrge kit. Here's a link to a good description on the SteelNavy website of the two kits:

Revell re-released the Alabama a couple of times since 1961, most recently a year or two ago.

Revell Germany has announced the re-release of the USS Kearsarge in late

2004. Lots of speculation on that one- is it the Alabama again, reverse-reverse engineered back into the Kearsarge? Is it just the Alabama with new decals and instructions? The recent Revell Germany re-pop of the big USS Constitution kit was priced a good deal higher than the US Revell box-- will the Kearsarge price follow suit?

FYI , Model Expo carries a nice 1/96 scale wooden model.

-Bill

The Naval Institute has published a definitive Alabama resource:

all I got from your url was an add to buy a book. Whats up with that?

It's not something you'll typically find in a hobby shop anymore. Occasionally one comes out of the woodwork here or there, or eBay. One of our local shops sold one they'd discovered in a back room a year ago for $25 - damnit!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Another local shop had one of the large Flower class corvette ships they sold for $25 - double damnit!!!!! Missed them both.........

Grandpa

Moramarth wrote:

A book with the best and most complete references available for building a model of the Alabama--plans, all existing photos including the Singapore profile shots, color paintings. Yes, you have to buy it. Or you can wait for me to scan all 100+ pages and post them into a binary newgroup.

Aw now don't go gettin all upset. Thought it was an online site about the Alabama, didn't expect it to be an online store. OK ok I gotta buy the book. I've got the kit so guess I need the book to. Right after I finish the #@$ #%$$%$ Heller Victory I've got on the bench. "Go ahead, buy the kit it's cheap now. Only take you a couple of months". Boy did I fall for that one. 2 yrs and I havn't even started the rigging yet.

Don't feel so bad, I fell for it too! I'll get the huge box down every now-and-then and look through all the pieces. Then I gently pack it all up again and put it away. At least you got it started. I wonder how many of these kits actually have been completed. ~Rick Ewing~

This one is from the University of Alabama -- even includes a song from the times!

Cookie Sewell