Need help on WWII battle ships

USS Missouri (BB63) wore Measure 32, Design 22D during her shakedown cruise.  After transiting the Panama Canal, she was repainted into Measure 22 in San Fransisco

http://www.shipcamouflage.com/measure_22_1945.htm

...and served the remainder of WWII in that scheme, including the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay.  She was repainted haze gray in 1946, probably during overhaul early that year.

 

The Iowa class battleships actually appeared in two different configurations in WWII.  The Iowa and New Jersey were commissioned with open bridges while the Missouri and Wisconsin were commissioned with the closed configuration.  Also, Iowa appeared in the Atlantic with a striking camoflage pattern in black.

Bill Morrison

If you're painting her post WW2, you'll need to use good old Haze Gray, not the purple blue tinted one, but rather, the neutral 1944-45 version. Her appearance didn't change much from 1945 until her 1950 reactivation for Korea, her 20mm armaments were reduced, and those that were retained were switched from singles to twin mounts.

Her radar suite changed as well...but structurally, nothing else changed until 1950, then she lost her cats and aircraft.

Dulin and Garzke's US Battleships book, Freidman's Illustrated Design History, and Sumerall's Iowa Class Battleships are excellent references.

Regards,

Jeff Herne
Modelwarships.com

It depends on the year and Measure you plan on. Try this place they have everything you need and they are great people
http://www.whiteensignmodels.com/

All the Iowa class battleships of WWII are of the same configuration and paint schemes. So any other site would help you, like the Battleship New Jersey site, which has alot of color pics of it, and how it was in WWII. I cant remember the URL now.
As for making it look better? Get the Gold Medal Models Photo etch set for it. Probably not specifically it, so get the New Jersey set. About 36 bucks, and well worth it!!