This is a limited Preorder Kit: Guaranteed availability only for preorders placed by midnight on Monday, April 6th

About the CSS H.L. Hunley - Civil War Submarine:

The CSS H.L. Hunley was submarine in service of the Confederacy during the American Civil War and was the first submersible watercraft to successfully engage an enemy warship in combat. This early submarine was designed by Horace Lawson Hunley and launched in July of 1863 in Mobile, Alabama. The equipment that made the Hunley a working submersible is the very same equipment found in modern submarines today: ballast tanks for maintaining buoyancy, dive planes to control trim (upward and downward angle of the boat), rudder for steering, and a single propeller at the stern for propulsion. The Hunley could reach a maximum speed of 4 knots, powered by human muscles, by hand-cranking a central propeller shaft.

The dangerous nature of early experimental submarines was demonstrated in the early trails of the Hunley: the boat was sunk on two separate occasion, resulting in the deaths of 13 crewmen, including H.L. Hunley himself. In spite of the accidents, the submarine was taken into Confederate service and moved by rail to Charleston Harbor. The goal was to help break the Union stranglehold on Southern ports by attacking and sinking the blockading forces. The Hunley was armed with a spar torpedo. which consisted of with a black powder charge at the end of a long iron shaft. 

On February 17, 1864, the Hunley attacked and sank the heavily armed sloop USS Housatonic, part of the Union naval forces blockading Charleston Harbor. The Hunley, and it's crew of eight, were also lost in the engagement. The exact fate of the Hunley's crew and final resting place were not know until the wreck was located over a hundred years later: found intact and preserved in silt outside of Charleston Harbor. After the the submarine was raised in August of 2000, researchers found the crew of the Hunley were still manning their action stations. This suggested they were killed instantly by the detonation of their own spar torpedo.

In the wreckage they found a gold coin, known to have been owned by the Hunley's captain George E Dixon, both of which are included in this kit. The CSS HL Hunley is currently being studied and preserved in Charleston, SC and can be viewed by the general public. Visit Hunley.org for more information. 

About the Designer:

The CSS H.L.Hunley was designed by Quinn Roberts and developed as a kit during his recent internship at Brickmania. Quinn is known for building much larger ships. including the mammoth HMS Dreadnought as seen at World War Brick and other LEGO fan events last year. We look forward to seeing what great new projects he will create in the future.

Model Statistics:

214 LEGO® and BrickArms® elements
1 x custom minifigure
Custom printed elements
Full-color printed building instructions
1/35th scale to match other Brickmania kits
Intermediate Skill Level (4-6 years building experience recommended)

All Brickmania® model kits are made of new-condition LEGO® bricks. This model comes disassembled and includes complete printed building instructions. This is a limited-edition kit and production may be discontinued at any time.

This is not a LEGO® Product. LEGO and the LEGO minifigure are trademarks of the LEGO Group, which does not sponsor, authorize, or endorse this product. The LEGO Group is not liable for any loss, injury or damage arising from the use or misuse of this product.