Handcrafted Model Ships is pleased to announce that it’s been chosen by the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society to carry a line of 14″ model ships based on its current fleet: the Steve Irwin, the Brigitte Bardot, and the Bob Barker. This is to coincide with the fifth season premiere of Whale Wars: Viking Shores on Animal Planet; a series which follows the adventures of the Sea Shepherd fleet as they attempt to thwart whaling efforts in the Faroe Islands off the shores of Norway.
Avid environmentalists and show supporters are invited to purchase a 14″ model of their favorite vessel to raise awareness regarding global whaling. Considering the close collaboration between the Society and Handcrafted Model Ships, each is endorsed and authorized, and designed from the actual plans of the ships after which they were modeled. It’s as close as you’re gonna get to the famous boats themselves without putting on a raincoat and signing an NDA. As an added bonus, they’re constructed with actual parts from their namesake ships.
That’s right – the model Bob Barker has actual pieces of the Bob Barker boat – but, thankfully, not the man. So, come on down!
Doesn’t he make a handsome ship? Not to mention, the price is right.
Still holding out on buying these beauties? Half of the profits from each sale go directly to the Society. You may not be aboard the ship, but you’re still fighting for the cause, and, as you’d expect, each model is made from soft woods and other eco-friendly materials. Not only are you giving to a good cause, but you’re also helping to save the environment.
Better hurry, though, as there is a limited run of 1000 for each of these ships, enhancing their collectability. After that, they’re all gone.
Now let’s have a look at the ship which started it all – the Steve Irwin. Clearly named for the late world-renowned conservationist best known as “The Crocodile Hunter”, it’s the ship upon which the show was founded and the only one featured in the first two seasons of Whale Wars. Like its late namesake, it’s seen more than its fair share of the action. In the second season, actress Daryl Hannah even served aboard it with distinction, and the Steve Irwin continues to be the flagship of the Sea Shepherd fleet – the lynchpin of anti-whaling endeavors.
But even Steve has to step aside for the grace of the Brigitte Bardot; arguably the most beautiful of the fleet, akin to the Hollywood starlet for which she was named. Fans of the series recall when the Ady Gil endured a terrible collision with Japanese whaling vessel Shonan Maru II. It couldn’t survive the damages, however, and was soon deemed lost to the fleet, abandoned and sunk.
Like the Ady Gil, the Brigitte Bardot is a similarly-designed trimaran, but twice as large, she’s less likely to suffer her predecessor’s fate. While the impact of a rogue 36 foot wave did crack her hull, resulting in her nearly losing a pontoon, Steve safely escorted her back to port. Now having undergone repairs, Brigitte is again sailing the high-seas.
But her namesake, brought to you by Handcrafted Model Ships, is better suited to a starring role in your home or office. Then you can both support her mighty counterpart as she takes down the whalers with beauty, style – and, of course – the brave environmentalists of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.
