Pirate Ship Model Kits.

Here is a list of available plastic pirate ship model kits. Review of kits from Aurora, Lindberg and Revell – Subjects include Black Falcon, Buccaneer, Jolly Roger and Caribbean Pirate Ship.

This list of pirate ship model kits has been compiled to help give you an idea of what kits are available. Some kits listed are old and obsolete – long since out of production.

Aurora "Black Falcon" and "Buccaneer" Plastic Kits
Out of Production

One of the first pirate ship model kits: Aurora Black Falcon from the early 1950's.

These pirate ship models are one and the same with different box art. This is an old kit - as a matter of fact it was one of the first plastic kits of a period ship ever released. It came out in the early 1950’s as the Black Falcon. The Buccaneer was released after the film of the same name made its debut in 1958.

The kit is rough by today’s standard, and why shouldn’t it be? It’s almost 60 years old! If you get your hands on an unassembled sample with a box in decent shape, consider holding on to it or selling it. They are becoming rare and collectible.

As with pirate ships in general, and considering the age of this kit, don’t expect too much in terms of historical accuracy. That's not what these kits were ever about. It's more in the realm of boyhood dreams meet Hollywood.

Aurora Buccaneer from the late 1950's.

The ship is a brig, so two masts and square sails, and the scale is 1:100.

The British kit manufacturer MERIT made a similar kit that was later reissued by the Czech company SMER and appears to be available and in production.

Revell "Jolly Roger" and "Caribbean Pirate Ship" Plastic Kits

This is another old kit, originally issued soon after Walt Disney’s Peter Pan film, so mid 1950’s.

Crazy enough, the kit is still in production and readily available. The ship model has a definite cartoon appearance – short and stubby. I’ve seen a 1970’s issue of this kit that came with red molded sprues. Later issues are black.

An early Jolly Roger by Revell.

It’s interesting how Revell has tried to give this kit a "face lift" and name change to resonate with the more recent films of the Pirates of the Caribbean series. The name change bit is pretty corny though. The plastic sign on the stand and the name plate at the stern still says "Jolly Roger" – difficult to associate to the Caribbean films.

Revell claims the scale is 1:72 and is a full-rigger. The scale is difficult to verify, because of its cartoonish appearance.

With all its flaws, I still like the model though. There is something very "Retro" about it.

Lindberg Plastic Pirate Ship Model Kits

Of all the plastic model brands out there, Lindberg has by far the most pirate ship model kits in their line. All Lindberg kits I’ve ever built have all been pretty crude and they have been criticized for poor historical accuracy. Maybe pirate ships is their right element then, part reality and part fiction. Anyways, here is their current offering.

Sir Henry Morgan

This ship is an old Pyro model of the French 17th century man-o-war St. Louis. I suppose it didn’t sell very well, so they re-boxed it and included pirate flags and called it a pirate ship. The advertised scale is 1:160.

Blackbeard Pirate Ship

Lindberg says on their website that this model is 1:130 scale – the box art says 1:250 – I’d trust the box - built it measures 13 inches long. This kit looks an awful lot like the HMS Royal Sovereign, launched in 1637. At 102 guns it is way too big and powerful to convincingly pass for a pirate ship.

Captain Kidd

A little research online revealed that this kit has been around as the Hanseatic Wappen von Hamburg - a German heavy frigate of about 1660. It was once sold under its original name by Revell Germany. The scale is 1:130 which makes a model 14 inches long. Aside from being an “impostor”, the kit itself is of good quality for its age.

Jolly Roger by Lindberg.

Lindberg's Jolly Roger

This is another repackaged kit originally from the late 1960’s. This time the subject is a mid 18th century French frigate “La Floire” that has been re-boxed. It is also a decent kit for its age. I think this size and type of ship is better suited as a pirate ship than many of the other Lindberg pirate subjects. The scale is 1:130 and it is 17 1/4 inches long when finished.

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