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SS REX
Don't be fooled by
cheap Rex models out there that are very wrong.
One has unclean, misaligned windows and
portholes. The other has many structural errors.
No ocean liners would survive the Atlantic with
a fat hull that has ridiculous low waterline and
a tall superstructure like that. The funnels are
signatures of ocean liners and those funnels
have a wrong shape and wrong angle. If you look
carefully, you will see the lifeboats are wrong
on many counts. Step back a bit to look at it,
the whole thing looks like a bread baguette. The
beautiful Italian ship becomes so ugly all the
sudden in the hands of the amateurs.
SS Rex was one of the most beautiful ships,
particularly noted for her outdoor swimming pools and
lido areas. Her owners worked at stressing the "sunny
southern route" to Europe.
Following
North German Lloyd's successful capture of the Blue
Riband with its
Bremen and
Europa duo of ocean liners, Rex was intended to be
Italy's effort to do the same. The Italian Line carried
out an extensive publicity campaign for its two largest
liners, Rex and Conte di Savoia. Both ships were dubbed
"The Riviera afloat". To carry the theme even further,
sand was scattered in the outdoor swimming pools,
creating a beach-like effect highlighted by multicolored
umbrellas. Rex was decorated in a classical style while
the norm of the time was the Art Deco or the so-called
"Liner Style" that had been premiered onboard the French
Line's Ile de France in 1927. Rex sported a long hull
with a moderately raked bow, two working funnels, but
still featured the old-type overhanging counter stern
(also known as a fan tail) found on such liners as
Olympic and
Aquitania.
Rex was
the first to be completed and was christened on August
1, 1931. She was both larger and faster than
Conte di Savoia. Her attempt of a record-breaking
maiden voyage was unsuccessful. She sailed from Genoa in
September 1932, with a passenger list of international
celebrities. While approaching Gibraltar, serious
mechanical difficulties arose. Repairs took three days.
Half her passengers requested to leave, preferring to
reach Germany's coasts and take Europa; arriving in New
York they found Rex already at dock.
In August
1933, Rex fulfilled the promises of her designers and
captured the Blue Riband on its westbound crossing with
a time of four days and thirteen hours, with an average
speed of 28.92 knots (33.28 mph). This record would last
until 1935 when it was captured by the
French Line's Normandie.
On 8 September
1944, off Koper, SS Rex was hit by 123 rockets launched by
RAF aircraft, caught fire from stem to stern, rolled
onto the port side, and sank in shallow water. The ship
was broken up at the site beginning in 1947.
This primarily wood SS Rex
model has the following qualities:
-
Plank-on-frame hull.
This construction method gives accurate hulls, as
artisans create the frame of the hull exactly like in
drawings. The solid hull method, on the other hand,
employs most guesswork on the degree of curvature.
- Windows and portholes are cutouts (not black decals),
uniform, and on straight lines.
- Captivating
artistic lighting, with different colors and green/red navigation
light that will light up your special evenings.
LED light powered by standard 9v battery for your
convenience or by a compact adapter to wall
outlet. Cheap
model makers have neither the
artistry sense nor the necessary engineering ability.
Their light is ugly
incandescent
bright white placed on the model's floor like
mushrooms.
37" L x 14" T x
7" W $3,890 Shipping and insurance in
the contiguous USA included.
Other places: $400 flat rate.
48" long
$5,760
Shipping and insurance in
the contiguous USA included.
Other places: $500 flat rate.
62" long $8,590
Shipping and insurance in
the contiguous USA included.
Other places: $700 flat rate.
Model is built per commission only.
We require only a small deposit to start the
process. Please click
here for
more details as well as the wait time.
For display case, please click here:
Model Ship Display Case
Check out our
other beautiful, authentic Italian liners
TS
Michelangelo model
and SS Andrea
Doria model, and
Conte di
Savoia model.
"Received your email to order REX liner Price 2,300 plus
$90shipping. Interested in
lighting option for $200 extra all I need someone to
contact me for order. I have ordered
models from motion models and SD Model
Makers and wish I would have found you sooner.
I'm so disappointed
that I didn't order other models from you. Will be
in touch. Thank you, Anthony L."
"I want to thank
you for the package of "little people" which just
arrived in yesterday's mail. They look great, and they
will balance the others already in place. People who
have already seen the ship, are so anxious to "count
them" and find them! It really is a lot of fun, and
promotes a lot of conversation... I will continue to
recommend your services to anyone who may be inspired to
order a ship model after seeing the one I purchased. As
promised, I will send you photos of the completed
project. Sincerely, Louis"
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