USS Constitution - alternative stern installation

The procedure for installing a new ship stern:
The new stern of ship was prepared based on the historical documents presented in the book The 44 - Gun Frigate USS Constitution by K. H. Marquardt.

The stern is supplied on a plastic cast from which the stern needs to be cut off. And then cut out the windows where there is only a very thin plastic membrane. After removing the molding from the cast, the plastic membrane from the windows, and any burrs from the stern molding, glue the windows that are photoetched. It is best to split the photo-etch window frame into individual windows so that they fit exactly into the prepared cut-outs. You can glue a regular transparent film to the back of the windows. Then you need to prepare and glue the bottom lids of the casings. Paint the stern of the boat according to the attached picture. Again, it is up to each modeler how they paint the details. Because there is no document on how the stern was painted. After painting the stern, you can glue it to the model in the same way as the original stern from the kit was glued. No modifications need to be made to the model in this regard.

Davids:
Davids – these are the arms on which the lifeboat was suspended from the stern. First clean the Davids of manufacturing burrs and scrape all edges. Using the attached diagram, drill holes in the locations of the dents for the ropes of the davits to lift the boat, imitating pulleys. Use a 0,7 mm drill bit for this. Drill a hole of approx. 0,5 mm diameter in the assumed axis of the imitation pulleys on the inner side of the davits and glue a eyelet into it, into which the beginning of the rope for the lifeboat hoist will be tied. Paint the davits black, like the rest of the hull. Glue the prepared davids to the end of the sides of the boat.

And then we can hang the lifeboat from the kit. Again, we can use the attached drawing to attach and secure the lifeboat.

By installing a new stern, you will give your model a look that matches the historical background of the USS Constitution in the years around 1812. At the same time, the new stern fits much better structurally into the model than the original stern from the kit. The upper edges of the stern are aligned with the upper ramparts of the ship. This also gives the model the right look and feel, both structurally and logically.

Wishing you a beautiful model, and we look forward to having your photos.