The privateer Rattlesnake was built at Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1780. Despite her moderate size of 89 feet on deck, she was fast and weatherly. She sailed with 85 men and carried twenty 6-pounders. She captured over a million dollars worth of British goods on her first cruise, establishing a reputation as a formidable vessel. The British ordered her captured at any cost. She was seized by the 44-gun H.M.S. Assurance in 1783, sent to England and taken into the Royal Navy. She was sold out of service in 1786.
One of the mainstays of the Model Shipways line, Rattlesnake features plank-on-bulkhead construction with laser cut basswood components and lead-free Britannia metal castings. Brass fittings include eyebolts, and rings, wire and strip material. Your finished Model Expo kit will be an authentic replica, with four sizes each of gray running and black standing rigging, 110 wooden deadeyes and over 200 blocks.
Four sheets of plans (two by George F. Campbell outlining hull details and rig plan, plus two by Ben Lankford showing plank-on-bulkhead hull construction) and a comprehensive 48 page illustrated instruction book guide you to a memorable Rattlesnake model. (Display base & brass pedestals not included.)
Model Expo Kit No. MS2028
- Length: 28"
- Height: 18"
- Scale: 3/16" =1 ft. (1:64)
- Difficulty Level: Entry - Intermediate Level