I began writing about OcCre’s model kit of the Spanish 74-gun ship of the line Montañes a few months back, when I wrote about ordering one of several available “part kits” put out by the company. The others being the San Ildefonso, the Nuestra Señora del Pilar, and the Santisima Trinidad. I chose the Montañes because I like the type of ship, the size of the model, and the details of this particular kit the best.

I purchased the first of six Packs, as OcCre calls them, and plan on buying them as needed for the build. However, building from the packs is really no different in terms of materials, fittings, and instructions, as the full kit. You just don’t have to pay for it all at once, though it ends up costing you more, mostly due to the ship charges.

Being a fan of the early Model Shipways kits, I was happy to see that they just re-released their 1/64-scale Yacht America kit. I think it’s actually been a few years since they produced their America kit last. The kits that I was familiar with were solid hull kits, and this one has been “upgraded” to a full plank-on-bulkhead kit.

The original kit dates back to the old “Yellow Box” kits. I’m not sure how far back these old kits go, but they all had beautifully done plans by naval architect George Campbell. I assume, and really hope, that they continue to include these plans in their newly revised kit, though obviously there would be additional plans and instructions for constructing the hull from bulkheads.