ARGGH ! There be Pirates afoot !

Well, at least a Jolly Roger Pirate ship from Revell. With the Pirates of the Caribbean movie out, I think Revell has seen a fitting way to blend a product in with the popularity with the Pirate theme. And they did it without having to make a direct movie tie-in (saving on royalties and keeping the prices down).

While the kit may not be the best Pirate ship kit around, or the Black Pearl, I think it is a great way to get kids interested in building. Imagine your kid seeing the movie, and then coming home to build his own ship. Even as a parent and child project to do together, it's a great idea.

Another plus from Revell is an online Pirate poster which can be downloaded (as a PDF file). It makes a great desktop, or you can maybe print a copy for your young modeler. It's actually a pretty good piece of art.

As a side note, for those who may not know it, the movies are actually based on Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland / Disneyworld. Imagine that, a movie inspired by a theme park ride ! It has now come full circle, as the ride in Disneyland has been redone to actually feature Captain Jack Sparrow and Barbosa characters in the ride. Now you can see Johnny Depp anytime you want. The Disneyworld ride hasn't been opened yet with the new look (as of July 1, when I was last at Disney). But I am sure it will be a similar layout.