I was recently alerted by Glenn Schuster that there is currently an Ebay auction for an old Woody Joe kit from the days before laser cutting, where all parts were still made from milled wood. The kit is a Edo period Japanese coastal transport similar to their current Higaki kaisen and Kitamaebune offerings and goes by the common name for these ships, Sengokubune or 千石船, as it is written in Japanese.

The kit is made in 1/60 scale, so the model is slightly larger than the current 1/72 scale offerings at about 22.4″ long and 19.7″ high. I know there’s a sign on it that says it’s 1/30 scale, but I confirmed long ago with Woody Joe that this is an error and it’s actually 1/60.

Bidding starts at $120 plus shipping, and I’m hoping someone out there will bid on this kit. If not, I may end up bidding on it, and I don’t really need to be spending money on this kit, as I already have one. I’ve been hesitant to build the kit I have, as once I start building it, there will be no more Sengokubune kits available.

The model is not as detailed or as accurate as the current Woody Joe kits, but it’s big and makes a nice display model. Plus, it can be detailed up a bit if desired.

If you’re interested, bidding ends on Saturday, 5/6/23 at 6:10pm. As of today, 5/1/23, there have been no bids placed on it. You can find the item on Ebay here: https://www.ebay.com/itm/125910896848

If you win the bidding on this, let me know. Maybe I’ll be encourage to pull mine out of storage and we’ll build them together and share notes. Ω