USS Constitution, USS United States - Revell 1:96 - recommended accessories

Every model of a proper sailing ship makes a well-crafted rigging. That's why I try to offer you better, more complete, and moreover, more realistic plans of the rigging of a given ship. This way you can build a beautiful rigging, which is furthermore improved and refined by well-made blocks, which no rigging can do without.
I offer you top quality wooden blocks, which are made of walnut hardwood. They are machined by a computer controlled high speed milling machine - CNC. This allows them to achieve high dimensional and shape stability. A model complete with precision rigging with these beautiful blocks then has a completely different look and quality. I think that every modeler and his admirers will get a much better experience from such a work. I recommend you to give yourself the work and enjoyable fun that modeling is all about.

There are indeed blocks for running rigging in the kit, but with wooden blocks the model looks much better, more realistic. There are no deadeyes for the ladders, just plastic imitations of the whole rope tensioners.

Beautiful examples of models with some of my blocks is in the photogallery HERE

Stern of the ship for Revell model HERE
Set containing a more authentic version of the stern of the USS Constitution from 1812. The set is based on the book The 44-Gun Frigate USS Constitution by K. H. Marquardt. Here, on page 67, is the representation of the stern from 1812. The appearance corresponds to the same period as the kit.

Wooden veneer decks
Veneer decks are made by laser technology from glued veneer thickness 0,33mm, material oak or beech.

The burnt decks correspond to historical reality, they are made using the original ship plans of the ship in question. They depict all important elements of the deck such as the waterline, hooking of the end planks into the waterline, tapering of the planks towards the bow and stern along the sides of the ship, treenline.

Full information on the veneer deck for this model can be found here:
USS Constitution: HERE
USS United States: HERE

Rigging
The number of deck blocks corresponds to the number of blocks in the kit with a small margin:

Standing rigging block set HERE
DD2,5mm - 80 pcs
DD3,5mm - 82 pcs
DD5mm - 110 pcs
Total 272 pcs

Blocks for moving rigging set HERE
The number of these blocks is based on the number and location of the plastic blocks in the kit, as the rigging plan is pretty good quality. If you want to implement the rigging according to the exact plans, you will need more blockss. It is not a problem to add.

1/3mm - 242 pcs instead of the blocks from the kit under the marking A
1/4mm - 30 pcs instead of B
1/5mm - 102 pcs instead of AA+CC
2/3mm - 8 pcs as C for lifeboat
2/4mm - 38 pcs instead of C
2/5mm - 26 pcs instead of CC
Total 446 pcs

Set of Clamp of Deadeyes HERE

DD5mm clamps OB5B - 6pcs
DD3,5mm clamps OB3B - 3pcs

Hoists for cannons
There are 24 visible carronades on the upper decks of the USS Constitution. Each carronade has four blocks - two on the sides of the cannon at the top (to move the cannon into firing position), and two more blocks to adjust the direction of fire.
Each blocks contains WaB-SB1/3 + WaB2DB/3 blocks:

Therefore, these blocks are needed:
WaB-SB1 3 - 4 * 24 = 96 pcs.
WaB-DB2/3 - 4 * 24 = 96 pcs

On the main gun deck you can see 6 long guns on both sides of the deck. Each gun has three blocks - two on the sides of the carriage (to move the halyard into firing position), one more block at the rear of the carriage (moving backwards to reload). The rear block was only on the carriage when the ship was in fighting position. The blocks were hooked into the lugs on the sides of the carriage and in the bulkhead of the ship and into the lugs on the deck of the ship behind the carriages.

Each hoist contains WB-SB1/3 + WB2DB/3 blocks:
Therefore, these blocks are required:
WaB-SB1/3 - 3 * 12 = 36 pcs.
WaB-DB2/3 - 3 * 12 = 36 pcs

The gun blocks set HERE contains these blocks and ropes:
WB-SB1/3 - 134 pcs.
WB-DB2/3 - 134 pcs
R-N25/20 - 1pc
R-N75/20 - 1pc
with a few extra pieces
Rope threader 2 pcs

CNC brass gun barrels
We produce great CNC brass gun barrels for the model. In sets for the upper deck HERE, or a complete set of all guns HERE

Cannons required for the lower gun deck:
18 pcs long 24pdr English type guns with length 318cm (G-HiS-001)
12 pcs short 24pdr American type guns with length 288cm (G-HiS-002)
On the upper deck there are:
one long gun - 24 pdr bow chaser (G-HiS-003)
22 pcs 32pnd Carronades (G-HiS-004)

Gun carriages
I offer laser-cut hardwood gun carriages that are made to the exact plans for the USS Constitution gun carriages. In addition, the traps are designed to be very easy and accurate to assemble. You can use bracing under the center of the batten to increase the surface area that the batten holds to the deck, or you can drill right through it and push a pin all the way through to the deck to ensure a solid connection and the batten will not pull away from the deck.

We offer two sets of gun carriages for the upper deck with visible guns HERE and for the main gun deck HERE

The set for the upper deck contains these laths in two pieces:
for 6 pieces of Carronade on the bow of the ship - 3 sets of GC-004A
for 16 Carronade on the stern of the ship - 8x GC-004B sets
for 1 bow chaser L30 on the bow of the ship - 1x GC-003 set

The set for the main gun deck includes:
for 18 pcs long guns 24pdr English type - 9x pcs pairs of GC-001
for 12 pcs long guns 24pdr American type - 6x pcs pairs of lafet GC002

Eyes and boat hooks for gun hoists

Eyelets and hooks for 28 visible guns HERE
For each gun the following is required:
4x 3mm hooks - one on each hoist
10x 1.5mm eyelets - 4 on the ship's armour to hook the hoist, 4 on the carriage to lash the hoist, 2x per carriage
Total 10x LH3B + 6x LO1,5B

Mesh for the top of the gunports:
32 shells with 2x eye = 64 pieces = 3x LO1B

Eyelets for mooring lines on deck and in the side of the boat HERE:
1x LO2B + 1x LH3/B + 1x LH6/B

Threader:
I definitely recommend the thread threader. You can hardly thread the smaller blockss without them!

Ropes
A sail ship without good quality ropes loses its shine. I offer quality ropes from AMATI. I confess that I have no experience with the amount (length) of ropes you use on a model. However, I am sure you will use all diameters of ropes for fixed and moving rigging.
The table below shows the blocks size and the corresponding rope diameters:

Furthermore, for the realization of the rigging and a more accurate look of the model in general, I recommend to study the book The 44-Gun Frigate USS Constitution.

For more advice on how to proceed in general, etc., see my Instructions page HERE

The Amati rigging range:
For the model, he recommended ropes of the given diameter and color in this set HERE:
2x N10/40 and the others in 1 piece: N25/100; N50/20;
2xB18/40; 2x B25/20; 2xB50/20; B75/20; B100/20; B130/20.
13 spools of thread in total.

Hanks
Hanks used for attachment of sails and jibs. One plate contains 32 clamps HERE
RSM18B - 2x

Parral
Parral device that allows the jib to rotate and slide smoothly around the mast. I recommend three-piece Ribs for mainsails and two-piece Ribs for basket sails. Ribs are supplied with balls to imitate rollers - Trucks. Set HERE
Ribs two-piece RSM19B - 1x
Ribs three-piece RSM20B - 1x

Cloth sails
I offer a set of top quality cloth sails made of 100% cotton. The sails are sewn on a CNC sewing machine and are excellent in precision and quality of workmanship. For the perfect look of the sail, all that is left is the patination - dyeing the canvas and sewing or gluing the perimeter rope.
Standard version of sails with detailed processing HERE
Simplified sail set with curved edges and stitching HERE
Studding sails HERE
Sails for furling HERE

Any combination of both furling and standard sails can be sewn on request.

Flags
Flags are made by double-sided printing on fine white synthetic fibre to match the historical reality not only in size but also in appearance.
Set of flags for USS Constitution / United States HERE

Draft scales
The draft scales were exactly to the actual dimensions, with the letter height being ½ foot, and along with the space between the numerals which were Roman type making a height of 1 foot. HERE

From the range of accessories shown, choose what you like to build your model. However, I definitely recommend at a minimum wooden blocks, a deck and canvas sails.

Have a lot of fun and steady nerves while building this beautiful model.