America’s navigable rivers played as big a role in the Great Martian War as they did during the Civil War. Railroads were the most commonly used means of transport, but if Martians were nearby they were terribly vulnerable to destruction. Rivers, on the other hand, could not be destroyed by Martian heat rays and many important battles and campaigns were fought along or near rivers. The Americans transported troops, equipment, and supplies whenever possible by river. Thousands of tugs and barges plied the waterways. And these needed to be protected. So the navy and the army built hundreds of small gunboats to both protect shipping and to use as mobile artillery platforms to support the ground armies. One of the most common types was the Olmsted class of gunboats. These were built in a dozen small shipyards along the Mississippi, Missouri, and Ohio Rivers, as well as on the Great Lakes. They were small, but well armored and well armed���as many a Martian tripod found out to its grief. This kit allows you to build one gunboat model. The finished model is 12�۝ long. Please note that this model is a bit more complicated than most other PaperTerrain products and a good knowledge of working with paper models is recommended.