1/700 USS Tuscaloosa CA-37 (Trumpeter)

[kylewoody]

'Nother build here. Still getting back to basics, she'll be OOB more or less. Digging on water lately, so this'll be another experiment in ocean and environment. I think it will be a cool vibe when done.

I'm trying to represent a lot of the USN classes throughout WWII so she'll be a good heavy cruiser to do - plus, almost all my family is from Alabama and mother's side is from Tuscaloosa. Seems fitting enough! Just south of the Interstate in Tuscaloosa, AL they also have a couple pieces from her in a war memorial park. The mainmast and one of the 5 inchers is there... kind of cool if you're in the area. Here I am check it out.







Major parts go together quickly.



I've heard this kit just falls together. I dunno, still having quite a bit of Trumpeter fit issues. The aircraft hangar sits up on the bulwarks so there is a gap under it between the deck. Will take some scrap styrene strips to fill.



Note below the roll up door...


Kyle

[Goodwood]

Should be interesting, Kyle. Looking forward to seeing your corrective methods.

[Vlad]

Looking good so far but be careful with the model. Don't know what you heard but the fit on the older Trumpeter kits is something that needs a bit of work.

Also, bigger problems, the kit is a re-box of the Quincy and the forward deckhouse around No.2 turret as well as most of the bridge are completely wrong for Tuscaloosa.

I am at exactly the same stage as you building one of these and I decided the errors were so big it was easier to cut the thing up and build her as Vincennes. Even that requires quite a bit of adaptation and scratchbuild. You beat me to the punch but I was going to post some pictures over the next few days.

Good luck nonetheless!

[kylewoody]

Thanks Sean! It should be interesting in how I can pull off CA37 with as little modification as possible - since about the only accurate thing in the box is the decals.

Thanks Vlad - I noticed even more discrepancies after starting on her. I already knew I'd have to rework the 5 inchers; All NO class had three 5 inchers on either side of Deck 01, with the first and last guns hanging overboard and the center guns set narrower. Tuscaloosa was the only one to have the furthest stern guns on either side set narrow, with the first 2 being wide. I also started boxing in the deckhouse under turret 2 instead of having it rounded off.

It seems that correcting these things will provide a *decent* representation of CA37 in late '42-43 I believe. She had the 20mm tub added under the bridge then, but still had her bridge with the open square windows. I am still researching to see what else is different (probably a lot, including AA and radars).


Too many portholes - this is correct for a prewar NO.








Vlad - I'm thinking group build on the Cruisers - can't wait to see yours!

Kyle

[Vlad]

Ah yes, you've gone for building up the deckhouse, very nice my research on this ship isn't all that extensive, it was supposed to be an easy side-project, but I think if she had the 20mm fitted around the base of the bridge then the lower row of windows would be gone, and so the Quncy bridge would be accurate for the time fit you are doing. I like what you did with the shields, I didn't realize Tuscaloosa was unique in her 5" layout.

By the way are you going for Measure 12 modified? You mentioned 1942-'43, was she still in this scheme by then?

For my Vincennes I went for the option of slicing off No.1 barbette, filling the hole with a circle of plastic and putting back in the right place. Also, for the gap where the hangar sits on the deck, I actually trimmed the bulwark to main deck level and sanded it flush in the area that was causing a problem. Other stuff I did was narrow down the bridge windows and replace some of the shields around the upper bridge levels because the Trumpeter ones were either the wrong shape or too short and fat.

I'll take you up on the group build offer, here's mine below. I've got a couple of other things on the bench at the moment but I'll keep an eye on yours on try to keep up when I can

[kylewoody]

Thanks Vlad! Your Vincennes is looking great! The turret move looks excellent! Very smart move on sanding the hull instead of the hangar. I ended up running thin strips of styrene under mine, worked out alright. Question - I'm a bit in the dark on these NO class ships but what windows would have differed with the 20mm tub added below the bridge?

Here's a pic of just about the right timeframe I think...



Modelling her in the late '42 fit means no splotch camo but it seems to be easier to model OOB for this time period. It's what appears to be regular MS22 which will be fine I guess.

Couple pics of progress today.







Kyle

[Quincy]

Great work on her so far Kyle! I really like how you are taking the bull by the horns and getting her looking the right way!

By the way, your Big Mamie came out excellent!


Keep it up the great work, am looking forward to your progress.



Bob Pink.

[Vlad]

Kyle, I mean these windows:

Quincy and Vincennes didn't have these at all, and the kit does not have parts for them as far as I can tell. I thought you might be lucky and they would have been removed when the 20mm tub was added, but they are still there in the picture of the fit you want to represent so you will have to scratchbuild them. Shouldn't be a big problem.

Also, judging from the position of the gun tubs above the bridge, kit part L13 is correct for Quincy/Vincennes but is therefore wrong for Tuscaloosa although it has the correct front face. Kit part L14 seems to have the correct tub position (further aft as in the earlier NO class) but doesn't have the enclosed front as your picture shows. I'm not sure which part is easier to adapt so I'll leave that up to you.

[kylewoody]

Thanks Bob! I'm happy with the Mamie, she was a good experiment - will be a fun "What-if" entry at the next show.

Vlad - I hardly noticed the difference, good call on those windows. I have scratched them in, though first attempt didn't work too well. I tried drilling a hole with my pin vise and using a tapered jewelers file to square out the windows. Too small so I guess I'll paint them on, I dunno.

I think I got the superstructure looking about right, up to the bird bath anyways. She's mocked up now and will get the radars then glue in a day or two.





Kyle

[kylewoody]

Sigh - always check your parts tree. Didn't realize the kit had the framing for the longer deckhouse that turret II sits on. I scratched it all with plainer styrene.




Oh well, got the forward superstructure done - ended up masking and painting the lower windows on.








Kyle

[JimVarnellABH2USN]

Kyle,
Fantastic job you are doing on this kit, I love all the scratch building your doing to correct this ship, I too have this kit in the WW-2 stash and I will reference your build when I get to mine. The only thing I would have done differently is the material for the 5" gun shields, I would have used metal stripping to form them, but not knocking your work at all the styrene worked very well for you, actually better then I would have expected considering the rounding and angling in some areas. Again, fantastic job your doing.

[Vlad]

The bridge looks right on the money shame you can't be persuaded to do her in Ms12 Mod but your spray so far of the Ms22 is looking very sharp.

[Michael Riddell]

Coming along nicely!

Mike.

[kylewoody]

Jim, thanks! Yeah going forward I'd like to use something thinner for the splinter shields. I just grabbed some scrap styrene I had lying around and sanded it down thinner.

Vlad, thank you, I hope it's close enough. I wasn't planning on much corrections until I kept looking at photos. This kit is NOT the Tuscaloosa, rather a reboxed NO.

And appreciate it Mike! Basic skills need to be improved so she's not getting the full aftermarket treatment. Even still, these newer kits can make a pretty nice model out of the box.

Just an update, she's close to done. Will do a wash and some weathering, then put on the last pieces; catapults, cranes, planes, and masts! Then of course water. I was hoping (without spoiling it) to actually do her in MS12 and have her in rough seas with ice/snow on deck. Oh well.





Kyle

[hypno7]

Very nice build Kyle! The modifications you did look great.

I just got the Vincennes kit and on first inspection it looks nice, but after seeing the comments here, I sure will have to do some modifications...

[JimVarnellABH2USN]

Kyle,
As always looking great, the rework is spot on, hard to find anything wrong. Now, what I'm waiting for is for you to do a BIG diorama with all your WW 2 ships, come on now, you know you want to.

[kylewoody]

Hypno, thanks! Yeah she's not really spot on for any particular variations of the ships. Lines are good though and the kit builds pretty well. Can't wait to see yours!

Jim, thanks! You know I have been wanting to do a big build display/diorama. Honestly, I have really been thinking about a Battle of Mobile Bay civil war dio, with Tecumseh coming past Ft Morgan...

Well she's about done! Just finish up the water and her Seagulls, that'll be a wrap. Look for her in the Completed threads in a couple days.



Kyle

[Vlad]

Looking very sharp Kyle, I really like how you washed the catapults so they look hollow despite being solid.

I ran into a couple of other minor inaccuracies on my Vincennes. The kit instructions call for what look like 40mm quad Bofors in the tubs on the stern but Vincennes had the quad 1.1" in those mounts same as on the bridge. For the same reason the little director tubs don't belong there. Another minor one is the davits just forward of the catapult base, from the pictures I can find those seem to have been removed and no boats were carried there in wartime.

My build though has fallen way behind yours, holiday and other things mean I've only just got round to painting the hull, and I have three camouflage colours to worry about. Nice to see yours come together

[kylewoody]

Thanks Vlad! Yup, it seems Tuscaloosa had all 1.1"ers in 42' as well. I put them in the bridge and stern mounts. However, it does seem they had some sort of directors for them, atleast in this photo.



She's not perfect but I'm happy with her. First cruiser I've done, diggin on them. Still no PE or rigging yet. My try my Caenis and Gatorgrip glue out, but the masts sure are flimsy...













Kyle

[Vlad]

Well, the pictures don't lie. You're accurate to your references and she looks good. Water is very nice also.