My Trumpeter 1/200 Arizona. Updated.

 Thanks to Tracy and Rusty for all your help. And clearly Tracy, even tho the turrets and the hull are the same color the turrets look much whiter/ You Win!:).

looks like the miniatures used in Tora! Tora! Tora!... for a "messed up P.O.S." it is quite beautiful! Beautiful work sir!

Just a few more...

More of the same...

Absolutely beautiful Arizona!!  I have this kit and am trying to figure out when to build it.....how does it go together?

If you don't want the ship to be 100% accurate, then build it OOB. But if you want to get a few tips, just wait a few weeks, I'll do a review.

Looks superb!

POS??? If it was than you did a fine job of fixing any issues, she looks great! BTW what were the issues? I have one in the stash waiting to be started on after I complete a couple of group builds.

Scott 

The forecastle is too short. Making the 5"gun's barrel almost touching the upper part of the opening. I had to lower the gun's mounting point to get it in the middle.

The kits stands under the searchlights are the wrongshape. i had to scratch build these also.

	The kits antenna's all wrong on the rear tower. I had to scratch build these. Still not 100% correct but better.

The rear crane needs to be modified. The kits ovals have a vertical support that shouldn't be there. Even the aftermarket PE has it just as wrong. I removed the support and installed it where its suppose to be, in the middle.

Other issues that come to mind, the deck planking is wrong, there should be a raised edge around the perimeter, the experts say the hull is very wrong, the port holes, and the list goes on...I'll let others chime in. Let's face it Guys, this was suppose to be a R/C model, not a center piece for modelers. I think I'm done with Trumpeter. Thanks to all.

Talk about making a silk purse out of a sow's ear...  Well done, Leftie!

Thank You!

Leftie,

You did a wonderful job! We all know that Trumpeter is either hit or miss; I wouldn't forego them totally, just be a little selective. They do offer ships that no one else does, even if we have to sometimes perform extensive modifications to them.

Bill

I agree with Bill.  I haven't finished any Trumpeter kits yet, but I have several, all in 1/700, in my stash, and I'm working at the moment on the 1/700 "Queen Elizabeth 1918," which I'm converting to the Warspite in 1916 configuration.  I also have the 1/700 Littorio, North Carolina, and Saratoga (CV2).  In the box, at least, they certainly seem to be excellent kits, with superb detail (down to countersunk lines representing the deck seams).  I also have the Trumpeter 1/350 The Sullivans, which is widely regarded as a waste of plastic.  It certainly does have some serious weaknesses, though I don't think it's quite as bad as some commentators have said.

On the basis of what I've seen with my own eyes, the most reliable plastic ship kit manufacturer seems to be Dragon (though I'm sure some of its kits are better than others).  I'd probably put the recent Tamiya releases (not the ones from twenty years ago) second, and Trumpeter third.   But I'm extremely uncomfortable with generalizations.  I've also seen outstanding 1/700 kits from Revell Germany, Italeri, Skywave, and even Matchbox.  (The Matchbox H.M.S. Kelly, recently reissued by Revell Germany, is a beauty.)  And all those companies have issued their fair share of dogs.  Unless one wants to go broke buying kits on the chance that they may be good, the best course of action is to do some checking on the web before buying.  That's one of the big advantages to living in the computer age.  When I was learning how to build models, back in the fifties and sixties, the only way to find out about the quality of a kit was to buy it, take it home, and open it.  (On the other hand, a mistaken purchase was only likely to cost a dollar or two.  Those were the days!)

I thought the Trumpeter 1/350 USS San Francisco was a great kit. Ditto the Jeremiah O'Brien.

I also have the Hornet and Lexington unbuilt and they look good, although the Hornet has serious and famous hull issues and the Lex is a little simplistic. OK looking in the box.

I'm pretty pleased with the look of the Banner 1/350 BB-39 in it's box. I know it has some issues, but it looks promising.

GMorrisson,

  I have a Banner 1/350 Arizona. Is it worth $20 plus shipping(48Conus) to you?

A technical question here. Did the Arizona still had her range clocks installed on Dec 7th?

Scott

Scott...Negative. They were removed sometime around Aug. '41 I believe. Tracy White could be more specific on the date.

Thanks Leftie....I thought they removed but wasn't sure.

You may call it a P.O.S., but to paraphrase "Ferris Bueller" - I have to admire your POS, because I don't have a POS.

I have the kit, just not started.

First half of August sounds good - she was moored at Pearl Harbor from the 1st through the 14th.

Leftie

the experts say the hull is very wrong,

TO address this issue, the hull is essentially way too "fat" under the waterline, and the decks above are also shaped wrong. Where it is straight and slab-sided it should cut in. I compared the hull shape via contour gauge to plans here, and earlier had placed the plan contours next to the hull here. I'm just going to build mine waterline and call it good enough.

LEFTIE !

    My gosh  ! the weathering on the hull is awesome . Now , I have the same client for the U.S.S. KIDD , 1/96 model who sent me this kit to build for him .he want's it to resemble with little changes at all , the model in PEARL which is done in a very faded blue and light grey .

   I love that this kit gives room for improvement . Tis true though , in all my years of model building ,no ship is correct or really accurate .the TRUMPY U.S.S. Sullivans comes to mind . I had to use parts from a spare TAMIYA kit to get it right . Now that said .TRACY is also correct about some contours and such .These can be fixed , but NOT without work .The bottom on mine is thick enough to try anyway .

     I noticed on mine .Yes , the client sent me one as a gift . The bottom on the sides of my kit are about a 16th of an inch thick . TRACY could comment here .Is this thick enough to correct the " Fatness " in the sides at the bottom ?

     That said , R.C. or not , it's the only game out there .The same ship was in development and shown at the industry show last year by LINDBERG .We'll probably never know if it was good or bad . The pictures that I was sent didn't look bad or anything , and I have to state it that way , because except in photos I have never seen a really good ARIZONA model , no matter who makes it .1/700 is to small for me and I like the size of this kit .

      My client wants his as simply modified as possible .BUT , he sent me enough detail parts for mine that I think I might get closer with TRACY'S help .GREAT JOB and thanks , for sharing those pictures of a beautifully done model !     Tanker - Builder       P.S. Mine will be in the Blue configuration IF that's correct !

You might want to check out this build. Apparently the Trumpeter is waaay off hull wise.

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