MS2041 – USS Essex, Frigate (1799)

Plank on bulkhead ship kits. Designed for the intermediate / advanced modeller, these kits follow a single plank on bulkhead construction.

 Length 26-3/8 / Width 13-3/4 / Height 24-5/8 / Scale 1:76 (5/32 = 1 ft.)

Previous modeling experience helpful. 

 The USS Essex was a thirty-two-gun frigate built in Salem, Massachusetts in 1799. She was known around the world for her speed and graceful lines, achieving many dramatic firsts for the young American Navy. 

Essex was the first US warship to round the Cape of Good Hope into the Indian Ocean. Thirteen years later, she became the first American man-of-war to round the Horn into the Pacific. 

Sailing the Pacific during the War of 1812, she captured 18 British whaling and merchant ships, causing the British to lose almost a million dollars of lost revenue and devastating their whaling industry. 

The British sent two ships, the Phoebe and Cherub to hunt down the Essex. They cornered her off Valparaiso and engaged her in battle. Her 32 carronades were no match for the enemy s long guns. She was captured and taken into the Royal Navy.  

Model Expo kit is relatively easy to build, thanks to CAD-assisted laser-cut basswood parts, which come in a variety of thicknesses from 3/32 to 1/8 . Fine basswood is also used for hull and deck planking. An unusual feature of this model is that the hull is planked inside and out. 

A host of fittings ensures that the model you ll build is authentic to the last detail. Masterfully cast Britannia metal guns are miniature versions of the original armament. Brass nails, eyebolts, belaying pins and split rings are correctly scaled, and a photo-etched sheet of detail parts adds the finishing touches. Deadeyes, blocks and bullseyes are ready-to-use hardwood. Six diameters of rigging line and ample sail material are also included. Six sheets of plans, parts list with parts identifier and clearly written instruction manual guarantee a great modeling experience.