MiniHobby Arizona 1:350 scale WIP

tmnull wrote:

Are ALL the MHM ones like that?  I found this one that doesn't have the sticker on the box, at least that I can see. http://cgi.ebay.com/MiniHobbyModels-1-350-USS-Arizona-BB-39-Sealed_W0QQitemZ380005217208QQihZ025QQcategoryZ152932QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

My Mini Hobby kit had the "Static Model" sticker on the box, but had the correct openings for the prop shafts. Makes me believe some did and some didnt.......

That shouldn't really be an issue though, as has been said, it's an easy re-work if you do get one with the squared shaft openings. That's really the only difference.

bondoman wrote:

The picture I posted of Oklahoma looks pretty round, as do upside down pictures, God save us, of her.

The Navy Historical Center's website is mis-behaving for me, so I'll have to send you to Navsource instead of directly embedding an image, but go here and then  scroll down to the 5th picture, photo 80-G-32453. You can see the starboard side with some boat or craft tied off on the left,then the corner with the bilge keels as the highest point, then that long,flat slope down to the right of the picture is Oklahoma's bottom.

Are ALL the MHM ones like that?  I found this one that doesn't have the sticker on the box, at least that I can see.

http://cgi.ebay.com/MiniHobbyModels-1-350-USS-Arizona-BB-39-Sealed_W0QQitemZ380005217208QQihZ025QQcategoryZ152932QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Tracy White wrote:

You can see some photos taken underneath BB-45 Colorado I located and sent in to Navsource here about half way down; this was as a result of a grounding incident and not any docking damage. As you can see, a flat bottom makes this process much easier.

OT -  sorry, but it struck me as really funny to see the guys wearing the hard hats working under the hull - like it's going help if a 32,000 ton battleship fell on them...;) 

Mark

OK so, but, umm, hmm...

The picture I posted of Oklahoma looks pretty round, as do upside down pictures, God save us, of her.

And I seem to remember that the old Revell Pennsy was round bottomed as Beyonce, but I could be wrong.

Is this a class thing?

usmc1371 wrote:

I'm no expert in ship design but I believe the flat bottom serves two purposes.  It allows the ship to get real close to shore and provides for more stability.

Nyet  to the first. Stability was important however, as rolling motion would elevate and depress the guns, which would affect firing accuracy at longer ranges.

Another reason for the flat bottom was just simplicity; a curved hull takes more effort to construct, and you would need more elaborate blocking systems underneathwhen you wanted to drydock the ship. As it was there were patterns they had to arrange the keel blocks in to evenly distribute the weight; if blocked wrong the weight of the ship would damage the hull plating.

You can see some photos taken underneath BB-45 Colorado I located and sent in to Navsource here about half way down; this was as a result of a grounding incident and not any docking damage. As you can see, a flat bottom makes this process much easier.

EdGrune wrote:

But close-in artillery support wasn't in their job description until after the battleships were sunk @ Pearl Harbor & most were resurrected.  They became a resource in search of a mission.  Amphibious operations were also developed during the war and improved upon based on tactical experience.   The need for fire support was recognized and the available platforms were called upon.

Great point.  Like I said, I'm no expert in ship design. 

Jesse

You guys should check out the Stephens International site there is a proposed 1/200 scale Arizona from Trumpeter.

http://www2.stevenshobby.com:5641/

Go product descriptions and then select Trumpeter and scroll down. There are even proposed 1/32 scale Harriers and a 1/24 scale Stuka.

OK, found this:

Figure 8. 60-foot midships cross-section of USS Arizona modelled for Finite Element Analysis.

Thanks to:

http://www.pastfoundation.org/Arizona/Legacy_2.htm

But close-in artillery support wasn't in their job description until after the battleships were sunk @ Pearl Harbor & most were resurrected.  They became a resource in search of a mission. 

Amphibious operations were also developed during the war and improved upon based on tactical experience.   The need for fire support was recognized and the available platforms were called upon.

What the broad, flat hull bottoms on the battleships gave was a stable shooting platform which was important when engaging the enemy fleet on the horizon, or doing shore gunfire support.

Artillery support.  When Marines would land on the beach, they would have no artillery support with them.  They rely on offshore artillery, hence battleships.  A ship getting in close to shore can provide highly accurate, direct artillery.  Of course, this depends on the battleship not being under direct fire itself.  I don't know if this was considered when designing the hull, but the flat bottom does help in this regard.

Jesse

Flat like a pancake: http://www.maritimequest.com/warship_directory/us_navy_pages/us_navy_battleship_photos/uss_arizona_bb39/uss_arizona_bb39_01.jpg

http://www.pearlharborhistorymap.com/grafixbin/products/Pearl_Harbor_Side2_Zoom_Arizona.jpg 

I'm no expert in ship design but I believe the flat bottom serves two purposes.  It allows the ship to get real close to shore and provides for more stability. 

Jesse

I'm just curious and certainly no expert, but neither of these seem to have what I would expect as an accurate hull- no keel, or rounded bottom below the waterline, rather a big flat spot to sit on.

Compare to this shot of the Oklahoma being righted.

This is the one that has the hull made for R/C: http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-MINI-HOBBY-1-350-USS-ARIZONA-BB-39-BATTLESHIP_W0QQitemZ200205827631QQihZ010QQcategoryZ152932QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Everything about this kit is the same as the Banner except the lower hull.  Banner, if I remember correctly, was the original maker of the Arizona kit. This one: http://cgi.ebay.com/Banner-USS-ARIZONA-1-350-scale_W0QQitemZ200205250697QQihZ010QQcategoryZ2590QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I believe the reason it says "Static Model" is because it was at one time a R/C model.  Makes sense.  I actually fixed the hull of the one I had.  It took a little bit of work, but it came out ok.

Here is the correct hull on the Banner model. Notice the nice round openings for the shafts to enter the hull: http://www.steelnavy.com/images/ArizonaBanner/ariz-1.jpg

Here is the hull from Mini Hobbies model.  Click the sixth image down from the top. Notice how (on the left hand side of the picture) that the shaft doesn't run into a round opening, but into to squared off opening: http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery/bb/bb-39/350-as/as-index.html

It's not a big issue. Most people wouldn't even see it.  But it's there.

Hope this helps,

Jesse

Is that "static model" sticker right on the front, right next to the "uss arizona?  I just bid on one on ebay, but I think it has that sticker on it.  I want a model, not a freakin toy.  I don't like the internal ones either, because then you got a huge freakin lever sticking up out of the ship.

As to my question about the quality of the model, I did read the thread, and there seems to be more negative than positive.  Just because banner, mini hobby and trumpeter are all owned by the same company, it doesn't mean they're all the same.  It just seems strange for there to be such a big price difference between them, and I figured the trumpeter and mini hobby lines are probably their top and bottom of the line, resectively.

ps1scw wrote:

the light grey is nice, i've got lots of German panzer grey floating around, wonder how that would match measure 1 dark grey...hmmm

tmnull wrote:

What would you say as to the quality of this kit?  It's the only 1:350 Arizona I can find, other than one that's rediculously expensive.  But it's less than half as much as other 350 scale ships, like those by tamiya and trumpeter, so I was afraid it would be pretty low quality, or just pretty generic.

EdGrune wrote:

RTimmer wrote: What's the best kit out there in 1:350 - is it the MiniHobby? The best injected 1:350 scale Arizona is the one made by Banner,  also sold by Trumpeter, also sold by MiniHobby Models.   They're one and the same.

In the 1/350 class Arizona models, be careful of one thing.  The Mini Hobbies versions says "Static Model" on the box, don't get it.  The bottom, aft end of the hull is reworked into a square configuration for acceptance of a motor for R/C operation.  I'm not talking internally, but externally.  I've had three 1/350 Arizona models.   The tag on the kit is about 3 inches long with a white background and black lettering.  It's a sticker applied to the box.  Just a warning.

Jesse

tmnull wrote:

What would you say as to the quality of this kit?  It's the only 1:350 Arizona I can find, other than one that's rediculously expensive.  But it's less than half as much as other 350 scale ships, like those by tamiya and trumpeter, so I was afraid it would be pretty low quality, or just pretty generic.

LOL Guess you haven't paid attention to the thread I guess. But this is the MiniHobbies 1/350 scale Arizona. Minihobby/Banner/Trumpeter are the same company so it is safe to say that this is a Trumpeter kit. Detail is a little better than the 1/425 scale Revel kit so with a little PE help you can make it presentable. There was a article in FSM a few years ago detailing how to accurize the MiniBannTrump 1/350 arizona and it was pretty informative. And I would suggest getting either the LionRoar or Gold Medal Models PE set to really do it justice. TMW also puts out a PE set but I like the GMM set better.

mfsob wrote:

The real shame in all of this is that fluorescent colors hadn't been inveted yet. Imagaine how cool that would have looked on Battleship Row - Day-Glo Orange vying with Lime Green and Electric Yellow for attention. Kidding. Sort of. I am perfectly content with my every-growing collection of every shade of gray known to man.

so true

The real shame in all of this is that fluorescent colors hadn't been inveted yet. Imagaine how cool that would have looked on Battleship Row - Day-Glo Orange vying with Lime Green and Electric Yellow for attention.

Kidding. Sort of. I am perfectly content with my every-growing collection of every shade of gray known to man.

EdGrune wrote:

RTimmer wrote: What's the best kit out there in 1:350 - is it the MiniHobby? The best injected 1:350 scale Arizona is the one made by Banner,  also sold by Trumpeter, also sold by MiniHobby Models.   They're one and the same. Geez Alert!   Way back in 2001, the Wasan Moulding Company of China "reverse engineered" the Revell 1:426 scale Arizona.  They fixed some of that kits problems and intoduced some of their own (turret spacing among them).   Wasan's plastic kit name?  Banner.   They had the first of the kits at the 2001 IPMS Nats in Chicago.  The first kits were air freighted in and were expensive.  Well, Banner [as in the Red Banner on their logo] left some bad tastes in peoples mouths so they reanmed their company Trumpeter.   They reboxed the kit under that label (and different box art).   They also intoduced the pirate arm of the company -- the one that has developed the reputation of copying others work -- MiniHobby Models.   They also reboxed the Arizona under that label too.   End Geez Alert! The best 1:350 scale Arizona is probably the ones in resin by Toms Modelworks -- now sold by Iron Shipwright (1921 and 1941). The best Arizona in any scale is probably the 1:700 scale injected one by Dragon.   Be sure to get the Premium Edition

Just waiting for somebody to come out with a "two in one" kit so we can have Nevada/Oklahoma, Tennessee/California or the "four in one" kit Colorado/Maryland/Washington/West Virginia