Battleships at Pearl Harbor

Tracy is correct (from what I have heard from other sources) in that the big manufacturerers haven't considered these other battleships to be commercially feasible.  A survey was taken a couple years ago over on Ship Model Forum for 1/350 scale, and the Big 5 scored well, but they were beaten by the British BBs, the Atlanta Class cruisers, and the USS Alaska.  I believe (haven't looked at it in many months) the Big 5 was right behind the Alaska, but still in the Top 10.  So there may still be some hope.  The survey was done at the request of Dragon.  So keep your fingers crossed!

As for the reason why so many shy away from resin.... I believe that it is mostly price.  Yes, Midship Models makes less expensive ones, but the reviews I have seen have been marginal.  It seems you get what you pay for.  The Yankee Modelworks kits have been much better in the reviews I have seen, as well as most of the Combrig.  But they cost a lot more.  Even the new plastic kits don't cost anywhere near what the Yankee kits cost.  But with the Yankee's, I believe nearly everything is included, so you don't have much need for any aftermarket parts, unlike with most of the plastic kits.   So while some people may be leery of learning how to build in a new medium, it is still mostly the price that keeps people away from resin.  I like the idea of waiting for good sales, but you pretty much have to check your vendors every day to see if they are putting your favorite ship up for sale, and then you have to get it before someone else who is trying to do the same thing.  If you wait a week between checking their websites, you will likely miss the sale, or the item will be already gone.  The Ship Model Forum has a section for Manufacturers and Vendors to post information.  Most of them post sales they are starting.  So that is one option.

So it basically comes down to: How much do you want to spend, vs. How long do you want to wait for a plastic version to be released?  Good luck whichever way you decide to jump!  Or you could even do both, if you can!  I have a feeling that many here do both, as much as their checkbook will allow, anyway.

stikpusher

tigerman:

Love you Stik, but the Penn was the sister to the Arizona. Yippee. Again, nothing really new here and I did forget that the Penn was released by Revell in 1/720. I want the BB's in 1941 looks, not the horrible remodels of later years.

We need the other BB's represented. Do it! Do it now!! What is stopping you?

 

Oh but Pennsy had the look of a brawler in her 1944 fit with all those 5" turrets and losing the aft tripod.

But yes, I think the other three classes need to be released in injection molded kits. If we can have British Battle Cruisers that had no other wartime claim to fame aside from being sunk, why cant we have US Battlewagons that actually fought a sucessfull surface action after rising from the mud of Pearl.

Loves me some cage masts.

That, too, is my interest in these ships.

Bill

I want to build them, to depict them in happier times, before the attack, in mid-30's livery.

 I personally wouldn't mind seeing a kit of the U.S.S. Utah. All to often this Battleship is completely overlooked, especially that she is the "other " ship still lying on the bottom of Pearl Harbor. Albeit, she was an old ship that was being used as a target and anti-aircraft practice ship, she was active nonetheless and 54 sailors lost their lives aboard her that day.

                                                                        Joe

I'd love to see the other Pearl Harbor BB's produced simply for variety's sake.Cage and tri-pod masts just look cool too.

Believe you me, my stash did not get so big until I started doing that and at the same time I had large amounts of disposable income. My 1/350 IJN ships, easily the most expensive kits I own, were all purchased after major markdowns. Paying retail on ship kits is for suckers

"So, you have to decide--is your desire to model those ships great enough that the medium doesn't matter?  Carrier builders have the same issue, with the early US carriers, there's no injection-molded kit of the Langley, the Ranger or the Wasp, you have to build resin, if you want them."

As a newcomer to the hobby world I think I am going to focus on injection molded kits for the time being. However, due to the fact that I want to primarily do ships, I will have to move into resin at some point. For now, I will continue with my current projects though.

What's amazing is the amount of knowledge and help available here at the forums!

If money is the objection then do what I have done:  check eBay, model contests and swap meets for "used" versions of the ships that you want in 1/350.  Even the retailers put these things on sale for huge markdowns from time to time.   WS

Dreadnought52

Go to the Pacific Front website and check out the resin kits available in both 350 and 700 scale.  The Yankee Modelworks kits in 350 are very nice kits.  I really don't understand the anti-resin expressions of many of the people on this board, it really isn't that hard to work with.   The price difference isn't all that great compared to the recent offerings of 350 kits from Japan.  Resin kits usually come complete with photo etch brass detail sets as well.

Those new 1/350 Japanese kits are as far out of my price range (and many others here as well I suspect) as the resin kits. I can pick up the Arizona and the Toms Modelworks PE sets, and even some brass barrels for well under 1/3 of what I would pay for a resin BB kit.  Its not that I have anythign against resin kits per se. I work with it in my aircraft, armor, and figure builds. I actually have a resin Soviet SSN kit in my stash- it was priced comparable to other Soviet sub kits out there. But I do not care for nor can I afford or recommend to others such a high priced item that those new Japanese 350 plastic BBs or not so new resin 350 BBs.

bondoman

I'd be interested to know why you disagree, Tracy. My own guess, and it's just that, would be that the Arizona represents a Memorial, and certainly is of interest as a souvenir to people who go, but that the other BB's represent in peoples mind participation in a serious defeat. Maybe they would appeal to the Japanese.

Just to be clear, in case I'm miss-understanding you; I am disagreeing that ships other than Arizona aren't commercially viable. I think Big 5 in Pearl Harbor and earlier options would sell well. Perhaps not as screamingly as Arizona does, but there is enough interest in battleships that a $100-150 kit would probably be a good, strong seller over the years.

radcontech

I have been looking for a kit to do a battleship that was at pearl harbor, other than the Arizona, and have been strangely unsuccessful. Specifically I would like to do the New Mexico but at this point would settle for anything other than the Arizona. I'm wondering if anybody knows of any manufacturers?

Stikpusher is correct, that the selection in injection-molded plastic is limited, but I wouldn't shy away from trying the resin kits that are available,  Midship Models has modeled most, if not all, of the Pearl Harbor veterans, in 1/700, at one time or another.  Here is a link to a list:

http://midshipmodels.net/yankee-new-products

Squadron carries them, too, though I don't know about availability, you'd have to check.  But in a couple of the catalogs this year, some of the Midship Models kits were listed.

Beyond that, as was noted, you can convert any Arizona kit into her elder sister, the Pennsylvania.  When I was a kid, I built the Revell 1/720 kits, cheerfully overlooking the fact that it was the same set of sprues, in different boxes   I'm currently building the HobbyBoss 1/700 Arizona kit, which is a little short on the details, converting it to the Pennsy circa 1935.  I have the larger Revell kit in my stash, too, which I might also convert to the Keystone Battlewagon (she's always been my favorite, since I was a kid.  For one thing, coming from PA as I do, she was our ship.).  I think that the Revell kit may be the ancestor of the HobbyBoss kit, too, because the engineering of the parts is very similar.

And back in the day, Lindberg produced a Pearl Harbor set that consisted of 2 ships, one supposed to be the Arizona, the other representing the [iNevada[/i], with a vacuform base, that was intended to depict the Nevada making her famous sortie from Battleship Row.  I have that kit in my stash, but I don't recall whether it's the same sprue there, too, for both ships, which is not accurate, if so.

So, you have to decide--is your desire to model those ships great enough that the medium doesn't matter?  Carrier builders have the same issue, with the early US carriers, there's no injection-molded kit of the Langley, the Ranger or the Wasp, you have to build resin, if you want them.

Best regards,

Brad

I'd be interested to know why you disagree, Tracy. My own guess, and it's just that, would be that the Arizona represents a Memorial, and certainly is of interest as a souvenir to people who go, but that the other BB's represent in peoples mind participation in a serious defeat. Maybe they would appeal to the Japanese.

For this I would say that resin kits do a good job of answering the need.

There's a perception with some of the companies that I've worked with that Pearl Harbor battleships wouldn't sell as much and don't have as much re-issue potential. I disagree, but can only argue so much.

In some ways, I like resin better. In my scale, 1/700, usually the entire hull and much of the superstructure is one single piece. Yes, you may have to do some cleanup, BUT, that is mitigated by the fact that you have a lot fewer parts overall to deal with.

My  

I have to concur with Dreadnought52.  I have built the ISW 1/350 kit of the USS Texas and am about to order the USS Arkansas.  Resin is very easy to work with once you are used to it and the detail of these kits is spectacular!  It adds an entirely new dimension to your collections (and their parts-replacement policy is fantastic!)  All of the Pearl Harbor BB's are available in this genre.

Bill

Go to the Pacific Front website and check out the resin kits available in both 350 and 700 scale.  The Yankee Modelworks kits in 350 are very nice kits.  I really don't understand the anti-resin expressions of many of the people on this board, it really isn't that hard to work with.   The price difference isn't all that great compared to the recent offerings of 350 kits from Japan.  Resin kits usually come complete with photo etch brass detail sets as well.

Being from Pennsylvania and now living in Maryland, I can't wait to see the 1/350 '44 fit of the Pennsylvania but would also like to see the Maryland and a Pennsylvania in a pre-war look.  I'm also happy that the Warspite and soon to be released Queen Elizabeth are finally out in 1/350 plastic.  Now I would like to see the Nelson/Rodney and Agincourt out in 1/350 plastic.  Also for the record of the three British battlecruisers in WWII, the Renown survived, she was the fastest capital ship of the the Royal Navy during WWII.

tigerman

Love you Stik, but the Penn was the sister to the Arizona. Yippee. Again, nothing really new here and I did forget that the Penn was released by Revell in 1/720. I want the BB's in 1941 looks, not the horrible remodels of later years.

We need the other BB's represented. Do it! Do it now!! What is stopping you?

Oh but Pennsy had the look of a brawler in her 1944 fit with all those 5" turrets and losing the aft tripod.

But yes, I think the other three classes need to be released in injection molded kits. If we can have British Battle Cruisers that had no other wartime claim to fame aside from being sunk, why cant we have US Battlewagons that actually fought a sucessfull surface action after rising from the mud of Pearl.

Revell actually released two kits labelled USS Pennsylvania; one in 1/420 and the other in 1/720. Both were simply repackagings of the USS Arizona in those scales.  GMM released an excellent PE set to convert the larger Arizona into the Pennsylvania.

I would love to see any US BB released in styrene in both 1/350 or 1/700 scales in their pre-1942 rigs, as well as the British BB's.

Bill

stikpusher

Pennsylvania is due out in 1/350 in her 1944 fitting. But I would really love to see Nevada, the only BB to get underway at Pearl during the raid, done in 1/350 plastic. Or the rest of them that fought at Surigao Strait in either 1944 fitting or December 1941. Pesonally being from California, I would love to see USS California... very sleek lines.

Love you Stik, but the Penn was the sister to the Arizona. Yippee. Again, nothing really new here and I did forget that the Penn was released by Revell in 1/720. I want the BB's in 1941 looks, not the horrible remodels of later years.

We need the other BB's represented. Do it! Do it now!! What is stopping you?

Pennsylvania is due out in 1/350 in her 1944 fitting. But I would really love to see Nevada, the only BB to get underway at Pearl during the raid, done in 1/350 plastic. Or the rest of them that fought at Surigao Strait in either 1944 fitting or December 1941. Pesonally being from California, I would love to see USS California... very sleek lines.

Okay, gonna say it. Where the is the other 7 BB's at Pearl in styrene? Seriously? Over 70 years since 12/7/41 and only the Arizona is represented in any scale? Something is so wrong here. I've been screaming for a Maryland for years and hopefully Trumpeter or someone will do it before I croak. Not even in 1/700 either. WTF. There were 9 BB's at Pearl and really only the Arizona gets any recognition, which is so wrong to the other men and that fought and died on the rest of the battlewagons. 

Unfortunately, unless you work in resin, your choices are very limited to Arizona, and (with some work in converting) Pensylvania. The other 6 battleships: Nevada, West Virginia, Tennesee, Oklahoma, Maryland, and California have not been molded in injection plastic.

Try the Pennsylvania. Although you may be reminded of the Arizona when you're done.