1/426 USS Arizona BB-39

This next build is the Revell 1/426 scale USS Arizona BB-39. I will be building it as she looked before the attack at Pearl Harbor on December 7th 1941. I will be using the Gold Medal Models photo etch detail set, Model Monkey 3D printed turrets to replace the kit versions, and some 3D printed O2U Kingfishers to replace the kit Curtiss Bi-planes. This will be displayed next to a Bradford Exchange USS Arizona Memorial sculpture that I received a number of years ago as a gift. I chose the Revell kit because the length of the kit is the same length as the sculpture.

I started this build with the hull. I first drilled out all the portholes on the sides and opened up the anchor and mooring holes on the bow. I then removed the molded in railings. The two halves fit were not as bad as I thought it would be. The seam still required putty but was surprisingly close so not much was needed. I then removed the molded in anchor chains as these will be replaced with real chains.

At this time I ordered some other items. The first was the Legends of Warfare book by David Doyle on the USS Arizona. The second items I ordered were the 1/426 USN Vought OS2U Kingfisher Seaplane Set from Distefan. These are 3D printed aircraft. I ordered these because the kit only supplies the Curtis Bi-planes which were replaced in January of 1941.

I then needed to remove the molded in railings and gun shields as these are being replaced with photo etch detail parts. I also removed the molded in stairs as well. It took a few days to carefully remove them so I am currently working on the photo etch parts now. I will then work on the numerous upper decks that have the plastic railings and replacing them.

The second week of the USS Arizona was spent removing all the molded on railings from all the decks and platforms. There were also a few areas with mold marks as well as some details added. One example is the signal flag boxes. These needed to be removed from the molded railing and then added back on to the photo etch railing.

I also received the Distefan 3D print 1/426 USN Vought OS2U Kingfisher Seaplane Set. This set has 4 aircraft and the details on them are great. I may trim off the canopies and replace them with clear scratch built versions. I will experiment later on one of them.

I am still working on adding the railings now. Once I finish them I can start building up the levels and adding the ladders between the levels.

The third week of the USS Arizona I continued adding railings. I then ran into an issue. The second level of the superstructure has a piece that the instructions want you to add to the rear end. However after reviewing photos in the reference book the section they are trying to represent is actually a part of the smoke stack. This led me to do a deep dive into the smoke stack details. There are none in the kit.

So I switched to modify the stack. The section towards the superstructure was scratch built. I then cut open the funnel on top and removed the vent pipe on the aft side of the stack. I replaced this vent and added the other vent ducts. I cut off the vents on the funnel and scratch built ones that match the reference photos.

With the smoke stack detailing completed I went back adding more photo etch railings to the upper levels of the superstructure. I am hoping to get the superstructure built up and the forward mast assembled this coming week.

The fourth week of the USS Arizona was spent building up the forward superstructure. I had to start painting it as well. I am using Life Color’s U.S. Navy Pre-War thru 1945 paint set. This has the correct 5D Dark Grey for the ship. One thing to note is the kit does not have the wooden deck details for the first level like they have on the main deck. I will add wooden deck details and weathering after I get the fore and aft masts ready to install.

I painted the superstructure with the dark grey and used Tamiya wood deck tan for the deck. After painting most of the superstructure I had to fill a seam between the 2^nd and 3^rd levels and I then added the ladders and stairs between the levels. Once the levels were installed I started working on the forward mast assembly. The supports required a lot of clean-up. I removed the molded range clock ad added the photo etch version. The top of the mast assembly required all the windows to be cut out. These are replaced with photo etch window frames. I had to do these in sections to keep the levels supported while I cut out the openings.

I assembled the mast assembly and added the stairs between the levels. The lower photo etch yardarms were installed. According to the reference book the top of the forward mast was updated with a small platform and a small set of yardarms. The kit does not have this platform and neither does the photo etch set. I used a few photo in the reference book and scratch built platform. I used some scrap photo etch to make the railings and yardarms.

With the upper platform made I am now working on the aft mast assembly. Once this is done I need to start building the mid-ship cranes and detailing the launches.

The fifth week of the Arizona I worked on adding details to the foremast. The first detail was a platform on the top of the foremast that was added when the USS Arizona was being repaired after the collision with the bow of the USS Oklahoma in October of 1941. I scratch built the platform using photos in the reference book. I then painted the upper portion of the mast in the 5-L Light Grey.

Just a quick pause on the paint scheme, I am painting the ship in the Measure 1 camouflage with 5-D dark grey above the waterline and 5-L light grey above the funnel. There are varied accounts of the ship being painted with the 5-S sea blue before the attack on December 7^th. Some survivors stated in interviews that the sea blue paint was being loaded aboard and that some of the crew working parties actually started painting a couple of weeks before the attack. Some accounts state the hull from waterline to the main deck was painted sea blue in the yard after the repairs from the Oklahoma collision. The ship was moved on November 8^th to the mooring location and left the painting above the main deck to be painted by the crew. As a personal guess the ship was most likely a mix of the dark grey and sea blue as it was most likely in the process of being painted by the crew. This could be why there is so much controversy over what color the ship was on December 7^th.

Getting back to the build after the foremast was painted I started on the aft mast. The control top was detailed with the photo etch windows. The top platform held two guns. The kit had the barrels molded to the wall so I removed these and will replace them with brass barrels later. I had to putty the holes that were for holding the top mast braces. The kit part was replaced with photo etch parts. I then cleaned up the aft mast supports and dry fit all the assemblies. While the putty was drying I worked on the search lights that go on the funnel and the large aft mast platform. I drilled out the molded lens, painted with chrome paint then filled with clear acrylic gel to replicate real search lights.

I am working on finishing the aft mast assembly and then working on the mid ship cranes and boats. From the photo etch instructions there is a lot of detail work required for the cranes and boats.