[Blocked Image: http://i43.photobucket.com/alb…uben77/Calypso/Cal_10.jpg]
Hello friends.
This is the oceanographic ship Calypso used by Jacques Cousteau.
The kit was published by Editorial Urbion in Spain by the late 1982 or early 1983,
and given as a gift to the buyers of the first issue of a collectable Cousteau encyclopedia.
You can find several photos of the original release following this link:
http://www.todocoleccion.net/l…ortable-calypso~x57625135
It is a very simple design, with some 34 parts spread over 4 sheets. The graphics are simple,
and the colors are very basic. Some small parts are duplicated in case the builder makes mistakes.
The finished model is 42 cm long, and almost 8cm wide. Which makes the scale of the kit 1:100
and represents the ship as it was in the early 1980s.
[Blocked Image: http://i43.photobucket.com/alb…/ruben77/Calypso/CC_1.jpg]
There is certain chaos in parts numbering, and no clue whatsoever on the building order.
Some fold lines are missing, and many of the placement marks for the sub-assemblies
are just wrongly sized or placed (if they exist at all). It is better to double and triple-check before gluing.
And even after making sure of the fit, it will not always result in a good build.
The pages of the Calypso are 52X23 cm (about 20X9 inches). I scanned the Calypso at 600 dpi,
and re-arranged the parts to fit double-letter size. However, the two longest parts of the hull
and main deck had to be cut because they didn't fit the 11X17 paper. I printed in laser,
and cut the new copy to preserve the original.
[Blocked Image: http://i43.photobucket.com/alb…uben77/Calypso/Cal_01.jpg]
[Blocked Image: http://i43.photobucket.com/alb…uben77/Calypso/Cal_27.jpg]
[Blocked Image: http://i43.photobucket.com/alb…uben77/Calypso/Cal_11.jpg]
Is a nice kit. But not so easy to build as could be thought, because of the problems mentioned above.
But it has certain charm. And is one of the very few paper kits of the famous Calypso available.
[Blocked Image: http://i43.photobucket.com/alb…uben77/Calypso/Cal_14.jpg]
[Blocked Image: http://i43.photobucket.com/alb…uben77/Calypso/Cal_15.jpg]
[Blocked Image: http://i43.photobucket.com/alb…uben77/Calypso/Cal_16.jpg]
[Blocked Image: http://i43.photobucket.com/alb…uben77/Calypso/Cal_18.jpg]
[Blocked Image: http://i43.photobucket.com/alb…uben77/Calypso/Cal_25.jpg]
This was my first model of a paper ship. It was a nice experience.
Thanks for reading.