NEW REVIEW IN-PROGRESS!  STAY TUNED AS WE ADD CONTENT TO THIS ARTICLE!

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING REALLY DIFFERENT:  HAVE YOU EVER BUILT A LIGHTHOUSE?  INCLUDED LED LAMP MODULE EFFECTIVELY SIMULATES AN OPERATING LIGHTHOUSE.  SCALED FOR USE ON AN N-SCALE TRAIN LAYOUT IF DESIRED.  PAINT AND GLUE NOT REQUIRED BUT RECOMMENDED.  EASY TO BUILD, FUN TO PAINT!

ATLANTIS LIGHTHOUSE MODEL KIT WITH WORKING LIGHT -- $24.95 MSRP -- UNASSEMBLED KIT -- 22 PARTS -- FINISHED MODEL IS 11" TALL AND 10.5 " WIDE -- PAINT AND GLUE NOT REQUIRED -- RECOMMENDED FOR AGES 14 AND UP -- LED LIGHT MODULE INCLUDED -- BATTERIES MUST BE PURCHASED SEPARATELY.

BY BILL ENGAR

Whether it’s gorgeous views of a lighthouse at your favorite rocky shore or the symbolism of being safely guided into your home harbor after a long journey on the high seas, the lighthouse has a special place in the hearts of sailors and ocean lovers.  Modern navigation aids including global positioning technology have largely made the traditional lighthouse unneeded.  However, many obsolete lighthouses are being preserved for their beauty and history.  Now, you can have your very own lighthouse!

New box art includes a nice representation of the Atlantis lighthouse.

Lindberg Models first made the plastic model lighthouse kit in 1969.  Lindberg had a unique collection of nautical subjects and the lighthouse was a natural fit with their eclectic selection of model ship kits.
 
Atlantis Models brings back the Lighthouse kit and includes an LED light source with a special built-in flasher chip that perfectly duplicates the rotating beacon of a lighthouse.
 
At 1/160-scale, the lighthouse will fit perfectly on an N-gauge train layout.  Of course it could be used in a forced-perspective scene on a layout with trains in a larger scale.

Or, it will make a great shelf display as part of nautical-themed home decor.  Built out-of-the-box, this model provides fun opportunities for painting and weathering.  If your experience with these techniques is limited, the Atlantis lighthouse kit is a great place to learn or perfect them!

A photo on the back of the box shows what the model will look like after being built and painted.

Kit includes 20 white and 2 clear styrene plastic parts and a special pre-assembled LED lighting module.  Just add batteries (not included)!

The kit is designed to snap together, but the parts will stay together better if you use glue recommended for styrene plastic models.  A hobby knife like an X-Acto with a #11 blade will be helpful for cleaning up parts and improving fit.  Intermediate and advanced modelers are concerned about things like sinkholes and flash; there are a few of these items and the hobby knife will be helpful in addition to a small amount of modeler's putty to fill the sinkholes.

The clear plastic Atlantis uses in its kits is so transparent it it hard to photograph!

The large base has sea waves and rocks.  Stone paths are depicted as well as gardens that the lighthouse keeper would use for sustenance on a remote rocky shoal as portrayed in the kit.

Detail parts include a small outbuilding at the base of the lighthouse that might be used for storage.  There is a small longboat as well as the carcass of an old shipwreck.  A crane presumably to launch the boat and radio antenna is depicted.  Right out of the box, the kit makes a nice and realistic scene.  In our bonus features, we'll suggest some optional projects to enhance and customize the model.  The kit presents some nice opportunities for the modeler who enjoys adding unique details.

Windows in the body of the lighthouse suggest keeper living quarters.

The small parts are included on three sprues.

The lighting module is completely pre-assembled.  All that is needed to make it work is to insert two coin-type button-batteries, CR2032.  These are very easy to find.  The lighting module with batteries is easily inserted into the completed model from underneath the base and secured with adhesive tape.

Kit instructions are printed on a large folded 11X17" sheet.  Included is a nice history of lighthouses.  Addresses for three lighthouse preservation organizations are listed.  Pictorial instruction diagrams are included.

The lighting module includes a small switch to turn the light on and off.  When first turned on, the light comes on and after a brief period, dims as if the lighthouse beacon is rotating around.  After a brief period, it comes back on, just a bit gradually as if the beacon is again rotating across view.  It really does a nice job of simulating a lighthouse beacon; it's a much better effect than a simple light flasher.  Purchasing such a module by itself would probably cost about as much as the whole kit.  I'd recommend removing the batteries if the unit will be stored or not used for an extended period of time.

The pre-assembled lighting module includes a white LED connected to a miniature integrated circuit light control chip that simulates a rotating beacon.  The coin-battery case has a small on-off switch.  It snaps open and closed and correct battery polarity is indicated.

Take care to install the pair of batteries correctly.  One battery has its + terminal to the top and the other has its - terminal to the top.  The light won't work otherwise.  CR3032 batteries are recommended.  I accidentally bought CR3025's by mistake, but they still worked!  The 3025 is a little thinner than the 2032 (and won't last quite as long).  We'll have some suggestions in our bonus features for those with a little experience working with electronics about converting to AA battery use (will last MUCH longer than button batteries) or even connecting to train layout power.

This side of lighthouse kit box has three additional views of an assembled model.

If using paint to build your lighthouse model, we have a couple suggestions.  First of all, paint the inside of the lighthouse body with black paint.  This will make the windows appear realistically dark from the outside.

The parts near the light such as the tower platform, lighthouse top and railing are painted black.  This prevents the light from showing through the plastic.  Part 2 is a set of bulb retainer pieces that were originally designed for an incandescent bulb.  These parts can also be painted black.  Note that the hole in this part is larger than the LED; you might want to trim and glue some pieces of sprue inside this assembled part in order to allow the LED post to be centered in the retainer.  When installing the LED lamp post, use tape to secure the lamp to the body of the lighthouse so the lamp sits just above the retainer.  While the lighthouse top is supposed to be painted black, if you paint the underside white or silver, it will reflect light downward.  Before doing so, you could use a small piece of paper taped into the underside to see if you like the effect.

This box side has kit specs.  Atlantis Models quite possibly makes the best boxes in the industry.

Atlantis Models' Lighthouse Kit is unique!  It'll be a real change of pace from the usual model you'll build.  If you like  the ocean, you'll experience pleasant seaside memories as you work on your lighthouse model.  In this sense, Atlantis' lighthouse really is a departure from what you usually build, truly a vacation in a box if you will!

We love Atlantis' Lighthouse Kit for its realistic depiction of a scenic lighthouse.  The preassembled LED lighting feature is really cool!  You might even want to use it for other projects.  The 2Modeler.com guys give this model four enthusiastic thumbs up!  

SPECIAL THANKS TO ATLANTIS MODELS FOR PROVIDING THIS GREAT KIT TO REVIEW AND ENJOY!

BONUS FEATURES

A LITTLE LIGHTHOUSE LOVE

Atlantis Models provides a nice history of the lighthouse in the instructions, so we'll refer you to that.  We have a pair of favorite lighthouses we'd like to celebrate in this section!

​LA JUMENT LIGHTHOUSE

December, 1989.  Lighthouse keeper Theodore Malgorn is curious about an apparent engine noise outside his storm-ravaged lighthouse.

Another photo of La Jument lighthouse.  Sea conditions are routinely rough at this westernmost region of the French coast.

Perhaps the most famous lighthouse photo was taken in 1989 by Jean Guichard.  Guichard rented a helicopter to take photos of a storm with gale-force winds and waves 20-30 meters in height.  Hovering to photograph the waves slamming into the lighthouse, Guichard was surprised to see the lighthouse keeper open the door at the base of the tower just as a massive wave engulfed the rear of the lighthouse.  The photo was not staged; Guichard had his camera at ready the instant that Theodore Malgorn opened the door in response to the motor-noise outside and snapped the photo.  Malgorn very nearly lost his life as a result of his curiosity.  He later was quoted as saying, "You cannot play with the sea."

La Jument lighthouse was finished in 1911.  The area of sea where it is located has frequent storms and rough seas, and has much ship traffic.

Guichard's photography was timed to document Brittany's traditional sea infrastructure prior to many aspects being replaced by technology.  Just two years after his famous photo was taken, the La Jument lighthouse was upgraded and automated and no longer needed a keeper living inside.

The La Jument lighthouse is 157 feet tall.  The light can be seen up to 22 nautical miles out at sea.

BELL ROCK LIGHTHOUSE

Scotland's Bell Rock Lighthouse, very similar to Atlantis' lighthouse model kit, is currently the world's oldest sea-washed lighthouse.  A shallow shoal several miles east of the River Tay estuary was the site of many shipwrecks.  The shoal was barely above sea level only briefly at low-tide and challenges to build it were considerable since it was some distance from shore.  All construction efforts had to be staged from boats moored a mile away from the shoal with actual work being done from smaller launches.  Construction was completed in 1810.  Thanks to the considerable challenges faced in building the lighthouse, it is considered one of the Seven Modern Wonders of the Industrial World--along with the Panama Canal, Transcontinental Railroad, and Hoover Dam!  The original masonry work has withstood the harsh waves and currents of an angry sea over two centuries.  Our road-builders could learn a lesson or two!

Atlantis Models' Lighthouse Model Kit strongly resembles the famous Bell Rock Lighthouse.

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