Brig Sloop HMS Speedy

English brig HMS SPEEDY 14-gun kit

History

This small brig was one of the first of the new naval brigs, and was more of an elegant cutter-brig hybrid. She was a small ship for her class, but what she lacked in size and raw gunpower she more than made up for in character. She had a very colorful history: captured by French frigates in 1794 and re-captured in March of the following year. After Cochrane lost her (in a battle he couldn't win), Speedy was renamed Saint Pierre and presented to the Pope by Napoleon himself.

Cochrane made a name for himself while commanding the Speedy. It was his first command, and the combination of this aggressive commander and the Speedy ensured that they were a thorn in the side of French and Spanish naval forces, culminating in the remarkable feat of capturing the Spanish 32-gun xebec-hulled and -rigged frigate Gamo. Cochrane took 48 of his men (almost all) up the sides of the frigate, which was over 300 strong, and eventually took the ship.

The 1:64 scale kit has been extensively researched and designed to show the ship as it probably looked in 1800/01, when it was commanded by Thomas Cochrane.

For the modeler who likes to add detail beyond what the kits provide, the Speedy kit includes the lower deck, which is stepped aft and is at the correct elevation to the main deck. There are many more frames than on standard kits of this size to maintain the very fine hull lines when planking.

- 14 sets of laser-cut materials, including a laser-cut and engraved deck
- several separate etched plates made of brass and copper
- copper planking for the hull below the waterline
- double planking made of lime wood and second planking made of pear wood
- walnut round rods for masts and yards
- 10 different rigging rope sizes in black and natural
- 14 4-pounder cannons and 20 half-pounder pivot cannons made of resin
- 1:64 scale resin figure of Lord Cochrane himself
- 60-page, full-color building instructions in German and 10 sheets of 50x70cm blueprints
- Two boat racks, one for construction and one transparent acetate rack for the finished model
- Very detailed 18' cutter mini-kit
- All other materials and accessories needed to build the model as shown.

Specifications:
Scale: M1:64
Length: 700mm
Width: 230mm
Height: 492mm