HM Cutter Trial, 1790

His Britannic Majesty’s Cutter Trial, 1790 is the latest wooden model ship kit to come out of Christopher Watton’s company Vanguard Models, and Ages of Sail has them in stock now and ready to ship to you.

HM Cutter Trial was built in 1790 by Thomas Dusterville of Plymouth, and was fitted with three sliding keels designed by Captain John Schank sliding keels, increasing the stability of the shallow hull under sail.

The model kit itself builds into a beautiful 1/64-scale replica of this unique and fascinating ship. As a “Level 2″ kit, it’s designed for those who have built a ship model before, but also for the who have built models in other materials before, or maybe have a fair amount of woodworking skills. The completed model will measure just under 22-1/2″ long and 19-1/2” high.

Many modelers appreciate the detail instruction and plan sheets common to all the Vanguard Models kits. In the case of the HM Trial Cutter kit, it’s a 70-page, fully illustrated instruction booklet, and 11 plan sheets that include full masting and rigging diagrams.

If you want to see just how good the instructions are, you can simply download them in advance. We provide a link on our web shop listing, so you can see for yourself just how good these instructions are, but also provide it for you here.

The finished model is a beauty, with special features to make construction faster, and to give it a detailed appearance, such as a one-piece laser engraved deck with all planking and treenail details already done. The same is also true of the inner and outer bulwarks. Plus, the Vanguard Models kits make extensive use of Swiss pear wood, which is considered to be one of the finest materials available for ship modeling due to its flexibility, warm color, and very fine grain.