Revell 1/144 Harbour Tug Fairplay - InBox Review

[Dave Ward]

Fairplay Towing operate a large fleet of tugs, both harbour and sea going. Rather boringly, they are just numbered, not named. I, III & X are built to the same design, harbour tugs, which assist large ships in docking/undocking. They have twin Schottel Rudder-propellers of 5000HP & were commissioned in 2007.

Time for a comment on the Revell policy of spending money on expensive dies & then putting their sprues into a box, no better than a cornflake packet. No other maker does this - you can spend £50+ on a model . and it comes in a box that offers no protection to the contents - totally bizarre!! OK rant over.................
The model is Revell moulds dating from 2014
Sprue shots

Really odd-looking hull form!

The sprues are clean & flash free - detail may be a bit soft in places
Transparencies

Rather large, but the wheelhouse is all transparencies - some nifty masking needed!
DEcals

Instructions
Revell typical 'old' style A4 B&W folded - look reasonably clear

Colour schemes - well all the same, differing only in detail of decals

Part II for details & comments

[Dave Ward]

A few detail shots...............

Finely engraved cooling intake on the hull


Cable on the winch looks a little too uniform...........

Railing will need careful removal - will look better than any PE!


The Schottel rudder/propeller

Main deck - quite a large expanse.....................
The sprues are clean, but two are rather congested, so careful removal of parts is essential.
All you can say about these tugs is that they are functional, seen full hull, they look really odd. These are models that I wouldn't want to waterline, to show off their lines & propellers. As models they look pretty good - certainly eye catching - at 1/144 a stand alone model ( no other modern 1/144 ships! )
The model doesn't look too complicated, so it would be suitable for all skill levels. There are some odd colours called out in the poor Revell method of only using their own paints, and of course the cr***y box means you could have damaged parts.
Availability? Good Luck! Revell have a habit of putting a model on the market, then taking it out of their catalogue after a few years without any fanfare - this was introduced in 2014, but I haven't seen it retail for many years - I got mine from Ebay for around £28 in a very battered taped box - you have to keep a watch if you want one.
As an aside Revell also produced a 1/200 tug 'Smit Frankrijk'

This was a reboxing of a 1984 IMAI model 'Smit Nederland' - it now goes for silly prices - another to keep an eye out for - I have one - no box & part made, again an Ebay purchase.
This may be the last review for a while - my hand has improved, so I think I'll be back at the bench doing a little painting & light work
Dave

[Jim R]

This may be the last review for a while - my hand has improved, so I think I'll be back at the bench doing a little painting & light work

Good news Dave. Not the fact of no more reviews but that you're feeling able to get back to the bench.

[adt70hk]

Thanks for the review Dave and glad to here the hand has recovered!