Old Glory versus Zvezda Armada

I have been taking a look at the Old Glory 1/300 scale resin ships in their Birth of the Broadside Armada Period range. Although I really love the Zvezda 1/350 plastic kits in their Armada Invincible collection, it is at present a small range of just 3 ship models. The Old Glory range is much more extensive with a number of galleons, nao's, carracks, galleys, etc.

I ordered the OG "White Bear" carrack which you see below alongside the Zvezda race-built galleon "Revenge". I have asked Julián if he thinks the OG models can be made to work alongside the Zvezda's. I'd be glad to hear opinions and the experience of any readers.

Revenge 1577

For my first post of 2015 I am happy to present my latest commission, the English third rate galleon "Revenge".

The 464 ton race-built galleon "Revenge" was constructed at the Royal Dockyard, Deptford, to a design by Matthew Baker and launched in 1577. She had a length of keel of 110 ft and a breadth of 34 ft. Revenge carried a nominal load of 43 guns follows:

2 demi-culverin
6 saker

2 "cannon of 7"

4 minion

6 demi-canton

11 light guns

12 culverin

The crew consisted of 150 sailors, 24 gunners and 76 soldiers.

Revenge was the flagship of Sir Frances Drake during the raid on Cadiz, 1587 and the Spanish Armada actions of 1588.

In 1591 under Sir Richard Grenville, Revenge was taken by the Spanish after a ferocious action in the Azores. in the words of Lord Tennyson: "Out-gunned, out-fought, and out-numbered fifty-three to one".

The model is by Zvezda, part of their new range "The Ships: Armada Invincible". It was built, painted and rigged by the Master Modeler, Julián Fenández de Sevilla of ModelJShip in a first-of-the-kind commission. We decided to follow the original Elizabethan plans of Matthew Baker as far as possible. The following image is believed to be the original design for Revenge, although this is disputed by some experts. However it is the best extant source we could find.

As usual Julián was great to work with and we discussed every detail of the commission. The scale is 1:350. 

Revenge is paired against its historic adversary the Portuguese-built galleon São Martinho (1580) in a boxed set.

Here are Julián's images of his latest creation, the Revenge.

"The Decisive Action with the Armada off Gravelines 30th July 1588 (Drake in The Revenge attacking Medina Sidonia in the San Martin)"

My family is the proud owner of two David Law engravings of work by the English maritime painter, Sir Oswald Walters Brierly (1817-1894). The first is "The Decisive Action with the Armada off Gravelines 30th July 1588 (Drake in the Revenge attacking Medina Sidonia in the San Martin)".

This was painted in 1881 and etched by David Law in 1882. These are artist remarqueed prints, we think from 1882. We had them restored in 2007, a painstaking process that took 11 months, by conservator, Frances Pritchett, and then reframed behind museum glass.

Here is a close up of the famous dual. The "San Martin" was in fact the Portuguese galleon "São Martinho", impressed into Spanish service when Portugal was invaded and annexed by Spain.

You will read later that I have recently commissioned a 1/350 model of the Revenge and hope to also commission São Martinho.