Well, I finally made it. I have wanted to visit the "Vasa" (*note the spelling - see below) ever since Airfix produced their offering in the early Seventies and last week, I finally saw her.
* Over the lifetime of the "Vasa", she has been known by sixteen different names! The most common name was "Wasan". However, from the early 1960s the ship's name was officially "Wasa" but the then Committee for Swedish Language Cultivation disapproved! When the new museum was opened in 1989, it was decided to call the ship "Vasa" and it's new home "Vasamuseet". Many people still continue spelling the name with a "W" though!
It certainly was worth the wait and I took over 220 photographs! I have put links to them on a web page which makes it rather clumsy as there are no thumbnails.You can see the photographs here.
Meanwhile, here is a sample:
The link again - https://davecov.org/modelling/ships..._2026/Vasa_Pictures_Stockholm_March_2026.html
Note that the wood is much darker than portrayed in kits, but that is due in part to being submerged in mud for 300 years plus the chemicals used in the process of preservation carried out over the years. During the restoration, the real colour scheme has been unveiled and it should be a challenge painting it, especially the numerous figurines/sculptures. The 1/10 scale model "Vasa" alongside the real one is a great help.
Dave
* Over the lifetime of the "Vasa", she has been known by sixteen different names! The most common name was "Wasan". However, from the early 1960s the ship's name was officially "Wasa" but the then Committee for Swedish Language Cultivation disapproved! When the new museum was opened in 1989, it was decided to call the ship "Vasa" and it's new home "Vasamuseet". Many people still continue spelling the name with a "W" though!
It certainly was worth the wait and I took over 220 photographs! I have put links to them on a web page which makes it rather clumsy as there are no thumbnails.You can see the photographs here.
Meanwhile, here is a sample:
The link again - https://davecov.org/modelling/ships..._2026/Vasa_Pictures_Stockholm_March_2026.html
Note that the wood is much darker than portrayed in kits, but that is due in part to being submerged in mud for 300 years plus the chemicals used in the process of preservation carried out over the years. During the restoration, the real colour scheme has been unveiled and it should be a challenge painting it, especially the numerous figurines/sculptures. The 1/10 scale model "Vasa" alongside the real one is a great help.
Dave