This is the 1:300 scale model from Life-Like Hobby Kits of the Merrimac, or more properly, the C.S.S. Virginia, iron-clad steam ship (kit #09257). The Virginia was made from an older vessel, the USS Merrimack, in 1862 and had a life span of just under 90 days. It was built to break the blockade around the slave staes by ramming United States ships and sinking them. The response from the USA was to send the USS Monitor to battle the Virginia at the Battle of Hampton Roads on 09 March 1962 - the first ever battle of iron-clad vessels. The Virginia limped out for repairs and was eventually scuttled.
The design and moulding is atrocious. The upper structure does not fit properly at all, and the upper deck is a disaster. You need significant skills to be able to assemble this kit.
The decks were scraped and sanded to remove the iron plate and rivet raised lines, then engraved with board lines. Chains were added. Cannons were bored out.
Paint is mostly Vallejo burned iron and jet exhaust, with a mix of Tamiya paints for the hull.
