The root for this model was my idea to use the plastic sprue from the 2018 Harry Potter wand element as an anchor. One thing led to another, and before you knew it I had a miniature 19th-century frigate on my hands! I built and refined my boat design over about a week. Meanwhile producing these photos, with their complex backdrops and lighting effects, took a bit longer than that… especially once I realized I wanted the photo you see above, where I’ve spliced both color variants together on one canvas for a “War of 1812” battle situation; that was a doozy to make!

Read on to learn more about the design choices behind these models.