H.M.S. Vanguard Ship Model Kit 1:72

HMS Vanguard model ship kit from Victory Models/Amati

History of the model:

HMS Vanguard was one of the most important ships of the line in the British Royal Navy in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It was built in 1787 at the Deptford Dockyard and was the lead ship of a class of 74-gun ships that were considered the backbone of the British fleet. These ships combined firepower, seaworthiness and manoeuvrability, making them ideal for use in the great naval battles of the time.

With a length of around 53 metres, a width of approximately 14.5 metres and a displacement of around 1,700 tonnes, HMS Vanguard was a typical third-rate two-deck ship – a category of ship that was particularly valued for its balanced combination of strength and manoeuvrability. Its main armament consisted of 74 guns, including 32-pounders on the lower battery deck and 18-pounders on the upper deck.

HMS Vanguard rose to fame under the command of Admiral Horatio Nelson during the Battle of the Nile (Aboukir Bay) on 1 August 1798. In this decisive battle, Nelson's fleet destroyed much of the French Mediterranean fleet under Admiral Brueys, securing British naval supremacy in the Mediterranean and decisively weakening Napoleon's campaign in Egypt. The Vanguard served as Nelson's flagship in this battle, and its name remained inextricably linked with his fame.

After the victory on the Nile, HMS Vanguard remained active. She took part in various operations during the Coalition Wars, including missions in the Mediterranean and off the French coast. She later served intermittently as a guard ship and training ship before being decommissioned in 1821 and eventually broken up.

Today, HMS Vanguard symbolises the heyday of British sailing warships in the 18th century. As Nelson's flagship in one of the most significant naval battles in history, it embodies the courage, discipline and technical superiority that made the Royal Navy the world's leading naval power for over a century.

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 the deck and superstructure. The many wooden and metal fittings are strikingly well made and detailed. The replicas of the figureheads are particularly successful. Cannons, carronades and gun carriages are made of burnished cast metal. Window frames, decorations and rigging details can be found on 10 brass etched plates. The copper plates for the hull are so accurately reproduced that there are different plates for the left and right sides. Materials for masts, yards and rigging with rigging yarn, blocks and fairleads are included in full. Sailcloth is included in the set for the sails. The kit also includes optional sets containing all the metal castings for three ships of this class. This allows you to build full-scale replicas of HMS Elephant, HMS Bellerophon or HMS Vanguard. All components are well sorted and clearly arranged in compartments.

Who is this kit suitable for?

The model is intended for model builders with extensive experience in ship modelling.

What else is needed?

Paints, adhesives and tools are required and can be found in our range.

What do the building instructions look like?

No less than 20 1:1 building plans showing very easy-to-follow rigging details. In addition to the building plans, detailed illustrated instructions in A3 format are included, and further instructions help with each individual step. The plans also include recommendations for the colour scheme of each individual ship. 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 assembly instructions are not available for download.

Technical data:

Scale: 1:72
Length: 1170 mm
Width: 480 mm
Height: 890 mm
Planking: double