The ships are 100% scratch built, put together piece by piece, similar to an actual ship. There are no model kits used here. The wood is cut from the trees. All our ships are Plank on Frame construction (hollow hulls). Ribs on the inside, piece by piece on the hull and deck. If you look closely, you can see the nails used to secure the strips of wood to the internal ribs. Some Admiral's ships utilize double plank on frame construction. Wood is cut piece by piece and put over the existing ship's hull to the water line. It' a lot of work and a fantastic look. Appreciate the rigging, the stiching on the sails, and the fantastic caftsmanship. The lines on the ship are working lines, they can be tightened and loosened. The Admiral's line ship's sails can actually be furled or unfurled by tracing each working line, although this is not recommended unless you are an avid model builder. Each ship comes with her history printed on antiqued paper along with a solid wood stand and a brass nameplate.