Calling all New Orleans-class (CA-32) fans

[Tracy White]

THat's a little different from this one posted elsewhere:

Just peeled the plastic off Trumpeter�s new 1/700 NEW ORLEANS. I was pretty excited about a 1/700 Treaty Cruiser in plastic and not resin! That said, a quick inspection of the kit parts shows that the hull, superstructure and most weapons are crudely molded, oversized and look almost toy like. Some parts are so poorly molded that you would almost suspect a problem with the molding process. Lots of flash, all gun shields are ridiculously thick and the boats are laughable. The 20 mm, 40 mm (I think they are supposed to be quad 40s) and quad 1.1 guns are the worst that I have ever seen. At first blush the main deck pieces, cranes, main turrets and 5 inch guns look OK. Sorry Trumpeter, but Yuck.

How can a company that produced such a beautiful 1/350 HMS HOOD (built it for the last IPMS Nationals) produce something like this. I have also built their 1/700 NORTH CAROLINA and WASHINGTON and despite the poor superstructure fit up, were OK overall. I have always suspected that Trumpeter had a couple of different teams that design and mold their kit, now I am sure of it, and this kit was clearly produced by the �C� team. For the price of this kit and state of the art recently displayed by Tamiya and Hasegawa, we had the right to expect more from this kit.

I hate to be harsh, but this kit is a disappointment. Rich

[MartinJQuinn]

I saw the NO Boat in the box recently, and while I don't think it's as bad as the copy Richard got, my opinion was it wasn't as nice as the Tamiya Indianapolis, which is the standard for injection molded USN cruiser - IMO.

[MartinJQuinn]

Some NO Class info that I found while surfing the web...the pictures of the pre-war CA-44 are especially nice:

CA-44 Photos:
http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/us ... photo.html
http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/us ... photo.html
http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/us ... photo.html
http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/us ... photo.html
http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/us ... photo.html
http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/us ... photo.html

Motion Models CA-44:
http://www.motionmodels.com/ships/cc/ca44.html

Says to be a shot of CA-44�s camo, but I believe it�s CA-39.
http://sortingoutscience.net/photos/gro ... cheme.html

CA-39 Photos:
http://www.ussquincy.com/quincyws121200/39_photos.html

Astoria pictures:
http://www.caroleestrup.com/frankjamesmorgan.html

[SteveG]

I (aka Steve) trust Martin's comments about the Tamiya Indianapolis and will purchase this kit soonest. I have a number of older Tamiya kits and they have stood the test of time - HMS Hood for example. The New Orleans is IMHO the best USN cruiser kit compared to the Atlantas, Baltimores and Clevelands currently on the market.

Dan - Has the Maya hull fix kept it's shape?

[Dan K]

Steve, the Maya hull has retained 99% of the fix. Pretty good.

[maccrage]

So I'm ready to paint my 1/350 San Fran. Was she in Ms. 11 or 21 for the Nov 13 battle?

[Devin]

5-N vertical surfaces, with 20-B horizontal. Measure 21.

[Keith T. Bender]

I beeen looking over my plans of the CA-37 & 38. I think the hanger deck was steel and not covered with wood, does anyone really know which it is. I can't tell from photos due to clearity. Also would the hanger deck be painted weather deck blue or deck gray during war time. I this this has been covered for CV's but CA's, Thank you, Keith

[Quincy]

Hi Keith:

I believe the hangar deck was steel, and was painted in weather deck blue.


Bob Pink.

[Devin]

Gary Kingzette is the person you want to ask. I know he had questions during his current build of San Fran regarding several details about the hangar area in general, but was able to resolve most of them.

Just to clarify, when you say hangar deck, you mean the deck inside the hangar structure, not the weather deck where the catapults are mounted, correct?

[Keith T. Bender]

Thank you, I think Bob has it right, steel inside. Wood was for splinter protection, Keith

[Devin]

Has the splinter protection reason ever actually been proven with documentation? I personally think it's for traction when the decks are wet, and of course because it's pretty. We all know how big the Navy is on things that are pretty -- I'll never polish brass again!!!

[MartinJQuinn]

Before the original thread in the picture post forum is automatically pruned from the board, I'm re-posting there here:

http://www.njipms.org/images/SanFran01.jpg
http://www.njipms.org/images/SanFran02.jpg
http://www.njipms.org/images/SanFran03.jpg
http://www.njipms.org/images/SanFran04.jpg
http://www.njipms.org/images/SanFran05.jpg
http://www.njipms.org/images/SanFran06.jpg
http://www.njipms.org/images/SanFran07.jpg

[maccrage]

OOB build progress. Have another kit waiting on PE.

Finally got ahold of 5N Navy Blue. Almost ready to glue the deck to the hull.


Had to scratch build the cats after FUBARing the kit cats trying to drill them out.




Still some work to do, but almost there!

[PeteM]

What brand of paint do you use? The 5-N on your San Fran looks much lighter than the ModelMaster 5-N that I have. In fact, it's nearly impossible to tell the difference between it and the 20-B Deck Blue unless you look very closely.

[maccrage]

PollyScale.

[PeteM]

Thanks. I like yours better. I don't know if the contrast between the colors was wide or narrow in actuality, but it looks better visually with yours.
Is the deck blue Pollyscale as well?

[maccrage]

Yes.

[MartinJQuinn]

What brand of paint do you use? The 5-N on your San Fran looks much lighter than the ModelMaster 5-N that I have. In fact, it's nearly impossible to tell the difference between it and the 20-B Deck Blue unless you look very closely.

In Wiper's Warship Pictorial #5, USS San Francisco, he says (on Page 24 & again on Page 29) that when SF emerged from her May, 1942 refit, she was painted Sea Blue (he does say it's possible it's 5N). I thought - based on what I've read elsewhere - that 5S had long been discontinued by this time (5/42)?

[Devin]

I wonder if they just touched-up her paint if it was 5-S? Yorktown at that time was still in 5-S, and until her loss, but that was from being in the Atlantic the previous December and not having been in the yards for way too long.