Hi all,
Thought you might be interested to see this rather charming little oddity. The kit is Lindberg 'Lumber Schooner Forrester’ This boxing is probably late 60s? Maybe ex-pyro? It scales at about 1:500, but strictly speaking is ‘box scale’.
The mouldings are perhaps slightly superior for the era- overscale hull planking, but generally restrained deck detail and rather nice head detail. Even the stern railings are quite acceptable. The proportions are ok, but the sheer is slightly ‘off’ towards the stern. I wonder whether the hull was modified from another kit? Nothing springs to mind as obvious.
Masts, yards and even the peak halliards are moulded as one part. Quite acceptable cross-tree. Vacform sails are provided.
From a rather ignorant Brit’s point of view, it certainly looks like an American four-masted schooner. My (limited) references suggest somthing like a west coast vessel of the first decade of the 20th century, but I have found little to suggest whether the kit is a baed on an actual vessel.
any comments appreciated,
Will
Yes Will, at one time, there was a lumber schooner, FORESTER. She was the last operating schooner on the Pacific Coast… Built in late 1900 to haul cut lumber from the forests of California, Oregon and Washington State to ports in China, India and Australia.
In 1935, when she was no longer useful, her one and only captain ran her aground onto the mudflats near Martinez, California where he resided until his death.
In 1975, vandals set the hulk on fire, where in the above picture, she lies today burned to the water line.
BlueJacket Ship Crafters, of Searsport, Maine, had a model kit of the FORESTER, which has since been discontinued.
Montani semper liberi ! Happy modeling to all and every one of you.
Crackers [8-|]
Sad but beautiful photo. FORESTER was a Model Shipways kit, not a BlueJacket kit. I have a partial one in my stash.
Al Ross
If I remember correctly (and there’s a distinct possibility that I don’t), the wood kit in question was from Model Shipways (the old, pre-Model Expo, Model Shipways). My reason for making that assertion is that I remember drooling over the kit at the local hobby shop in Columbus, Ohio, when I was in high school. Bluejacket didn’t exist in those days - and that hobby shop didn’t stock the kits of Bluejacket’s predecessor, Boucher Models.
Model Shipways, in those days, had quite a reputation for picking unusual, but significant, subjects for its kits. The Forester was a good example. Those old lumber schooners may not have been the prettiest ships ever to sail, but they had a character of their own - and they played an important part in the economy of the Pacific Coast for a long time.
I remember when that Lindberg kit appeared (though I can only guess at the date). I don’t recall seeing it under any other label.
Slightly later edit: Looks like Al and I were typing at the same time. He works for Bluejacket; I’m glad to have him confirm my recollection.
Brings a tear to my eye…
Well, we still have the C.A. Thayer.