A plastic model Parthenon? Yes, really!

Just got this "new" plastic replica of the Parthenon, direct from Athens, Greece through an eBay auction my son did for me. This little model is only about 6" long but the detail in it is incredible. You can make out the relief sculptures in the surrounding architraves and the statues in the pediments, the detail is that good. It also has a little view-master feature. You look through a little lens on the one pediment, and you push a little button on the bottom, and you can view 8 different pictures of different ancient historical ruins around Greece. Cool little replica was made in the 1960's, as the seller says in his eBay auction. He still has a couple more left to sell.

As you can see in these photos, the engraving details that were put into the molds of this model are fantastic in recreating the pediment and architrave friezes. Again , I say for the small size of this model the detail is unreal. I guess that has to be expected as this model was made in Greece, the country where the actual 2,500 year old buiding still stands, today in Athens.

 

In this picture, I have the model sitting on top of the original cardboard box that it came in new. The model was originally probably sold as a souvenir at the acropolis museum in the mid 1960's. This is the most detailed ready made replica of the Parthenon intact, that is as it was originally built that was made, in my opinion. That is, as opposed to the ruin that remains of it, today.  

                                   
                                                                                 

                                 

The little  six inch long model fits perfectly inside a 1/24 scale model car display box that I bought for it. I have it tied in place using white natural twine so that there would be no chemical reaction in between the twine and the 50 year old plastic of the model. I did not want to damage the model in any way be gluing it to the display box base or drilling holes in the model base itself to secure it. So I passed the twine through the front and rear porticos between the pillars, through flanking holes in the display box baseplate on either side of the model's base, and tied the twine together on the bottom side of the display box baseplate, securing the model gently, but securely. Model is now protected from dust and impact damage, but yet is still viewable.

Jim.