Revell USS Arizona

My wife was out running errands a couple of days ago and when she came home she brought me a new model kit, the Revell 1/426 USS Arizona. This is one of the kits that Revell includes in their assortment packs that go to general merchandise and non-model specific hobby and craft stores. It's not a kit I would normally choose for myself but after opening it and looking it over I'm glad she got it. For one thing it's a model of one of the most iconic and historically significant ships in history, for another it's a departure from my normal genres of aircraft and armor. The kit itself is fairly simple and not overly detailed (an understatement if there ever was one) but when you consider it was first released in 1959 and has been a staple in the Revell lineup every since you realize it isn't at all a bad kit, just one that was created before today's modern manufacturing techniques.

As with most ship kits the construction begins with the two-part hull. There are minimal alignment pins (two, one bow and one stern) plus several interlocking "fingers" along the bottom of the hull to line things up. In reality those fingers actually make it harder to get the keel seam to line up so I cut them off, something I've since seen recommended by others for this kit. By using a fair bit of masking tape I got the seam to close up quite nicely, although due to minor warpage issues the bow and stern required a bit more attention. I applied Testors Liquid Cement to the joint after taping everything up. There was a little seepage in a couple of spots but nothing major.

Hull and box art overview


Bow section


Stern Section


As you can see the railings are molded with only surface detail. There is a photo-etch kit available for this kit from Gold Medal Models but it literally triples the cost of the kit, from $20 to $60 ($40 for the photo-etch). That's just too much money for me to invest right now although I may consider it if I decide to do this kit again.

Given the kit's age all detail is of the raised variety, no recessed details. The deck planking is represented by surprisingly fine raised lines. I tried painting with a darkish brown followed by a wash of lighter color (Testors Acryl Earth Red and Armor Sand) and the result was okay, but not what I"m looking for.

Deck painting, first attempt


I've since repainted the deck with the Armor Sand with much better results. It's a good representation of the wood decks. The upperworks and hull will be painted with Tamiya Neutral Grey to represent the scheme she wore in the late-1930s and 1940. No photos yet of those last two and no work today, arthritis just won't tolerate it.

More to come!