The Ship Model Forum

Cheers!

Yeah, I have purchased Steve's fighting tops as well for CA/TN. Much improved and more accurate than the kit tops.

Well, you saw my post under your WIP.

I agree, those are the wrong fighting tops. FS has just reused the versions in its WV/MD sets. I highly recommend the ones from Model Monkey for CA/TN- right shape and they have the tubs for the .50 cal MG.

I've ordered from Hobbyeasy before (very good) but, right now, shipments to the US seem to be on hold. Hobby search Japan carries them but is out of stock right now. Ebay might be the best bet right now.

Bump.

Now just need one for Cali... (despite the responses earlier to my query about "least amount of corrections", Cali was the only one available at the local store, so had to pick it up)

Thanks Dan for the heads up on this set! There are a few really good things I see with this set and a couple of not so good things. There are two main things that stand out to me that are a bummer. First the splinter shields on Tennessee around the 5"25 cal guns were smooth, not ribbed like these are. I guess you can flip them inside out if the opposite side is smooth. Second, the fighting tops are wrong for the Tennessee class. These are the fighting tops for the Colorado class which was noticeably larger than the Tennessee class.
I really like the Superstructure details and the boat racks! I think Five Star nailed the details on the boat racks.
I will definitely be getting a couple of these sets. Has anyone ordered from this vendor and can comment on your experience?

Well, it's come only 2 years too late for me (along with Jeff's confirmation of no metal deck plating around the mainmast - sigh), but Five Star has just released a set for Tennessee 1941. The only glitch I see at a glance are the too small gun tub enclosures for the 3inchers up on the bridge. At least those parts (E14) are separate, so you can alter that area without destroying the entire PE bulwark:

https://www.hobbyeasy.com/en/data/6r6ropsgcd8a9oidszl2.html

LOL! Looks like you nailed it though, Martin!
West Virginia's was added on 11/30/39 at Puget Sound.
[url=https://postimages.org/][img]https://i.postimg.cc/3wp11fY3/Screen-Shot-2025-04-07-at-7-47-15-PM.png[/img][/url]

A unique feature on USS West Virginia's main deck was the location of these two cowl vents as seen in this picture. Notice also the lower profiled deck hatch (for the Admiral and Captain) at the very stern of the ship. It has a wider foot print and no skylight hatch like the other two hatches seen in this photo. Those features were necessary for clearance when the catapult swung over it.
[url=https://postimg.cc/JG1YXtZ3][img]https://i.postimg.cc/9F96v7fk/Screen-Shot-2025-03-14-at-8-57-14-PM.png[/img][/url]

Both cowl vents were still present on 12/7/41.
[url=https://postimg.cc/NLTnr7f0][img]https://i.postimg.cc/CM6pXm3b/Screen-Shot-2025-04-02-at-8-07-55-PM.png[/img][/url]

[url=https://postimg.cc/xqcdpKmz][img]https://i.postimg.cc/L4VZXD6N/Screen-Shot-2025-03-15-at-10-02-26-AM.png[/img][/url]

[quote="Jeff Sharp"]Here is a peek at West Virginia's Secondary Battery Signal Station and Deck Gear Locker area.[/quote]
Oh, sure, NOW you find a photo of this area! :doh_1:

Range light makes sense. Hadn't noticed that before, but now that I have, I went back and found something similar on some of the Maryland photos.

Yeah, that is a 12/7/41 shot.
Are you questioning one of these two objects arrowed? If so, I don't know the purpose of either one. I can tell you that the one on the right was present on Calif, Mary and Tenn as well.
[url=https://postimages.org/][img]https://i.postimg.cc/9Xx64XWy/IMG-8346.jpg[/img][/url]

The object on the left is probably the range light.
[url=https://postimages.org/][img]https://i.postimg.cc/qMJ2F0nD/Screen-Shot-2025-04-04-at-9-04-24-AM.png[/img][/url]

Here is a peek at West Virginia's Secondary Battery Signal Station and Deck Gear Locker area.
[url=https://postimg.cc/LnsTRFnf][img]https://i.postimg.cc/BQTwTq3h/Screen-Shot-2025-04-02-at-8-52-55-PM.png[/img][/url]
[url=https://postimages.org/][img]https://i.postimg.cc/RZcn6NbJ/Screen-Shot-2025-03-27-at-2-47-06-PM.png[/img][/url]

That looks like a 12/7/41 shot. Isn't it a little small for an SG?

That antenna on top of the mast in photo 7 looks suspiciously like an SG, but the SG was not available until around May of '42. Any idea what this one is?

Great views.

A little West Virginia fighting top eye candy for us rivet counters.
[url=https://postimg.cc/5XDvv3h0][img]https://i.postimg.cc/bvwR7VLQ/Screen-Shot-2025-04-03-at-8-25-59-PM.png[/img][/url]
[url=https://postimg.cc/qgQ3Q0PW][img]https://i.postimg.cc/FsXVrHDF/Screen-Shot-2025-04-03-at-8-22-06-PM.png[/img][/url]
[url=https://postimg.cc/9RYq6jrR][img]https://i.postimg.cc/qR9XCJrL/Screen-Shot-2025-04-03-at-8-27-51-PM.png[/img][/url]
[url=https://postimg.cc/LqfPVPSV][img]https://i.postimg.cc/N0CxB8PZ/Screen-Shot-2025-04-02-at-8-59-30-PM.png[/img][/url]
[url=https://postimg.cc/bDhtVvNf][img]https://i.postimg.cc/4dKQdKDy/Screen-Shot-2025-04-03-at-8-26-54-PM.png[/img][/url]
[url=https://postimg.cc/NLQX1Lz1][img]https://i.postimg.cc/nVD1fDKw/Screen-Shot-2025-04-03-at-8-25-13-PM.png[/img][/url]
[url=https://postimg.cc/gwvwhPyS][img]https://i.postimg.cc/YSPQJrvH/Screen-Shot-2025-04-03-at-7-10-19-PM.png[/img][/url]
[url=https://postimg.cc/WF51mpdn][img]https://i.postimg.cc/PJjvjPhB/IMG-8345.jpg[/img][/url]

Yeah, I didn't see it on the plans either. Seems a bit too crowded to have it there with all the skylights and lockers in that area. This entire deck is very busy. On a different note, its interesting that there is a "Boat Shop" under the boat racks between the stacks.
[url=https://postimg.cc/R66MM3HF][img]https://i.postimg.cc/sXK147fp/Screen-Shot-2025-03-16-at-5-29-37-PM.png[/img][/url]

Here is the Boat Shop on USS California
[url=https://postimages.org/][img]https://i.postimg.cc/rF5KwK7C/IMG-8114.jpg[/img][/url]

according to warship series #4 Free State Battlewagon USS Maryland, it shows that practice loader in the same spot as on the Tennessee class. the BB-48 USS West Virginia Booklet of General Plans 1939 does not show that practice loader.

From all the photos and plans I've seen, the loaders on US BB's were pretty fixed. I can confirm that both USS Tennessee and USS California had the loader in this location as shown in the pic. I cannot confirm or find ANY photos of a loader on any of the Colorado class yet! Very odd that I'm not seeing any on those three ships. I wonder if the three Colorado's didn't carry practice loaders.

Hmm. I thought practice loaders could be moved around. Or is that just an IJN thing?

Here's another look at the back of the bridge structure. Not sure which of the Big Five this is. Maybe the location of the practice loader is a clue?

[url=https://postimages.org/][img]https://i.postimg.cc/J4RrXctn/IMG-8101.jpg[/img][/url]