Viking ship Roar Ege stand-up model kit from Billing Boats
History of the original:
ROAR EGE is an exact copy of the Viking ship "Skuldelev 3", a small, well-proportioned merchant ship 14 metres in length. The ship was built around the year 1000 AD in the vicinity of Roskilde Fjord. In 1962, the original ship was excavated in Roskilde Fjord under the direction of the Danish National Museum. Together with 4 other ships, it was loaded with stones and sunk in the shipping channel. This simple but effective barrier prevented enemy ships from attacking the old royal town of Roskilde from the sea. After the excavations were completed, the ships were preserved and rebuilt in the purpose-built "Vikingeship Hallerne" in Roskilde (on the island of Sjælland), where they are visited by thousands of tourists and ship enthusiasts from all over the world every year. In 1982-84 an exact copy of the "Skuldelev Skibet nr. 3", the "Roar EGE", was built. ROAR EGE was built with the same tools and using the same methods as 1000 years ago. Even the planks (max. thickness 2 cm) were cut out of the oak trunks with axes, following the grain exactly. The Vikings already knew that this resulted in a stiffer plank. They followed the model in every detail. The result was a beautiful ship that sailed well. The rigging and the sail were reconstructed after extensive analyses of other finds from the Viking Age. Western and northern Norwegian boat types from the 18th century contributed to this and showed how the Viking ships were rigged and how they sailed. Experience with "Roar Ege" has shown that single-masted square-rigged ships of this type have good sailing characteristics. A crew of 4-5 men is necessary to sail the ship with a load of 4-5 tonnes. It is assumed that these types of ships belonged to larger farms, which used them to bring crops to market, or the inhabitants of the same to assemblies to decide on the weal and woe of the area. The ships sailed in the inner Danish waters and the rest of the Baltic Sea.
Kit contents description:
This kit has a special and unusual design. Two half-frame models are built which are later glued together to form the complete hull. For this purpose, the keel and the half frames are attached to a flat base according to a template and reinforced. Each individual plank has a special shape, is numbered and is attached according to the plan. All wooden parts are precisely cut out with a laser. The boat's fittings are made almost entirely of wood, with only a few brass nails included as fittings. Sailcloth and rigging rope are included, as is a small model stand. A 1:1 building plan and building instructions are included.
Who is the kit suitable for?
The kit is aimed at modellers with very little experience in ship modelling.
As the planks are already ready to use, this kit is a good introduction to building model ships.
What else is needed?
Paints, adhesives and tools are required and can be found in our range.
What do the building instructions look like?
The multilingual building instructions consist of many text instructions and clearly explanatory drawings.
There are parts lists and colour recommendations. Knots and rigging are clearly explained. The instructions are available for download.
Languages: German, Spanish, English, French, Italian
Technical data:
Scale: 1:25
Length: 570mm
Width: 138mm
Height: 390mm
