UPDATE LATE MARCH, 2026:  THE FIRST RUN OF ATLANTIS' KENTUCKY LONG RIFLE HAS SOLD OUT!!!
THE WILDLY POPULAR KIT IS BACK IN PRODUCTION AND A SECOND RUN OF KITS IS INCOMING!

BY BILL ENGAR

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.

Atlantis printed the instruction sheet on a high-quality glossy paper.  It has a nice history of the Kentucky Long Rifle and vintage artwork.  The style hasn't been used in over a half-century; there are no pictograms with multilingual interpretations.  The kit has no decals.

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

Atlantis has the tooling to additional vintage 1/1-scale firearm kits and we anticipate that modelers may eventually be able to build a small collection.  They've already announced the upcoming release of the Western Saddle Gun and we're hopeful to see other vintage plastic models of historic gun kits announced in the future.

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.

Atlantis Kentucky Long Rifle available on Amazon!

We were thrilled to see this kit re-released after many years of not being available.  It was truly one of the landmark kits from the golden age of plastic modeling hobby.  Modelers, collectors, students, and historians will love this kit!  The 2Modeler.com Guys give it four enthusiastic thumbs up!

BONUS FEATURES

THE KENTUCKY LONG RIFLE

Three examples of Early American long rifles demonstrate artistic workmanship of skilled Frontier gunsmiths.

German gunsmiths settled in Pennsylvania in the early 1700's improved upon German hunting rifle designs.  They heavily influenced the design of these weapons used in early Colonial America.  Rifling (interior spiral grooving) and lengthening the gun barrel greatly improved accuracy and the Long Rifle was preferred over older-technology smooth-bore muskets.

Hunters who settled deep Frontier Kentucky loved the new Long Rifle for its long-distance accuracy.  An 1820 song, "The Hunters of Kentucky" became popular and the rifle type became connected to the song.  The rifle further became associated with the early history of the United States through its use during the Revolutionary War.

After World War II, there was great nostalgia for the American Frontier and the Western movie genre romanticized the era.  In 1955, "Kentucky Rifle" was released as one of many "Westerns" at the time.  Kentucky Rifle was a "B" movie that didn't get wide release or wide critical acclaim and it is largely forgotten today, but it illustrates how the Kentucky Rifle was a symbol of early America at the same time as Davy Crockett's coonskin cap.

Kentucky Rifle was a Western movie that was released in 1955.

Pyro released its Kentucky Rifle kit the same year.

Pyro released the Kentucky Long Rifle kit in 1955.  A handful of Western-themed model kits were released in the same period.  Pyro models ceased operations and their tooling was purchased by Lifelike.  Lifelike focused on model railroading products and sold their Pyro and non-railroading kit molds (including the Kentucky Long Rifle) to Lindberg Models.  

Another kit of the Western genre released by Atlantis is the popular Wyatt Earp, also a former Pyro kit.  A couple years after Atlantis obtained hundreds of pieces of historic model kit tooling from the former Revell USA, they traded some tooling with Round2, who owned much of the former Lindberg tooling.  Thanks to Atlantis Models, we have the opportunity as modelers to enjoy many of these vintage model kits once again! 

1/1-SCALE GUN KITS

Earlier in the history of scale model kits it was possible to build quite a collection of 1/1-scale firearms.  By 1969, Pyro had quite a collection and LS Models of Japan offered a very cool line of then-contemporary gun kits.

From Pyro's 1969 catalog, courtesy BoxArtDen.com.  Prices for a model kit have certainly changed, haven't they!  Four of these were re-released in the 21st Century.  Trivia Question:  At least two of them are former Revell kits.  Which ones??  (Keep reading).

In 1969, Pyro had TWO pages of 1/1-scale antique gun replica plastic model kits!  Atlantis has announced the re-release of the Western Saddle Gun.  Note that the Kentucky Rifle is there!

LS Models of Japan had an extensive line of plastic model gun kits seen in the 1970's and 80's.  Some of these kits would build into full-sized replicas of then-modern firearms.

Attitudes about guns have changed in the decades since the LS gun kits were first released and it's unlikely that these will be readily available again.  As I recall, they were sold in the USA during the period but few hobby shops stocked them and import-pricing was pretty high at the time.

Lindberg Models (owned by J. Lloyd International at the time) had the molds to a quartet of vintage pistol kits that were formerly released by Pyro.  When the first Disney "Pirates of the Carribean" movie was released, it kicked of a Pirates craze culturally and Lindberg re-released the four Pyro pistols as a quartet of "Pirate Pistols."

in the 1970's and 80's, L&S Models of Japan released a considerable line of gun-replica plastic kits.

These four subjects were released as "Pirate Pistols" by Lindberg Models in 2003.

The Miquelet was originally a Revell kit!  Detailing is exquisite on this model.

The Blunderbus was a colonial-era scattergun.  Revell originally tooled the Blunderbus kit, later released by Pyro and Lindberg.

The Dutch Flintlock and French Wheellock pistols were originally Pyro kits.

We're pretty sure that Atlantis Models is currently in possession of the previously released quartet of "Pirate Pistols."  We'll likely see them again!

Atlantis has already announced (as of early 2026) the return of the Pyro Western Saddle Gun!  We can't wait to get our hands on this baby.

Atlantis Models' 2026 catalog announces the upcoming Western Saddle Gun kit!

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