MODEL SHIPS
USS ARIZONA - The 1:426 scale model was built from a Revell kit issued in 2021 but the tooling is from 1959! The model was built with only parts included in the kit. The model is painted in the pre-WWII scheme and is moderately weathered. Many times the Arizona is modeled in the scheme she wore while at Pearl Harbor which was a much darker grey with light grey observation towers.
PT POAT - This 1:72 scale model was built from a Revell kit issued in 1999 although the date on the instruction sheet is 1987. Brass wire was used to make the whip antennae and brass handrail stanchions from an S scale diesel locomotive and brass wire were used for the handrail on the bow. All the other detail is from the kit. There were about 540 PT boats built.
USS MISSOURI - The 1:535 scale model was built from a Revell kit issued in 2004 but the date embossed in the hull is 1953. That means the tooling from which the model was made is just over 70 years old. The model was built with only parts included in the kit except for the few whip antennae. EZ line was used for the simplified rigging. The three images here have been enhanced using a filter in Photoshop.
The image above was created by combining a B/W version of the top image with a photo of the ocean with wake created in Photoshop.
Two Curtis Seagulls with yellow top wings sit on the catapults.
Composite image created in Photoshop.
The Missouri was one of four Iowa class battleships, the largest in the US Navy. The large guns were 16" diameter and could ht targets 25 miles away.
CURTISS SOC-3 SEAGULL - The Revell Arizona kit came with Curtiss Seagulls on the catapults so I found a 1:72 scale kit of a Seagull made by Hasegawa to display next to the Arizona on the shelf. For more photos of the Seagull model and how it was built, click here.
CURTISS SC-1 SEAHAWK - The Revell model of the USS Missouri came with Curtiss Seahawks on the catapults. I found a Antares 1:72 model of the plane and it is now displayed next to the ship model. For more on the Seahawk, click here.
USS OLYMPIA - Built in 1895, the Olympia was the only "Protected Cruiser" class ship ever built. The 1:232 model was built from a 2002 issue of a Revell kit with tooling dating from 1959. The hull was painted Tamiya Insignia White. Metal link chain was added for the anchors while all the railings and rigging were done with EZ Line elastic thread. The base is from Hobby Lobby painted appropriately.
USS OREGON (BB-3) - This battleship was built in 1896 and served until 1919. The 1:225 scale model was built from a Glencoe Models kit. The date on the instructions is 1989 but I'm not sure when it was tooled. The model was detailed by adding railings made from .020" brass rod stanchions and E-Z line for the horizontal elements. Link chain was added for the anchors and oars were cut from styrene for the lifeboats. The captain's launch was detailed with supports for the canvas enclosure and details for the powerplant. The model is in the paint scheme used during the Spanish-American War.
Modeling Note: The instructions in the kit consisted of 6 exploded drawings and the simple note to assemble the kit in part number order. But the parts were not identified my numbers on the sprues and the exploded drawings had crude representations of many of the smaller parts. Almost every locating pin/whole combination had to be adjusted to get parts to fit.
SS UNITED STATES - This ship, one of the very few ocean liners ever built in the US, made it's maiden trans-Atlantic voyage in 1952. On the return, it set a record that stands today. She crossed in 3 days and 10 hours and averaged nearly 35 mph! The top speed in speed trials was 44 mph. The hull and propulsion system designs remained classified for years. Retired in 1969, the SS United States made exactly 400 trans-Atlantic crossings. The ship used extensive amounts of aluminum, including the life boats, hence the grey color. To minimize vibrations, two of the props had 4 blades and two had 5 blades. The ship is 990 feet long, carried 2000 passengers and the crew numbered 950. The ship was said to be 'fire proof', the only wood being the chopping blocks in the kitchen and the pianos, which used specially treated wood. With no wood accents and lots of aluminum, the interior decor was quite spartan in appearance. By any metric this was a very handsome ship with exceptional performance.
This model was built from a 1/601 scale Revell kit that was tooled in 1955. The instructions were dated 1973. Because the design of the hull was confidential when the model was tooled, there us no bottom detail nor are the props modeled. It was a very fussy kit and considerable tuning of some parts was required. I added a representation of deck chairs (prototype photo, left) and added nets on the tennis courts. The rigging was made using E-Z Line using photos as guides.
