1/96 Marx The 'Sea Witch' Full-Rigged Clipper Ship 33 Inches Long
Plastic Model Kit, Box Condition: VG++
Rare and beautiful original issue from the 1950s. Measures 33 inches long when assembled as has over 500 parts and excellent detail throughout. The world's largest toy manufacture, Louis Marx, spared no expense in this early 1950s entry into the growing field of plastic models. The model claims to the first time that anyone could build a museum-quality large ship at home. The claim is correct since the kit pre-dates the Revell 1/96 Cutty Sark. Prior to this model, only wood kits were available for sailing ship enthusiasts. These required a great deal time, skill and craftsmanship. A great deal of thought went into the design of this large and complicated kit to make it easier to construct. The most complicated painting areas, the hull and deck, were dealt with in an exceptional fashion. The hull was factory assembled and painted. The plastic is black, and the under the waterline is factory painted copper and inside above the decks is white. This paint is in excellent condition. The three main decks were tin lithographed, which means the decks are completely finished with all the detail of wood; boards are of different shades and divided by perfect, thin black lines. These decks are in near mint condition with minimal if any wear. The rest of the parts are molded in three colors of plastic to further minimize painting. The vacuformed billowing sails are in very good condition as well. The kit has never been started. The parts are still in the factory bags with the exception of the white parts which were never factory sealed; those parts have been inventoried complete. Including the booklet about the Clipper Ships, the box containing the 'Captain and Crew' figures, different rigging materials, decals and more. The instructions are a work of art themselves. They are a very large and well-produced affair with numerous photos of the assembled kit, enlarged drawings, detailing tips and standing/running rigging instructions. A beautiful kit in excellent condition. Another of Marx's rare kits is the large Chris Craft Constellation. It had fantastic detail for that time but also suffered from an initial high price which resulted in poor sales for both kits (and rarity today).
This item has been sold.
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