Why USS Constitution is a favourite kit subject
USS Constitution is the most popular American subject in wooden ship modelling. She was launched in Boston in 1797, one of the original six frigates of the United States Navy. She earned the nickname “Old Ironsides” during the War of 1812, when British shot was said to bounce off her thick oak sides in the fight with HMS Guerriere.
She’s still a commissioned ship of the US Navy and is the oldest commissioned warship afloat. She’s berthed at the Charlestown Navy Yard in Boston, where visitors can go aboard. For modellers, that means plenty of reference photos and a real ship you can see up close.
Constitution is rated as a 44-gun frigate, although she usually carried more guns than that. She’s a three-masted, square-rigged ship with two levels of guns. That makes her a big, satisfying build that’s still less ornate and a little smaller than a first-rate ship of the line such as HMS Victory.
The main wooden Constitution kits
The scales below are the ones these kits are commonly listed at. Contents and specifications can change between editions, so check the listing for the version you’re buying.
Model Shipways 1:76
Model Shipways, the American maker now part of Model Expo, treats Constitution as one of its flagship kits. It’s a plank-on-bulkhead kit at around 1:76. Builders generally rate it highly for:
- A detailed instruction manual and full-size plan sheets
- American-focused research on the ship’s appearance
- A large scale that leaves room for detail
It’s an advanced kit and a long project. Because Model Shipways is an American company, it’s also widely stocked in the US and supported by a lot of online build logs.
Mamoli 1:93
Mamoli, the Milan-based Italian maker, offered a Constitution at around 1:93 for many years. It’s a smaller model than the Model Shipways kit and was a common choice for European builders.
Mamoli kits are now mostly found secondhand. Like many Italian kits of their era, they come with detailed drawings, and builders often say the written instructions are brief. You’ll need to be comfortable working from plans.
Artesania Latina and other makers
Artesania Latina, the Spanish maker, has offered a Constitution at around 1:85. Spanish kits are often a little more approachable for intermediate builders, with photo-heavy instructions in some editions.
Other Italian and European makers have made Constitution kits over the years at various scales, and older American kits sometimes used carved solid hulls rather than planked hulls. If you see an unfamiliar brand, look for build logs before you buy so you know what you’re getting.
Plastic alternatives
If you mostly want a Constitution on the shelf, plastic is a quicker route. Revell’s 1:96 Constitution is a long-running, large-scale plastic kit, and smaller plastic versions exist too (see plastic model ship kits by scale). It’s a different kind of project: no planking, but plenty of painting and rigging.
Comparison table
| Kit | Typical scale | Finished size | Difficulty | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Model Shipways | ~1:76 | Very large | Advanced | Detailed manual and plans; widely available in the US |
| Mamoli | ~1:93 | Large | Intermediate to advanced | Mostly secondhand now; plans-led instructions |
| Artesania Latina | ~1:85 | Large | Intermediate to advanced | Spanish kit; check edition contents |
| Revell (plastic) | 1:96 | Large | Intermediate | No planking; a quicker display model |
How big is a Constitution model?
With her bowsprit, jib boom and spanker boom, the real ship is much longer overall than her hull alone. That means a finished model takes up more room than the scale might suggest.
- At 1:76, a fully rigged model is likely to be well over a metre long.
- At 1:85 to 1:96, expect a model of roughly a metre in length.
- Height matters too. Her masts are tall, so a rigged model can stand most of a metre high at the larger scales.
Measure your display space, and allow for a case, before you buy. A case for a model this size is a significant purchase or project in its own right; see model ship display cases.
What makes Constitution challenging to build
Constitution isn’t the hardest ship you could choose, but she combines several demanding jobs in one model:
- The hull. She has a full, powerful hull with tumblehome, meaning the sides curve inward above the waterline. Getting smooth, fair planking around the bow and stern takes patience. Our guide to planking a wooden model ship hull covers spiling and tapering.
- Two levels of guns. There are long guns on the enclosed gun deck and more guns, mainly carronades, on the open spar deck. On many kits, the gun deck guns are represented by short barrels poking through the ports, since you can’t see much inside. You’ll still be making, painting and fitting dozens of guns and carriages.
- Copper sheathing. Her lower hull was sheathed in copper. Some kits supply copper plates or tape. Applying hundreds of tiny plates neatly is slow, but it makes a big difference to the finished look. Some builders paint the lower hull instead. See how to copper-plate a model ship hull.
- A full ship rig. Three masts carrying square sails mean a lot of standing and running rigging, with many blocks, deadeyes and belaying points, plus ratlines on every shroud.
- The ship’s boats and small fittings. These add up to a lot of detailed work near the end, when motivation can dip.
Large frigate builds commonly take hundreds of hours, and many builders spend a year or more of spare time on one. Breaking the job into sub-assemblies (hull, decks, guns, masts, rigging) helps keep progress visible.
Which version of the ship to build
Constitution has been refitted and restored many times since 1797, so her appearance has changed. Most kits show her roughly as she was during the War of 1812, which is also the period her major 1990s restoration aimed to reflect.
Before painting and detailing, decide:
- 1812 or a later period. Details such as the stern, figurehead, bulwarks and deck fittings differ between periods.
- Colour scheme. She’s familiar today with a black hull and a white band along the gun ports. Her exact historical colours have been researched and debated, so follow your kit or a reputable reference and stay consistent.
- Sails or bare masts. Many builders leave sails off so the rigging and spars can be seen more clearly. Others add furled sails as a compromise.
If you’re building for accuracy, reference books and the ship’s own museum material are worth looking at. Mixing details from different periods is the most common accuracy mistake.
Buying a secondhand Mamoli or older kit
Older Constitution kits, especially Mamoli ones, come up regularly at auctions and on resale sites. Before buying, check:
- The plans and instructions are all there. Missing plan sheets are the hardest thing to replace.
- The wood is straight and sound. Look for warped sheets, cracked strips and dried-out timber.
- The fittings bags are unopened or complete. Guns, blocks, deadeyes and cast parts are fiddly to source individually.
- It hasn’t been started badly. A partly built hull can be a bargain or a problem, depending on how well it’s been done.
Expect older kits to need more trimming and fitting than modern laser-cut ones. Some builders also replace the rigging line or selected fittings with aftermarket upgrades.
Is Constitution a good first kit?
Usually not. A large frigate asks a lot of a first-time builder, and an unfinished Constitution is a common story. Most experienced builders recommend starting with a smaller, simpler kit to learn planking, painting and basic rigging.
A sensible path is a small boat or pilot schooner first, then a larger schooner such as the Bluenose (see our guide to famous ship models), then Constitution. Model Shipways and other makers offer smaller kits that suit the early steps.
Which Constitution kit should you buy?
- Want the most detailed, best-supported kit and have room for it? The Model Shipways 1:76 Constitution is the one many builders aim for.
- Found a complete secondhand Mamoli at a good price, and comfortable with plans? It can be a rewarding, slightly smaller build.
- Prefer a European kit with a mid-sized result? Look at Artesania Latina’s version.
- Want a display model sooner? Consider Revell’s 1:96 plastic kit.
For more on these makers, see our guide to wooden model boat kit brands. If you’re weighing Constitution against her British contemporary, our comparison of wooden HMS Victory model kits covers the bigger, more ornate ship of the line.