BY BILL ENGAR

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ATLANTIS #P-195 -- 1:1-SCALE (FULL-SIZED) FRONTIERSMAN KENTUCKY LONG RIFLE AMERICAN MUZZLE-LOADER -- HOBBY CONSTRUCTION KIT, 72 STYRENE PLASTIC PARTS PLUS ONE THIN METAL SPRING -- PLASTIC RIFLE WALL RACK INCLUDED -- MODEL CEMENT REQUIRED FOR ASSEMBLY (NOT INCLUDED) -- RECOMMENDED FOR MODELERS AND HOBBYISTS WITH ADULT SUPERVISION -- NON-FIRING DISPLAY REPLICA -- CANNOT BE MODIFIED INTO A FUNCTIONING FIREARM -- NOT A TOY

Pyro was a model kit company remembered for an eclectic line of ship models.  They also made a series of large-scale or full-sized firearm kits.  The Kentucky Long Rifle was originally engineered by Pyro in 1955.  It was one of the most spectacular and well-engineered plastic model kits of its period and holds up extremely well today.  It was re-released in the 1960's and again in 1970 after Pyro was acquired by Life-Like.  Life-Like specialized in model railroading and the plastic modeling assets including the gun kits were transferred to Lindberg Models.  For the first time in well over half a century, the Kentucky Long Rifle returns thanks to a special arrangement by Atlantis Models!

Awesome box art for an awesome, large model kit!  It's a heavy box--almost two pounds!

Atlantis Models' Kentucky Long Rifle is a large kit.  The first thing you'll notice is that the box has some heft!  We put it on a scale before opening; it weighs out at just under two pounds, quite a bit for even a large model kit.  That big box is packed full--there is a lot of plastic!

Atlantis' Kentucky Long Rifle is molded in brass-colored and dark-brown styrene plastic.  It fills half of our 5-foot table!

The model is molded in two colors of styrene plastic simulating brass and wood.  It could be built without painting and would make a very nice model that should go together quickly if the builder decides to go this route for construction.  However, a model builder with some experience painting could create a very realistic-looking replica.  There are metal finishes available (we like Alclad II--they have a polished brass shade) and techniques for simulating wood grain (check YouTube) that can be used to create a model that could be indistinguishable from the real thing.

The brown plastic parts simulate wooden components and ramrod.  The forestock has four parts--remember that the model will be well over four feet long when built!

Since this is a vintage kit, the builder can expect to encounter some flash, sinkholes, and ejector pin marks.  The lock plate, for example, has some ejector pin marks visible that the contest modeler or picky builder might want to fill, particularly if painting over the natural plastic.

The barrel is also molded in brass-colored plastic.  To simulate an actual rifle, this should be painted a gunmetal color.

This sprue has the flint-jaws, patch-box door and stock filligree.

Detailing is exquisite.  The screw heads are very convincing as are the threads on the jaw screw.  Looking over the parts gave me the vibe I was handling a 19th Century artifact as opposed to replica-parts.  This is thanks to components being rendered as full-sized copies of the real thing.

This sprue has the trigger guard, stock decorations, 18 simulated screws, and a number of other small parts.

This sprue has barrel clamps, butt plate halves, and lock plate

A front view of that lock plate.  Note the round ejector pin marks (they are circular disc-shaped indentations; they don't go all the way through the plastic!)

The vintage instructions use a single exploded drawing and 29 assembly steps, all English-only.  It is highly recommended that the builder has experience with plastic model kits or has familiarity with flintlock-style firearms.  Strong experience with Lego Technic-type kits would be very helpful if the builder does not have a lot of experience building plastic model kits.  This kit is definitely not for inexperienced builders or beginners.  The original model (and its instruction sheet) was made years before pictorial diagrams and multilingual directions intended for international distribution became commonplace. 

A thin metal spring provides tension on the trigger.  There is no internal firing mechanism; the finished model does not shoot plastic projectiles nor can it be modified to become a functioning firearm (it's plastic).  The instructions note that the spring-trigger mechanism is fragile and care should be used when operating it.

One very nice extra is an included plastic wall bracket to hang your finished Kentucky Long Rifle on the wall for display.  Atlantis also sells this accessory separately; it could be used to hang other rifles as well.  It has holes to screw it into a wall (hardware not included).  The brackets are designed to interlock.  You could buy additional sets to hang multiple rifles together.

Box sides contain kit information and history of the Kentucky Long Rifle.

Instructions include kit history and a diagram that details the spring-trigger installation.

At the 2024 IPMS/USA National Convention in Madison, WI, Peter Vetri (President of Atlantis Models) showed off a built pre-production test-shot of the Kentucky Long Rifle.

The box is jammed full.  Note that the brass-colored parts are bagged and large parts are banded for protection.  You'll need this picture to figure out how the parts fit back in the box!  There is a lot of stuff in there.

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