Search the Community

Hello again, I've completed this model few months ago but had no time to photograph it properly. Nice wee kit, really enjoyed it until the painting time. I think I can't work with white. I've build a white car before and it was a bit of a pain, now I've just made sure that it's really hard and demanding colour. Overall no big issues with the kit. Of course railings are way to thick for the scale, but nothing dramatic. Decals could be better. And colour references in the instructions too. Oh and a rigging plan could be great:) Enjoy: Cheeeeers! Bart

Search & Rescue Vessel Hermann Marwede Revell 1:72 The Hermann Marwede is the largest rescue vessel operated by the German Society For Sea Rescue or Die Deutsche Gesellschaft zur Rettung Schiffbrüchiger (DGzRS) to give them their correct German title. Like many such organisations of its type the DGzRS receive no government funding but rely on voluntary contributions to finance the organisation. The DGzRS was founded in 1865 by uniting many smaller organisations, and now celebrates its 150th Anniversary. It is interesting to note that during WWII they operated under the Red Cross and upheld their principles of rescuing anyone in distress. They have know grown into an organisation with 60 lifesaving vessels in 54 stations on the German Coastline. It is estimated over 82000 people have been saved by the organisation since its founding. Please visit the DGzRS website if you wish to read more about the organisation. The vessel was built by Fassmer in Berne and launched in 2003. She is 46m Long with a beam of 10.66m, a top speed of 25 Knots; with power being provided by three 9250 Shaft hp diesel engines each driving it's own shaft. The unrefuelled range is nearly 4000 Kms. The vessel features a fully equipped hospital unit, helicopter landing pad, fire-fighting water canons, and a stern launched rescue boat. The Hermann Marwded is stationed on the island of Helgoland. The vessel is named after Hermann Marwede a co-founder of the Becks Brewery (very apt for sailors), he was a past president of the DGzRS. Construction of the vessel was in the main funded by donations from the Marwede family. The Kit The first thing you notice about the kit is the sheer size of the box. It has to be this big to contain all of the plastic! Filling one side is a single piece hull, a further 8 sprues of white plastic, and one clear sprue. Construction starts inside the main hull with the fitting of the two bow thruster units. These each have their individual propellers fitted before the units are mounted to the hull. Then on the outside of the hull the three shafts, their propellers and individual rudders are fitted. The bow anchor is also fitted at this time. Once the outside of the main hull is finished it can be mounted on the supplied stands to aid the rest of the construction. The forward hull sides along with the forward railings are then fitted. Life-rafts are fitted to the rear bulkhead of the main deck. The main deck forward and aft is added into the hull at this stage, along with the stern bulkhead of the vessel. The instructions have the modeller adding the hull fenders at this stage. Though as these are a different colour to the main hull they are perhaps best left until last? Once the decks are in place construction moves to the aft main deck, and in particular the launching ramp for the fast rescue craft with work being done in this area to construct where the rescue craft will sit. The main deck railings are the next to be added, with smaller sections on the stern of the vessel. Once the railings are fitted a whole host of deck fittings need to be added on. Winches, bollards, deck hatches, life rafts, and an anchor windlass are all to be fitted. Next on the construction agenda is the upper deck house. This is assembled along with the ladders and railings which lead down to the main deck. A main towing winch is assembled and added behind the main deck superstructure. More railings and deck fittings are added at the deck house level. Next the pilot house / bridge deck level is added. Even though there is glazing all around this there is no interior at all provided. In this scale I would suggest this something Revell missed. Once this section is complete the deck mounted crane can be assembled. The next major area for construction (and the last) is the deck house / helicopter landing pad which is built over the fast rescue boat launching area. The plastic does a good job of simulating the steel texture of this area, though some sort of photo-etch would have been much better. The area also has its railings and ladders added at this time. Moving back to the main structure three fire-fighting cannons are assembled and installed behind the bridge. Three search light units are assembled and added to the forward top of the bridge. Then a whole host of aerials, antenna, and other items are added to the bridge roof. The last item to be added in this area is the mast arrangement. This also carries a wide range of radar antenna, navigation lights, and other aerials which all need to be added. The completed mast can then be installed onto the vessel. The last items for construction is the fast rescue craft, and the stern door which opens to allow it to be launched. In this scale the fast rescue boat is a kit in its own right. The main hull is split into upper and lower sections. Once these are together the deck house is built up on top of the boat. A full interior control section is supplied as this can be seen from the partially open rear area and rear mesh screen. Again the plastic here gives a good impression in this scale but a touch of PE would go a long way. Once the launch is completed it can be mounted in the vessel or used separately in a diorama setting. Decals The decal sheet is fairly small considering the size of the kit. The decals in this case are printed in Portugal instead of the usual Italian decals. I am not sure who printed these but the don't seem as sharp as the usual Revell fare. Conclusion This kit will build up to a large and imposing model in any collection. It is also a suitable kit for conversion to radio control if wanted. While the plastic gives a good impression in this scale the kit would benefit from photo etch in a lot of areas. Overall Recommended. Revell model kits are available from all good toy and model retailers. For further information visit