A representative 5th rate Frigate for your Sailpower game or other 6MM scale age of sail needs!

6MM scale Captain’s Edition : This is the latest 6MM version of this kit featuring MSLA resin 3D printed hull, masts, shrouds and sails. The kit features an improved resin that has high detail but maintains part flexibility. The goal of the Captain’s Edition is to get a model on the table for gameplay in a faster manner then previous versions. They come unpainted and unassembled.

Historic ship type:

When the navy designers initially created 5th rates, they had two decks, but they found lower decks to be hard to arm, as the guns were too close to the waterline to be operated in rolling seas. Later fifth rates evolved into Frigates, essential for projecting power around the world as they were capable of extended independent operation Fifth Rates were often excluded from the larger lines of battle as they were considered too small but operated very well in squadrons. The middle of the 1700’s saw the introduction of a new fifth-rate type—the classic frigate, with no ports on the lower deck, and the main battery disposed solely on the upper deck, where it could be fought in all weather.

These Fifth-rate frigates served as fast scouts or independent cruisers, or sometimes ran in small squadrons and included a variety of gun arrangements with crews of 215 to 294 men.

To be posted aboard a fifth-rate ship was considered an attractive assignment. Fifth rates were often assigned to interdict enemy shipping, offering the prospect of prize money for the crew. Fifth-rate frigates were considered useful for their combination of maneuverability and firepower and were commonly used in patrol and to disrupt the enemy.

These models are designed to represent a typical 5th rate frigate of the 1700’s. These frigates featured 32 to 38 guns and depending on the year would mount 12 pounders or in later cases 18 pounders. Their quarter decks would be armed with smaller 6 pounder guns and later, carronades.