HMS Fly ship model kit from 1776 by Victory Models/Amati
History of the model:
The HMS Fly from 1776 was a British Swan-class sloop built for the Royal Navy during the American War of Independence. She was launched on 14 September 1776 at Thomas King's shipyard in Dover and was one of a series of 25 ships built to a design by Sir John Williams, then Chief Naval Architect of the Royal Navy. The Swan-class ships were considered particularly elegant, with balanced lines and a stern and figurehead design that was unusually decorative for warships.
HMS Fly was around 30 metres long, had a beam of approximately 8.7 metres and a displacement of around 300 tonnes. She was classified as a sloop-of-war, carried 14 six-pounder guns as her main armament and also had several swivel guns on the superstructure. Her crew consisted of about 125 men, including officers, sailors and marines. With her full rigging, she was fast and manoeuvrable, ideally suited for reconnaissance and courier services, patrols, escorts and the protection of merchant ships.
After entering service, HMS Fly took part in various missions in the Atlantic and European waters. During the late 18th century, she was frequently used for convoy security and to combat privateers and smugglers – typical tasks for smaller warships of that period. Her small size and good manoeuvrability made her a valuable ship for operations that larger ships of the line could not perform.
During the French Revolutionary Wars, HMS Fly continued to see active service, including in the English Channel and off the coast of Ireland. She escorted merchant ships and took part in several minor engagements. In January 1802, however, the ship met a tragic fate: while sailing off the coast of Newfoundland, the Fly encountered heavy weather, ran aground on a reef and sank. The entire crew, including Captain Lieutenant Thomas Davy, went down with the ship.
HMS Fly (1776) was one of the most distinctive ships of the Swan class and a typical example of the versatile, elegantly built sloops of the Royal Navy in the 18th century. Its design combined efficiency, speed and a high level of craftsmanship. Today, like other ships of its class, it is considered a prime example of British naval architecture of the period and is often the basis for detailed model replicas of historic warships.
Description of the kit:
The kit contains laser-cut MDF keel and frames. Beech and walnut strips for double planking of the frame construction. Fine plywood for deck and superstructure. The many wooden and metal fittings are strikingly well made and detailed. Cannons, carronades and gun carriages are made of burnished cast metal. Window frames and decorations are etched brass. Materials for masts, yards and rigging with rigging thread, blocks and fairleads are included. A set of sails and flags are not included. All components are well sorted and clearly arranged in compartments.
Who is this kit suitable for?
The model is intended for model builders with experience in ship modelling.
What else is needed?
Paints, adhesives and tools are required and can be found in our range.
An upgrade set with flags, additional finer components for the rigging, metal dinghy and wooden gun carriages is available as an option.
What do the building instructions look like?
The instructions consist of a printed booklet with text instructions. The kit contains 10 large plans with supplementary drawings and detailed illustrations to accompany the instructions. Rigging and knots are well explained. A separate sheet contains the German translation of the individual construction stages and instructions. A parts list is included with the kit.
Languages: German, English, Italian
The building instructions are not available for download.
Technical data:
Scale: 1:64
Length: 810 mm
Width: 110 mm
Height: 600 mm
Planking: double
