Silja Line Finnjet

This is the Revell 1/400 Silja Line "Finnjet". I purchased this hard-to-find kit from eBay for around US $20. The reason it was so cheap is that it had already been started. When it arrived I realized that I certainly had my work cut out for me. The main components of the ship were already painted and several parts already glued together. I detached the glued parts, stripped the paint with oven cleaner and straightened up the edges of parts that were glued together. I then primed each part and started from scratch like it was a new kit. There were a couple of pieces missing - a propeller and a clear piece, but I was able to do a reasonable rendition of these items by scratch-building them. When it came time to put the decals on, I came across another problem - the decals were so old that they just disintegrated in the water! I tried using Microscale's Liquid Decal Film but that didn't seem to work too well. The decals were just too old and brittle. After having a good long hard think about it, I scanned the remaining decals and printed them onto clear decal paper. The result was acceptable and I used them for the finished model. All in all, I think the model came out OK, considering it's history. I've seen this kit go for over US$60 so I think it was a bargain.

Finnjet model before restoration.

Aerial view.

Stern view shows the unusual profile and crisp lines.

Close-up of bridge and upper decks.

Midships profile.