Pyro/Life-Like
Pyro are another kit manufacturer with a long history, dating back to 1953. They produced various subjects, including cars and life-size historic
firearms, but are probably best know for their ships. Pyro produced a large range of sailing ships and larger-scale civilian vessels, quite a number of which
were apparently based on wooden kits produced by Model Shipways (still in business, unlike Pyro); they also produced 1/1200 WW2 warship kits, some of which were reissues
of kits from the British manufacturer Eagle.
Pyro's very extensive range of small sailing ship kits are varied in quality, earlier ones (such as the Golden Hind and "Brig of War") are crude and toylike, whilst later issues such
as the Bomb Ketch, Skipjack oyster boat and Dutch State Yacht are beautifully detailed for their size. Their larger kits, of both sail and powered vessels, are generally good - particularly those based
on Model Shipways kits - and an excellent basis for superdetailing.
Pyro became "Life-Like" in the 1970s and many kits can be found with this label. They eventually folded some time in the late '70s and all of their moulds were acquired by
Lindberg. Most (though not all, alas) of Pyro's better kits can now be found in Lindberg boxes.
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1/170 British Bomb Ketch |
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1/200 Portuguese Carrack Santa Catarina do Monte Sinai |
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American Civil War Ironclads 1/210 USS Monitor and 1/297 CSS Virginia/Merrimack |
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1/228 Cruiser USS Olympia |