The clipper Cutty Sark represents one of the most romantic ages in the history of ocean travel. She was launched on the River Clyde, Scotland, in the year 1869, and spent most of her time transporting goods around the world. In 1885, she beat the Thermopylae in a famous race from Australia to England. The Cutty Sark made the trip in 73 days, the Thermopylae took 80 days. Today, the Cutty Sark retains the glamour of her wind-blown past. Resting in dry berth in Greenwich, England, the Cutty Sark lives on as the last link to an age when the proud and beautiful clippers ruled the seas.

The Cutty Sark was a sister ship of the Thermopylae and together they raced across the Indian and Atlantic oceans, vying to be the first to England with their cargos of tea, thus coining the phrase "Tea Clippers". The Cutty Sark is now preserved at Greenwich in London, but seriously damged by fire.

Airfix's excellent and detailed model requires polystyrene cement and paints.