USS Arizona, 1/426 scale Revell kit with Tom's Model works pe detail kit

[Sprocket 10,049]

Starting on the Arizona, it's an old, old kit and will be brought up to date (ish) with PE add on's and some heavily weathered below the waterline.

 

tom's model works will add a lot to the build...

with hours of material on youtube to draw on, plenty has been written on both the ship itself, the tragedy and failings of Pearl Harbour, and the state of the wreck that currently rests in Battleship row where she was sunk in a day of infamy 7th December 1941.

a look inside the box. old as...

the first questions are about when to model the Ariz, in her heyday, as a old Battlewagon past her best moored in Battleship row prior to the 7th. or even as a memorial wreck. that last option is out, as I've invested in the pe structure, all of which is missing on the wreck as she currently stands, or rather lies as a national monument to all those US servicemen that were killed in the Pacific.

 

 

[Sprocket 10,049]

the first step is to clean up the hull sides, I'm going full hull, dry dock. having her bottom scraped and de-barnacled.

These molded on handrails will be off and replaced with pe one's.

the stern molding, very telling...

[Mad Steve 23,560]

Kuuuuuuuuuuwell 

[Jessie_C 12,865]

2 hours ago, Sprocket said:

heavily weathered below the waterline.

Nowadays that's pretty high

[Grunhertz 17,472]

This'll be good 

[Mad Steve 23,560]

13 hours ago, Jessie_C said:

Nowadays that's pretty high

Please remember this is a war grave, and a war memorial. Respect where its due. 

[Jessie_C 12,865]

4 hours ago, Mad Steve said:

Respect where its due. 

Every warship which passes it while entering/leaving Pearl Harbour salutes.

[Sprocket 10,049]

so first moves, cutting back the molded on handrail.

joining the two hull halves, always an intense part of the assembly.

flatting back to merge the join.

joining the decks, out of sequence with the assembly instructions, but right for me, unless you want rotating turrets on a static model, which I don't as it's going into a glass case.

fifties joins.

easily fixed...milliput...

[Sprocket 10,049]

Milliput filler for the inevitable gap between the deck edge and bulwark sides. I keep a old cleaned out salsa jar on the work top to wash out/rinse my brushes of thinner and general use, here a cotton swab dipped in water, that has a drop of washing up liquid in it, to swab off the milliput thinner that has stained the deck.

[Sprocket 10,049]

On 9/8/2022 at 7:42 PM, Jessie_C said:

 

Actually Jessie's picture is quite fascinating, as a study in the deterioration of the monument wreck, it looks like a band of rust at the tidal level at the upper band, then below it what looks like the remains of the original paint. I don't go with some of the proclamations on You tube about items on the deck, a shoe, a pot and a fork being from 7th December, these items are more likely to be items left over from the salvage operation that went on throughout the war years before she was left as a monument.

[Sprocket 10,049]

masking up the boot top, black over grey primer, cut down tape over black, red brown over mask.

moment of truth, the unmasking, so far looks good with it's dirty black boot topping, that will get a lot dirtier...

[Grunhertz 17,472]

Looks great 

[Sprocket 10,049]

the upper works still on the frames get a coat of grey primer.

the deck painted tan. 

[Grunhertz 17,472]

Nice work 

[Sprocket 10,049]

several salt stages later and I'm finally getting to where I want to be below thw waterline, weathering wise, the final covering of salt.

 

then the final paint spray layers of green algy and light rust.

with the salt brushed off the final reveal of the below the waterline weathering.

I wanted that look to suggest her voyages flying the flag and birthing in warm water ports, plenty of marine growth, but above the waterline, I'll add only light weathering. Light rust to her bilges,

starboard bow

 

[Gorby 20,038]

1 hour ago, Sprocket said:

 

Good grief. You leave it for a couple of days and the barnacles go wild.  

[Kevin 5,894]

that looks brilliant, lol i would need a salt mine to do a 1/200

[Sprocket 10,049]

Thanks all for dropping by, here's some rust streaks on the bow.

[Sprocket 10,049]

first gun turret in..

[Grunhertz 17,472]

Kewl

[Sprocket 10,049]

the second turret will have the scout plane rails on top of it, as per pre war practice, before aircraft carriers took over the air at sea role.

the rails will be the first PE part to be bent and shaped before being assembled on turret B.

the ship had three aircraft, probably a time before the aircraft carrier took over the role.

 

[Sprocket 10,049]

I said the second turret, it's actually turret C on the stern, Tom's model works PE worked out ok so far, mind you the instructions need a bit of head scratching, like working out a puzzle. But the penny drops eventually.

 

the deck catapult on the stern leading right over the fantail.

[Gorby 20,038]

50 minutes ago, Sprocket said:

 

I can't but help think that looks like the battleship version of clay pigeon shooting. Launch!.....BANG!!!!!

[Grunhertz 17,472]

Wow that looks awesome 

[Sprocket 10,049]

the basic bridge components, there's no pe in the toms model works pe for this area, so I'll dig out something from the spares box.

the small parts are basic, but with some spare pe inspection hatches I may be able to detail them up.

the radar now has a detaile inspection access panel

the rotating boxs with entry doors and access panels