Billing Boats 1/75 Scale Wasa Period Ship Model Kit
One of maritime history's most famous shipwrecks, Wasa sank just minutes into her maiden voyage before being raised remarkably intact more than three centuries later. Billing Boats' impressive 1/75 scale wooden kit recreates the richly decorated Swedish royal warship with a three-masted rig, detailed fittings and a finished length of almost one metre.
ABOUT THE KIT:
This large Billing Boats kit recreates Wasa, the Swedish royal warship launched in 1627. Built at 1/75 scale, the completed model measures approximately 980mm long, 190mm wide and 790mm high, making it an imposing display piece.
The model features a wooden hull constructed from laser-cut components and wooden strips. Parts are supplied in wood, brass and aluminium, along with a comprehensive fittings set, rudder and rigging thread to reproduce the ship's elaborate hull, decks and extensive three-masted rig.
Full step-by-step instructions and detailed plans are supplied to guide construction. With its large wooden hull, intricate period fittings and extensive rigging, Billing Boats rates Wasa at Expert level, making it best suited to experienced wooden ship modellers.
An interesting detail for modellers is the ship's colour scheme. When this Billing Boats kit was originally developed, Wasa was believed to have been predominantly blue and the manufacturer's completed model photographs reflect this interpretation. Later research indicates that much of the ship's decoration was instead painted against a red background.
FEATURES:
- Highly detailed 1/75 scale model of the Swedish warship Wasa
- Impressive finished length of approximately 980mm
- Traditional wooden hull construction
- Laser-cut wooden components
- Wooden strips for hull construction
- Parts manufactured from wood, brass and aluminium
- Detailed fittings set included
- Rudder included
- Rigging thread included
- Elaborate three-masted sailing rig
- Full step-by-step assembly instructions
- Detailed construction plans included
- Designed for expert wooden ship modellers
SPECIFICATIONS:
- Scale: 1/75
- Length: 980mm
- Width: 190mm
- Height: 790mm
- Hull: Wooden
- Difficulty Level: Expert
HISTORY:
Wasa was a three-masted Swedish royal warship built during the reign of King Gustavus Adolphus and launched in 1627. Designed as a powerful symbol of Sweden's growing naval strength, she was lavishly decorated and carried 64 cannons.
The ship measured approximately 70 metres in length and 11.5 metres across the beam, with a displacement of around 1,400 tons and a sail area of approximately 1,150 square metres. Her complement consisted of 133 sailors with capacity for around 300 soldiers.
On 10th August 1628, Wasa set sail from Stockholm on her maiden voyage. After travelling only a short distance, a gust of wind caused the ship to heel heavily. Water entered through her open lower gunports and she rapidly sank in Stockholm harbour.
Although the ship could not be raised at the time, an ambitious salvage operation in the 1660s used a diving bell to recover 53 of her 64 cannons from the wreck.
Wasa remained beneath the water for more than three centuries until she was raised on 24th April 1961. The conditions of the Baltic Sea had helped preserve an extraordinary amount of the original vessel, providing historians and archaeologists with an exceptional insight into 17th-century shipbuilding and naval life.
Following decades of conservation, Wasa became the centrepiece of Stockholm's Vasa Museum, where the remarkably well-preserved original ship can be seen today.
PLEASE NOTE:
Paint and glue are required to complete this model and are not included.
OPTIONAL EXTRAS. NOT INCLUDED. AVAILABLE SEPARATELY.
Hobbies Rigging Tool Set (RTS) Contains:
- 1 x Amati Loom-A-Line tool.
- 1 x Rigging Tools set.
- 1 x Microsnips.
Model Makers Glue Pack (MMGP) Contains:
- Deluxe Materials Speed Bond 112g
- Deluxe Materials Roket Max Thick Cyano (Super glue)
Hobbies Planking Tool Set (HOB24) Contains:
- Plank Bending Tool with Blade.
- 2 x 50mm Nylon Grip Clamps.
- 2 x 75mm Nylon Grip Clamps.
- Pen Grip Pin Pusher.
- Brass Pins for Pin Pusher (Pack of 100).
