Alright, I must first admit that I have never built any kind of model ship before, but as I was perusing my latest issue of TMMI I noticed a blurp on this kit in the new release section.

For some reason it has really caught my eye and I am interested in buying it, but at $60 it is not the cheapest kit in the world. Does anybody have any experience with this kit? Should someone who has only modeled armor even think of giving it a go?

Thanks in advance for any help,
Stuke

I haven't built many ships, but this was recently a "subscriber's special" on the Squadron website (look under "New" from the home page). It was proced around $25, so I took a chance.
I just got it from the UPS guy and upon initial inspection, I am pleased with the appearance of the kit. There are not a lot of parts, but the hull is a nice large one-piece molding below the waterline. The rest of the hull builds up and out (the rowers stations). I'm a little put off by the plastic sails, but I suspect I'll give them a try and see what they look like before I go off scratchbuilding something (that will end up adding weeks to the project - somehow, I can just never "finish" a scratchbuilt piece). There are about 140 oars, each about 4.5'' long. There are some pretty involved looking instructions on how to rig the vessel (it comes with two different types of thread for the task), but it's well illustrated. I don't know if I would have paid $58+ for the kit, but it certainly looks like a good kit of an unusual subject. That's worth something.

Blindspot,

Thanks for the "on-box" review of this kit. I really appreciate it. I probably won't spring for it at sixty bucks, but would've at that lower price. Maybe I can find one on Ebay. Really great unusual subject like you said.

Again, thanks for taking the time to give me the low-down.

Stuke