As you may know, I really like old toys. A lot of the models I build are either exact re-releases of 50+ year old kits, or new ones that are inspired by them. Tamiya constantly creates fresh models (with much higher detail and more accurate scale), while simultaneously continuing to offer ones that were first tooled in 1974. And Aurora (who ceased operation decades ago), still sees re-releases of their classic favorites under new brands. The line-ups are also frequently augmented with new, but related subjects, sometimes referred to as ‘what if’ kits; ‘What if Aurora had continued their Universal Movie Monster series?’
I have several of these on my shelf, waiting patiently. And several others in various stages of near completion; two things that scale model builders are notorious for doing – collecting kits they hope to someday build, and starting new projects while others remain half-done. The saga continues. As an example, a little over a year ago I started a figure kit of Blackbeard (the pirate captain). He is currently marooned on just such an island.
But I found a deal on a model I clearly remember from the early 1970s. I never personally owned it, but a neighbor across the street had the whole series of them, and I always thought they were cool.
Like the gunfighters of the old west, pirates have a certain mystique.
To quote Bernard Williams,
“The average man will bristle if you say his father was dishonest,
but he will brag a little if he discovers that
his great-grandfather was a Pirate.”
MPC produced a series of models based on the Disney theme park ride Pirates of the Caribbean. The initial release was 5 kits in 1972, with 2 more added later, for a total of 7. Those originals can easily be found online, if you’re willing to dip into your treasure chest to the tune of over a hundred doubloons each, and that’s for one of the cheaper ones!
My Round2Models re-release (under the ‘Jolly Roger Series’ moniker) was just under $30.
I suspect the lower price-point is a result of the missing Disney branding. In fact, the actual kits have been renamed. “Freed in the Nick of Time” was the original title. My reissue is “Escape the Tentacles of Fate.” The scene is the same, but the name and box art are slightly different. I was really more interested in the contents than I was the box, so it’s a non-issue for me.
They all feature a simple rubber band mechanism to make the assembled pirate skeleton characters move. It’s a cheesy, cool gimmick that simulates the ride’s animatronic pirates, and sails the fine line between model kit and plastic toy – bringing out what I think is the best of both worlds. The kit is molded in glow in the dark plastic, giving the builder the option for unpainted glow finish, or a more colorful, ‘realistic’ look. (At least as realistic as animated ghost pirates can be.)
It is this dichotomy of realism and whimsy that I intend to exploit. I’m making the scene dank and gloomy, with a sense of mold and decay, while leaving the skeleton bones unpainted and glowing. A thin dark wash on the assembled and painted pirates should help define the textures, while allowing the eerie glow feature to come shining through.
A personal goal this year is completing projects. I’m already seeing some of that effort pay off in home repairs and landscaping jobs. In the very near future, I intend to have both the animated ghosts and the Blackbeard kit completed. Then perhaps, a grand reveal.
Shiver me timbers!
-Toph
