ALTHOUGH AMERICA'S FLAGSHIP has been painted and modeled thousands of times since her launching no one has replicated her with such accuracy and fineness in an extreme miniature scale until master miniaturist Lloyd McCaffery. The amount of detail and historical information incorporated here (based on original draughts and plans of the ship) would be staggering in a model 10 times her size. In order to achieve this level, McCaffery has had to pioneer new techniques and materials - literally inventing new tools to manufacture every minute piece of the model himself. Along with the model of his HMS PRINCE, which was featured in The New York Times Magazine and on CBS Television, this ranks as simply one of the finest miniature objects created in our time.

Lloyd's model of the USS Constitution is constructed with the starboard side painted above the main wales, and the port side left natural finish, with most of the framing cut away to show interior construction. The frames are made of magnolia, with double 'bends' to represent the full-size framing practice. The keel, stem, and sternpost are of apple, with three scarph joints in the keel as per the original specifications. The stem is joined to the keel with a compound scarph, and is made up of 5 pieces. The interior is fitted with all beams for each deck. The knees, carlings, and ledges are fitted to the starboard side only, to allow the fullest view down into the structure from above. The hatch gratings are built up just as on the full size ship, with battens fitted into notches cut into the crosspieces. The headrails are of boxwood, cut and steam bent to shape. The side planking is of boxwood, with two treenails fitted at every frame. The sheer rail is fitted on the port side as per the original draught, and is drilled and pegged vertically into the stanchions and fitted with belaying pins. Pin rails on the starboard side are fitted inboard, again with belaying pins and coils fitted. The wheel is a double one. The ships' bell is on the front side of the main. The figurehead is shown on the port side only, with the familiar scroll and trailboards on the starboard side. All windows in the transom and starboard quarter galleries are built up from wood, with mortise and tennons where they cross. The spars are of degama, with brass skysail poles. Most of the rigging is of Nichroma, a nickel-chromium allow wire, some copper wire for footropes. The Studdingsail booms are made of degama wood, tapered as per the original. They re fitted to the fore channels, and the lower and topsail yards. The boom irons are made of pieces of wire, and these are fitted into holes board in the ends of the yards. The cannons are turned from boxwood, and the muzzles bored out. Those on the lower deck are long 24 pounders, with carronades fitted on the spar deck These are J2-pounders. This astonishing model is mounted on a plinth and base of acacia cluster burl veneer, polished with ten coats of varnish.