Finally completed the Alaska after starting her 25 years ago. I stopped working on her in 1993 to build a model for the North Carolina Battleship Commission. I got totally burned out making the model and lost all interest in modeling. I retired two years ago and took up modeling again last year, finishing up the Alaska. All the radars and cranes were scratched built. At the time I made them, there were no photo etched parts available like there are today. Sure makes life easier.
I built the model as she appeared right after the war. Her decks have the natural wood look instead of being painted deck blue. After all the work of laying individual planks and being the son of a cabinet maker, I didn't have the heart to paint it. So right or wrong, I made the assumption that the decking would have been stripped of paint after the war was over. So to you purists, please forgive me.
I have since started carving the hull for the Missouri, also in 1/192 scale.
https://imgur.com/a/Oyagg