Calling all rebuilt "Big 5" (TN/MD class) fans

[Pierre Marchal]

To John Sheridan: All my 1/350 models are 1945 . I am trying to find the colour of a ship after a few weeks in pacific ocean . The next model ( uss New Mexico ) is a little more blue gray . You will tell me . regards . pierre

[PhilipMichlian]

I actually like the appearance of the rebuilt Tennessees more than the South Dakotas, which look a little off balance to me because of the later ship classes' assymetrical three turret main battery.

[Guest]

If you want to see a good looking West Virginia build, check out Roger Torgeson's WV on the IPMS Nats site.

[MartinJQuinn]

If you want to see a good looking West Virginia build, check out Roger Torgeson's WV on the IPMS Nats site.

No need to go to the IPMS site, you can check it out right here on this site.

[Chris C.]

Hi,
Does anyone know if any of the major plastic builders have plans to do the Tennessee or Maryland class BB's in 1/700 plastic?
Thanks,
Chris

[ADebroux]

There was a poll taken here very recently at the behest of one of the major manufacturers (no name given), and there was quite an interest in having a 1/700 plastic scale model of the big 5 in their post Pearl-Harbor refits. So maybe the results will provide the incentive for a 1944 version of California, Tennesee or West Virginia by the end of this year or early 2009. Just my opinion.

[Seasick]

There is a great bounty of battleships in resin.

[Mark McKinnis]

Hi Mold Pit Road does them in 1941 fit and H-P models do the late war fits. The H-P kits are still available and the Hi Mold is a little harder to find. Loose Cannon does a very nice Colorado 1942 that I recently purchased which with a little work can be made into a Maryland 1941. There is a Hi Mold West Virginia 1941 available on ebay as I write this and Pacific Front Models has at least one in stock now. They are a bit pricey for the average modeler but not too bad. The detail on my Colorado looks very good including the Cage Mast.

[MartinJQuinn]

I recently picked up the HP late war Maryland (1945 fit) and it looks really nice in the box. I also have the 1944 Colorado, which also looks nice. I know the resin is a lot more expensive, but for now, they are the only game in town. Hopefully if the Dragon 1944 Pennsy sells well, it will prompt manufacturers to do the other pre-war classes in plastic as well.

[tenacioustanaka]

I'm itching to have a 1/700 Maryland in her 1944 Surigao guise. There are a few well done renditions of her in the gallery but but most are either pre-war or 1945 dress with the 8 twin 5" mounts.
Surigao fit did not have the secondary turrets and unfortunately the only kit I can find of her does represent her with such. That H-P 1945 kit looks mighty tempting but I'm wondering if the 1944 H-P Colorado will be a better more accurate starting point to represent a 1944 Maryland.

Anyone done the conversion or have a better grasp of the situation?

[JimRussell]

Tenacious one,

Know nothing about the H-P kit but I can assure you that in late 1944 the Colorado and Maryland were as identical as two 25 year old sisters could be.

A wonderful reference for these ships is Colorado class Battleships by Jaroslaw Palasek. It includes 1/400 plans of the 1944 Colorado and a 1942/43 Maryland, with enough good pictures of the the 1944 Maryland that I felt very confident of my 1/350 Surigao Maryland. I bought my copy from Randy Short of Snyder & Short.

Jim

[MartinJQuinn]

I'm itching to have a 1/700 Maryland in her 1944 Surigao guise. There are a few well done renditions of her in the gallery but but most are either pre-war or 1945 dress with the 8 twin 5" mounts.
Surigao fit did not have the secondary turrets and unfortunately the only kit I can find of her does represent her with such. That H-P 1945 kit looks mighty tempting but I'm wondering if the 1944 H-P Colorado will be a better more accurate starting point to represent a 1944 Maryland.

Anyone done the conversion or have a better grasp of the situation?

I have the HP 1945 Maryland - it comes with the extended deck to accommodate the twin 5 inch guns added in her last refit. The 1944 Colorado (which I also have) would probably be your best bet, based on Jim's comments.

[tenacioustanaka]

AWESOME! That is a start but what about the physical bridge structures, circa 1944? Are there any significant differences there to warrant scratchbuilding? Guess I need to break out the BIG 5 plans cd and get to studying.

[MartinJQuinn]

AWESOME! That is a start but what about the physical bridge structures, circa 1944? Are there any significant differences there to warrant scratchbuilding? Guess I need to break out the BIG 5 plans cd and get to studying.

Check out the Navsource pages for Maryland and Colorado. Without looking at plans and just pictures - the two ships look very similar in late 1944.

[bocME262]

For some excellent photos of the WeeVee in drydock after Pearl check out this site:

http://www.usswestvirginia.org/

Some of these photos are amazing. The dry dock photos start on photo page 13 0r 14, but all pages are worth looking at.

Enjoy,

Greg Willis

[drdoom1337]

don't know what I'm thinking, but I put in an order for the ISW 1/350 1944 Tennessee. I can't find any pictures of this monster built up. Anybody see anything on the web, ANYWHERE?

[MartinJQuinn]

There is a review for the kit here, on Steel Navy.

[drdoom1337]

There is a review for the kit here, on Steel Navy.

I took a good look at that review before I ordered the kit actually, but I'm looking for somebody's actual build up of Tennessee so I can get some ideas. I've seen plenty of California and WV online, but no Tenn. What gives!?

[MartinJQuinn]

Roger Torgeson has a really, really nice WeeVee, which he said is from the TN kit. It's in the gallery, here.

[JimRussell]

Doomfellow,

Some pics of an ISW 1/350 Tennessee. In the background is the West Virginia. They were both part of my 2007 project to do a 5/6 correct Surigao Strait battle line (I substituted Idaho for California - variety & a ship I wanted to build). I tried to be as accurate as I could be for both ships with the exception of no camo on the horizontal surfaces of WeVee.

The ISW kit was very good for the West Virginia (per plans in Palasek's Colorado class BB's), Tennessee was more difficult. My best reference was Smith's Volunteer State Battlewagon, which had a nice side rendering of the 1943 fit and good pics of 1943 and 1945 (both meas 21). There were no good pics anywhere that I could find for the 1944 dazzle fit. I decided to do the ship in the 1943 fit with a 1944 dazzle scheme. This also gave me some differences (20mm and radar being the most obvious) from the West Virginia (excluding main armament).

Jim

Edit..Timmy C's link to the Maryland got buggy , one that works...
viewtopic.php?f=13&t=25746&p=167859&hil ... nd#p167859

Jim