Does anyone make good kits of Great Lakes freighters at a reasonable price ($50 or less)?
Iron Shipwright makes a 1:700 scale John Ericsson whale-back ore carrier (resin, no PE) for 45.00
They also make a 1:700 scale 600’ Standard ore carrier (55.00)
and a 1:700 scale Edmund Fitzgerald
(75.00)
They also do the Fitz in 1:350 scale
for a bit more than you planned on spending
Thank you. I have looked at the 1/350th Fitz, but, specifically, does anyone know if any company makes a turn of the century steamer?
Is that all there is to the John Ericsson?
Oh yes, the Iron Shipwright does make a generic 1910-1920 600 footer.
It also comes with some cowl vents, a couple of three water tanks, and a couple of life boats. Locating & drilling some apprpriately-sized holes through the aft decks for the vents is the most challenging part of the assembly.
No PE is supplied. You are looking at just some deck-edge railing on the superstructures fore & aft – PE for that is readily available from any of the aftermarket suppliers. Instructions are a single sheet - exploded diagram. Add your own wire for davits and masting.
Your alternative may be to scratchbuild one. I built an Ericsson in 1:350 using Ships in Scale [?] plans. It turned out ok, but not great.
Or take a T-2 model and convert it to an ore carrier, not exactly turn of the century though.
Only problem is Great Lakes freighters have a very distinctive construction- pilothouse in front, flickers in the back, with a long, straight deck in between. A T-2 would be too short and too oddly shaped. Good idea though, I’m looking into it, maybe if I take the pilothouse, move it up front, and scratch the decking it could work. Thanks for all the help.
Converting a T-2 model to a laker would be following the prototype practice, as some lakers were converted from tankers. The cement boat J.A.W. IGLEHART started life as a tanker. The cement carrier PAUL H. TOWNSEND started life as a C1-M-AV1 cargo ship designed by the U.S. Maritime Administration for WWII service. The freighter LEE A. TREGURTHA was originally launched as the oileer USS CHIWAWA AO-68. The freighter MIDDLETOWN was launched as the USS NESHANIC AO-71. You can find pictures of these boats at Boatnerd, look under the “Galleries” for "Fleet Photo Gallery.
What CG Bob said, I knew someone would drop the boatnerd name, LOL. The Middletown was recently renamed the American Victory and is listed under American Steamship Co on the Boatnerd site. Don’t know if there is a Victory class model out there in your price range but you vou could take it and build the Cliffs Victory, used to be one of the best looking boats on the lakes, IMHO. Also I believe ther were 3 boats converted from C4-S-A4 class ships for Republic Steel, the Tom M Girdler, Thomas F Patton and the Charles M White and not bad lookers themselves.
Forgot to mention the Tregurtha and American Victory did have their pilotehouses moved forward.
I think I’m going to attempt the Townsend, I had no idea that it was built for the military, as the book I have doesn’t mention it as such. Who makes the kit?
As far as I know, the only 1/700 Victory ship out there is the one from Loose Cannon Productions:
http://home.earthlink.net/~loosecannonproductions/Kit14.html
It’s a great little kit - I’ve built 2 already - and the $45 price tag includes a decent PE fret.
Years ago there was a wood ship model manufacturer called A.J. Fisher. It was located in Detroit (I think - or maybe one of the other lake port cities). Fisher made something of a specialty of Great Lakes vessels. I remember specifically a lovely little nineteenth-century, two-masted schooner called the Challenge, and the brig-of-war Niagara from the Battle of Lake Erie. I think they also made a big lake freighter, and a turn-of-the-century whaleback.
Fisher disappeared for a long time, but has recently gone back into business under new management. Only a few of the old kits are back in production, but as I understand it more are in the pipeline. In the mean time, the company is selling its old plans - including, I assume, the plans of the various lake vessel kits. Here’s the link: www.ajfisher.com.
Later edit: I just checked the Fisher website. The company offers a set of plans for the John Ericsson on 1/192 scale - but no kit yet. Maybe that one will come back one of these days.
Two other “boats” converted from T-2’s were the Paul H Carnahan (former Honey Hill, Atlantic Dealer) and the Leon Falk Jr(Winter Hill) both sailing for National Steel.
