Ironclads make great model boats. Find out where to get kits, plans and books to build these armored ships, battleships and armored cruisers: USS Monitor, CSS Virginia, USS Maine, HMS Warrior, USS Olympia etc.
The ironclads were the result when industrialism and naval warfare finally merged in the late 1850's. In a quarter century capital ships went from unarmored, wooden sailing ships to armored, steam powered battleships with gun turrets and super heavy guns. Follow this link for more on the history of ironclads.
When the era ended is still under debate, but once HMS Dreadnought (1906) was launched all battleships before her were instantly rendered obsolete. At that time the term pre-dreadnought was minted to denote the last iteration of ironclads.
Two eras seem well represented in static kits and models: The America civil war and the Russian ships from the Russo-Japanese war.
For RC enthusiasts, there aren't many kits out there. Dean's Marine has a battleship – the HMS Magnificent - the armored cruiser HMS Sentinel and the scout cruiser HMS Skirmisher. That's about all I know of. So if you want a different RC ironclad, you'll have to build it from scratch.
Ironclads can be scratch built with solid block, bread-and-butter, plank on bulkhead or fiberglass hulls. If you decide to build a working model, they can be fitted with electric propulsion or live steam. Their bulky hulls and high displacement makes the hulls roomy for RC gear, motors, batteries and running hardware.
Here is a list of some ironclad kits and plans available. This list will be updated regularly, so please check back often!
The ironclads from the American civil war era are popular model subjects. They are relatively easy to build with plain topsides, simple hull shapes and no rigging to contend with.
There are a number of these coastal and river ironclads available in kit form. Naturally, the USS Monitor and CSS Virginia are the most popular.
CSS Virginia was one of the first Confederate iron clads. She was rebuilt by the Confederates from the burnt out hull of the Union frigate USS Merrimack. CSS Virginia fought the USS Monitor at the battle of Hampton Roads in 1862.
Follow this link for some neat pictures of CSS Virginia models taken at the Hampton Roads Naval Museum and the Mariners' Museum.
The USS Monitor fought the CSS Virginia in what was the first ever battle between ironclads. The USS Monitor became synonymous with an entire ship type – the Monitor. Many nations followed suit and built their own monitors between 1865 and 1880. Some saw service, albeit in gradually reduced roles, well passed WW2.
HMS Warrior was built by the British in 1860 as a direct response to the French ironclad La Gloire. They were both fully rigged ships. HMS Warrior was the first ever warship to have a hull built entirely out of iron. The ship has been restored and preserved as a museum in Portsmouth, UK.
There is a book named “Building a Working Model Warship: HMS Warrior 1860” by William Mowll. The book describes how the author built a 1:48 working model of this ship. It turns out to be a massive model with working scale steam engine and working square rig. The plan has to be bought separately from the UK and consists of 14 sheets.
USS Maine (ACR-1) – USA, Second Class Battleship, 1889
Most famous for getting blown up in Havana, Cuba in 1898 leading to the outbreak of the Spanish American War.
She’s a good looking ship, typically seen with the white hull and buff upper works. The main gun turrets have an interesting location, being placed off center. The forward turret is to the starboard and the rear to port. For the curious, USS Texas was launched in 1892 and had a mirrored turret layout. It would be interesting to build the pair.
Edward Wiswesser drew up a set of plans in 1:192 scale. It’s a decent looking plan.
There was a limited edition kit by Bluejacket a while ago for a static model in 1:128 scale. The kit came with a pre-carved bread and butter hull and fittings made of styrene, Brittania metal, cast resin and photo etched brass. The pictures I’ve seen are of a beautiful model. Unfortunately the kits are all sold out.
The company Combrig has a 1:700 scale resin kit with photo etched fittings of a waterline model. It appears to be a high quality kit.
Lindberg issued a molded plastic kit of the USS Maine many years ago. It was highly inaccurate and really nothing more than the USS Olympia with an added sprue to off-set the turrets.
USS Olympia (C-6) – USA, Armored Cruiser, 1892
The USS Olympia was Admiral Dewey’s flagship at the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish American war.
The real ship is preserved and part of the exhibit at the Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia. A must visit, if you are in the area.
This is a beautiful ship. As with most armored cruisers of the era, much more slender than the battleships of the time. Built for speed - as they knew it back then.
The USS Olympia is also part of the Edward Wiswesser catalog. This blueprint is also drawn to 1:192 scale. The Wiswesser plans are very good value for money. There are other plans of her available, but all that I know of are at larger scale, and are pricey.
Here again, Bluejacket has a limited edition 1:128 scale kit. This time they increased the edition to 200. There are still kits available.
There was an old molded plastic kit by Pyro and later reissued by Lindberg and Revell in 1:232 scale. This may have been a great kit at the time it was issued back in the late 50’s, but is definitely dated by today’s standard.
For instance, details like the hull plates with rivets are way to pronounced and gun barrels are molded – usually turns out crooked and where the two mold halves don’t meet etc. The kit has long since been discontinued but comes up on ebay every once in a while. Currently the going price is around $50-100.00 depending on condition.
