Mike W wrote:
chuck wrote:
Just by looking at the pictures of the sprue and instructions, the kit has a fair number of accuracy issues:
1. The barbettes of the B and X turrets are not stepped as depicted. They are perfectly cylindrical. What dragon attempted to depict with step and vertical bars are actually foot rails that protrudes from the sides of the barbettes.
2. The prominent air vents on the former boat deck between the funnel and aft superstructure are completely omitted.
3. There are two boat boom cranes behind the aft superstructure, not one, depicted in the kit as parts A14 and A37
4. Parts A36, k-7, and A67, K-9 And K-6 depict the mast and radar configuration after the June 1945 refit. The rest of the kit depicts the ship before June 1945.
5. There is much wrong with the shape of aft superstructure A43 and A42.
Thanks for that.
I can fix some of the errors with the Model Monkey forward and aft superstructures, which will also better represent the ship after the Jul 45 fit. I've also noticed what looks like a twin Bofors, in place of the old rangefinder on the front of the forward superstructure, which is easy enough to fix.
thanks
Mike
Yes. The optical range finder for the original main battery fire control was removed and a new twin bofor installed in its place. At the time the USN was rushing a program to give warships more AA guns that can track a target crossing the ship’s bow as part of the anti-kamikaze measure. Not too much could be done on the Pennsylvania due to available space restrictions, The twin 40mm bofor was it.
Another part of anti-kamikaze measure was to add two new MK-50 dual purpose directors to the rear superstructure above the boom cranes for the boats. The Pennsylvania was modernized to carry 16 gun 5”/38 battery in 1942, but because her superstructure was only partially rebuilt, there was no room for 4 mk-37 director as installed on other modernized old battleships whose superstructures were more thoroughly remodeled, such as the West Virginia, or the Nevada. The MK-50 was originally developed as a lighter, simpler tachymetric director that can be easily fitted to ships still carrying the WWI vintage 3” AA guns. It development was much delayed, and the project was cancelled after just a few directors were built. Two of the few built were installed on the Pennsylvania to make up for her having 2 few Mk-37 directors.
Around June 1945, the following others changes were also made:
1. The flat mattress SK radar on the foretop was replaced by the round dish SK-2.
2. The MK3 fire control radar on top of forward director was replaced by an experimental mk-21 fire control radar
3. The original rear director with its MK-3 fire control radar was completely replaced by a new mk-34 director originally intended for one of the Cleveland class light cruisers that was converted to light carrier. The new director carried mk-13 radar.
4.The number of search lights around the rear director was reduced to 2.
5. The SG surface search radar on the main mast was replaced by a SP Height firing fighter direction radar
6. Two small director towers were added midship. The had mk-57 radar directors for the 40mm bofors.
7. A whole series of electronic countermeasure antennas were added to the lattice yard arms of the forward superstructure.
The scope of modernization undertaken in June 1945 seems to make it clear the Pennsylvania was intended to continue to serve as a major front line unit during invasion of Japan, possibly continuing in a flagship role of some kind.