Roman War Galley (1 Viewer)

[Currahee Chris]

Alright fellow collecting fiends. Here she be:

BEHOLD THE GLORY AND MAJESTY OF ROME

In cardboard- this is the box that was delivered to my door. This is the box standing lenghtwise next to my daughter- Princess Victoria (toy soldier purchases are a family event here at Camp Currahee )

This is a picture of the interior packaging after you first crack it open. Sorry for the distortion- I had put the box on top of the kitchen table.

 

[Currahee Chris]

Here is the first view upon undoing the tape. It is quite a formidable array of pieces.

Here I am holding the ship. If you decide to buy this beast, be advised that Conte went the extra yard and put a stout brace along the belly of the ship to further protect it from damage. It is VERY hard to take off so please be careful. I had to gently pry it loose, it will come, just give it time.

The ship is just SUPERB- I am really at a loss for words. The "Wooden" Sections are made of resin I believe. The forward prow is made of some kind of cast metal. It would take an EXTRAORDINARY amount of force to damage the prow. It REALLY stands out!!

 

[Currahee Chris]

Moving along- following the directions, we are to place the oars into the pre-drilled holes. There are 48 oars. Each oar is made of wood and is painted a light brown- perhaps to simulate oak?? They are about as durable as a chopstick so be VERY careful placing them into the holes. If they don't fit, by all means DON'T FORCE IT- grab another one and try again. Conte must have had collectors like me in mind when he made this- he was kind enough to provide 5 or 6 extra oars. Fortunately, none broke. I will admit that one of the port side holes didn't appear to be properly drilled and the oar looks a bit crooked coming out- you can see it there to the right- about 6 or 8 oars in. I may touch that up here in the future once I got to moving it around a bit it adjusted better.

My wonderful wife begins the tedious task of removing the rowers- all 48!! She enjoyed it, more power to her!! Each figure in this ship were individually wrapped in paper and cushion. I bought the unpainted plastic set. Truthfully, I believe the painted ship will look even better than this. However, for collectors on a budget, this option just seemed to make more sense. I believe the fully painted set is metal, so, for 48 painted metal slaves and then another 8 crewmen, you are probably adding another pound or two to shipping and handling. Once this thing is fully assembled, the rowers are mostly obscured so I am not sure it is worth the additional money, but to each his own.

I think it may have made more sense to precast the ship with the rower profiles rather than having 48 individual figures. My daughter called the Roman Officer "Capt. Peanut Butter" because he has a peanut butter sort of color to him (as do all the figures, some kind of light brown coloring.). One thing you don't see in the pictures is the silver manacles each rower has on his feet.

 

[wadepat]

Hi Chris,

Thanks for the blow by blow account of the unpacking of the Galley. Wow! What a magnificent model! It most certainly must have been the Warbird of an ancient era! It is beautiful beyond words! Congratulations on a very fine addition to your collection!

Warmest personal regards,

Pat

 

[Currahee Chris]

Here is a shot of the mast in comparison to the KC Hummel tank. The sail is the real eye catcher here- it TRULY conveys all the romance and adventure of Rome. The wooden posts holding the sail up looks like real wood logs. The sail is EXTREMELY durable- not exactly sure what kind of compound it is made of but it is supreme!! It could probably get dropped on the floor and wouldn't break (though I wouldn't recommend trying it).

Here is the KC Hummel on the deck!!

So, once the deck was complete, I moved on to the mast. Here is where some complications set in. The directions were a bit difficult to follow. The print is small- comparable to a computer font size 6 maybe- those of you who have difficulty seeing may have a hard time with these directions. Perhaps Conte should consider putting the directions on the website for collectors with vision problems- like yours truly.

The hooks on the riggings are very taut. The directions state to shove the mast all the way through the hole first. I would actually recommend first inserting the hooks of the rigging into the deck and then inserting the mast into the deck. One of the rigging's were missing the J Clip!!! So, I will need to go out and locate one.

The ratlines are the really REALLY delicate part- at least on my ship. They are made of plastic and it is a pretty flimsy plastic at that. I had a very difficult time lining up the ratlines into the holes of the ship- so difficult in fact, that one of the ratlines were beginning to get a stress crack. Starting to get frustrated, I took a walk. Realizing that I needed to put the rowers back in, I just decided not to put the ratlines on for now. In order to put the rowers on, you have to take the entire upper deck and mast assembly off so it doesn't make it easy. I would recommend putting it together once or so in order to get a feel for how it will go together and then figuring out how you want to display it. I am planning on gluing my rowers inside- no sense in having them in there loose.

 

[Currahee Chris]

Final shots and thoughts:

Here she is straight on at eye level. It looks a lot lower than it really is.

Here is a pretty good shot of her as final as I was going to take it. I have put the KC Hummel in for size.

Here is a shot of the rear of the ship. If you look, you will see some slack coming off the sail going to the rear of the ship. Apparently, this was some extra line. Not sure what I am going to do to take that slack out. Hopefully, when I get the ratlines on, it may bear out. The sail is very tight up against the mast- which is perfect.

The front SPQR banner and the rear flag are ok, nothing to get too worked up over. I may contact some artists I know and get them to weather them for me (that's my only gripe- the sail looks weathered, but these flags look brand new).

This was a challenge to put together but we enjoyed every minute of it. It is no doubt the flower of my collection. My wife said to me "Well, I'm not sure how this is going to work into your collection (this is my first Roman piece- to kick off 2008- the Year of the Roman)". I looked at her with a grin and said "well, I guess I am going to have to buy more Romans huh?? ).

There has been some discussion about the tower. I think it adds some flavor but the ship would look just fine without it or even the tent in the rear. I read on the Roman Army Talk forum (who MURDER this thing), that the tower looked goofy. I dunno, I like it- my wife said it just didn't quite look right being made of stone and sitting so close to the sail.

Looking back, I DEFINATELY would buy it again and would recommend it to anyone who is a Roman Toy soldier enthusiast. The hull of the ship is just superbly cast. It is a real treasure. Pat- there is no WAY I can weld this thing to my hood of my trailblazer . To me, what needed to stand out was the sail and the prow and BOY DO THEY EVER!!! They are the real eye catchers here and do this ship grand justice. The Roman officer is just SUPERBLY cast and was the real surprise in the set.

My final thought on it- it is an absolute steal- the quality is there in spades- some minor issues but for the price- this thing just knocks your sandals off!! Conte is doing all of us Toy Soldier collectors a great service with this ship. A really tremendous effort and well worth the wait.

Well, I am off to watch Gladiator now!! "On my signal.............."

HAIL CAESAR!!

 

[Currahee Chris]

Hi Chris,

Thanks for the blow by blow account of the unpacking of the Galley. Wow! What a magnificent model! It most certainly must have been the Warbird of an ancient era! It is beautiful beyond words! Congratulations on a very fine addition to your collection!

Warmest personal regards,

Pat

Thank you so very much Pat- coming from you, that means a lot to me- it really must have been just an incredible sight to see hundreds of those triremes engaged in conflict.

 

[maddadicus]

As much as I love that historical period and I am really loving that ship...I think that I might aim for the pirate ship instead..Must be the buccaneer in me..YO HO ..Maddadicus I mean Michael

 

[Combat]

Chris-
Thanks very much for posting these pictures. Those Roman Galleys must have been something to behold two thousand years ago. Really majestic. I hope you have a nice place to display it.

 

[The Lt.]

Very nicely done Chris and what an outstanding job Richard Conte has done in bringing it to market......The Lt.

 

[kilted vampire]

Chris that is a monster! What a box! The kid could go inside. Good luck on painting all the figures. Should be a heck of a project. If you would like any tips on painting there are plenty of us here to guide you on your merry way!

 

[DMNamiot]

Wow

Chris I am really jealous! Thats an amazing set.

All the best

Dave

 

[damian]

Chris
You are a lucky chap. Great pictures. To be surrounded by toy soldiers and a wonderful family.
What more can we ask for on this earth.
Regards
All the best
Damian Clarke

 

[Wraith]

Chris,
Well worth the wait, I'm sure. That is a fantastic looking piece, and I'm with you, if Romans are your bag, this is a bargain. You sure get a lot of boat for your money.
I've no idea re historical accuracy, but you could always post on the Roman Forum and get them to post a photo of a real one to show any discrepancies .
I can see why your so pleased with it, and thanks for sharing the photos.
Have fun!
Simon

 

[tdubel]

Chris I share in your joy, what a fantastic piece. I am waiting on the Pirate ship and hope my experience is just as grand. If I could afford both, your blow by blow would have sold me!!!!!

Great job and enjoy it!

Tom

 

[Capitolron]

Chris

OUTSTANDING !

I love Toy soldiers that require their own furniture !

Got love that detail - great piece.

Ron

 

[Currahee Chris]

Gentlemen-

Thank you for all of the kind responses. Had some buddies over last night and we all enjoyed a couple rounds around the beast!! We then retired to the wargaming room (ie, my garage ) and wargamed Zama


Yes Damian, you are correct, my cup truly has runneth over.

CC

 

[Canadian Samurai]

That's a mighty impressive warship Chris - I don't think my two Playmobil biremes would stand a chance against her! I don't think the battle tower looks bad at all - it's a feature missing from my playmobil vessels. About the only critique from a historical perspective I see is the debate over whether the rowers were really slaves or not (see http://www.romanseas.com/roman_myths.html), a debate which Richard Conte acknowledges on his website. Since I gather you're planning on locking them down below decks where they can't be seen once you get the rigging in place it doesn't really matter. Note the above website does show a similar battle tower but a little farther forward: http://www.romanseas.com/roman_sails_masts.html.

I really appreciate your review describing the joys and caution points of assembling one of these ships. It takes away some of the fear for new buyers about what to expect. While I don't think I'll ever get one of these, I am contemplating Conte's cool new medieval cog for my crusaders. It looks a little smaller than your Roman ship yet still formidible. Conte is really kicking booty this year aren't they, doing things no other manufacturer has the guts to try.

 

[damian]

But guys think of the price. At 500 USD a throw you could almost buy a whole warbird for that.
Regards
Damian

 

[Currahee Chris]

Here is the link to the RAT which discusses Conte's Bireme

http://www.romanarmy.com/rat/viewtopic.php?t=19696

It actually isn't as scathing a review as I thought it would be. I do agree of course about the status of the rowers and, as they mention, the positioning of the tower- one strong gust of wind and I gotta believe the sail would have taken some damage- the way this model is presented.

Once everything gets onto the deck,it is somewhat crowded.

Regarding some of the other ships- I think the Medieval COG looks pretty good, from what I have seen on the website, it looks a bit "simple" like the bastion on the prow and the crosses- which, for collectors sake, simplicity may be a very good thing.

I think, after looking at the pirate ship and going through the effort to assemble this thing, that pirate ship, with the sails and all of that, is going to require more patience that I can muster. It does appear to be a somewhat complicated offering for a toy soldier.

Oh come now Damian, those KC Warbirds would make lovely tugs next to Caesar's party boat

Honestly, I am thinking about grabbing another one of these things- have to see how this year shakes up but it may be in the works later on, depending on how the sales go- perhaps he may offer another sale.