When you hear the name ”HMS Prince,” the first thing that probably makes your heart race is its profound resonance. Launched in 1670 as a 100-gun first-rate ship of the line for the Royal Navy, this vessel was more than just a warship. It was designed and built by the master Phineas Pett II at the Deptford Dockyard. Infused with the cutting-edge technology of the time and national prestige, it was truly an existence that could be called a palace on the sea. It participated in actual combat numerous times thereafter and continued to reign over the seas for a long period while undergoing repeated refits. Just imagining its journey through the rough waves of history makes it feel as if the story has begun even before you pick up the model.

The destiny of this ship did not end just once. In 1692, it was rebuilt at the Chatham Dockyard and renamed the Royal William at that time. Furthermore, it was reborn once more at the Portsmouth Dockyard, achieving a third launch in 1719. In response to the demands of the era, its armament was refitted to an 84-gun ship, and while its appearance changed, it continued to radiate a presence as a mainstay of the Navy. The transitions of the hull are not merely changes in specifications, but a mirror reflecting changes in national strategy and naval warfare philosophy. It’s strange how knowing this background makes each individual part of the model seem like a fragment of history.

This kit, whose first edition was released in 1966, consists of as many as 384 parts. You might feel overwhelmed just hearing the number, but as you progress with the assembly, that precision begins to take on meaning. The gorgeous stern decorations, the majestic curves of the hull, and the layered gun decks. In all of them, you can feel the intent to accurately capture the grandeur of that time. Of particular note is the inclusion of vacuum-formed sails; the moment you set the sails, the static model takes on a sense of dynamism as if it has caught the wind. It is the moment it transforms from a mere collection of plastic into a three-dimensional work that lets you imagine it sailing across the open ocean.

This kit is also not to be missed for the fact that it is a reissue after about 30 years. The long hiatus tells the story that this model is not just a product, but a long-awaited existence. For those who couldn't get their hands on it in the past, it’s a chance to try again, and for those encountering it for the first time, it’s an entry point to meeting a masterpiece of yesteryear. Even as a reissue, the level of perfection that doesn't let you feel its age proves just how superior the design philosophy of that time was.

Model making is not just a task. The process of detaching parts, gluing them, and layering paint gives you an experience as if you are standing in a 17th-century shipyard. As the ship gradually takes shape, events from history books take on a sense of reality, and naval battles from long ago feel much closer. When finished, what stands there is not just a single model, but a grand story resurrected across time.