USS Constitution

This is a well made kit. The parts fit together well and the instructions are for the most part clear. The sails that come with this model are vacuum pressed and look Bad. I was unable to find hand made sails so I made it without sails, really just as good. Make sure you have a set of small drills to open up the pules for the rigging, and bring your patience. All in all I loved working on this ship and now finished it looks great.

This kit was a bucket list item of mine for years. My dad built this kit in the early 80s when I was just a kid and just getting started in the hobby. Now I'm an old timer kinda like Old Ironsides. The kit was amazing and took nearly a year to build. The instructions are very detailed, and patience is the key to success! Not for the beginner. This was the first kit I purchased from hobbylinc but will not be my last!

I am halfway through the full kit; just completed the standing rigging, taking a break and then on to the much more difficult running rigging. This is my third one in my lifetime. The first I built right after college, got as far as the standing rigging and had it destroyed by the family cat. The cat lived, but paid for it big-time for the rest of his miserable life. The second I built in the late 70's to full sail (with some notable areas of extreme difficulty in the inner running rigging). I had that model for eighteen years until I moved across the country and it had too much fatigue to survive the trip. As fir this kit, I admit I did not buy it from Hobbylinc. I bought it very used (it still had the Glencoe Ave, Venice address. I got it used from a local hobby store (one of only two in Albuquerque) for fifty dollars. It was complete when I started; but, thanks to Revell service, I was able to replace small parts I lost along the way so far. it is going well, but I did need a break. I have built about thirty WWII aircraft kits along the way, all from Hobbylinc. I will get back to it soon. It was, and is, a magnificent kit. Its detail is wonderful. its fit, with the exception of hull deck assemble, is great The biggest reason I wrote this review id to maybe warn parents of kids below the teens to buy this kit. it is not for a beginner, in any way. But you do learn a lot from the kit; building models, ship construction and history, and a very real and present example of American history. I hope I live long enough to finish it.