1/700 USS Pennsylvania 1941

[ArizonaBB39]

Got a little work done today. Installed the 5"/51 guns and the port side 5"/25 guns and splinter shields. I would have installed the starboard side guns too, but I seem to have lost one of the splinter shields... I'll keep looking, but I may have to buy a new set (which would leave me with extras, so its not too terrible.)

[Mgunns]

Looking good Abram:

Good luck finding the missing splinter shield.

[ArizonaBB39]

Ok, a little progress finally. I got my order from 3DModelParts and Car was gracious enough to include the missing splinter shields I needed, excellent customer service! I got the rest of the secondary armament on the 01 level finished. I glued down the first level of the superstructure and have been working on the other levels. As per Mark (Mgunns') build I added the searchlight platform on the back of the air defense deck. I wen't to start the forward mast and realized I didn't have the proper diameter rod. I've got .030" which is a little too small then .080" and .1" which are both too big. So I'll have to stop by the hobby store and grab some sizes in-between. Construction has been slow going recently as I'm getting close to the end of my final semester in college and I've been out looking for a job. Hopefully once I graduate and get a job things will normalize some and I'll have more time to build.

[Mgunns]

Hello Abram:

Good progress on your Pennsylvania Project. The searchlight platform looks good. It's a crapshoot on a lot of the Pennsylvania unique items as there is so little reference material available other than photo's. Sufficient therein is that you actually have a searchlight platform!
I am looking forward to updates as you continue to progress through this build.
I know that BB62VET is working on some CAD drawings for you, so that will help when you get to the main mast and Model Monkey will be doing the vents as well. So he may be able to scale them down to 1/700.

[gott_cha]

Good going Abram. Has the decking calmed down or does it still want to lift at spots?

[ArizonaBB39]

Thank you Mark and Mark.

As far as the deck, I removed the original deck I was using and applied an Artwox deck. Since then I've had no adhesion problems.

[ArizonaBB39]

I've made a little more progress. Stopped by the hobby store today and bought some plastic rod. I think I've got it cut to the right length for the forward mast. I still need to adjust the angle I think. I worked on the funnel too, it looks ok. I might remove the grille on the top and do something else with it. I thought I'd be able to use the parts provided for the AZ, but they don't fit and so are sticking up above the funnel. I got the quarter deck 3" guns installed too. The height using just the parts provided by Eduard wasn't tall enough, so I added another shim to bring them up some. I ordered the Five Star railing sets from Freetime, so as soon as those arrive I'll be able to add railing to the super structure.

[Mgunns]

Hello Abram:

Nice progress to date. A little trimming on the stack deflectors may make it look better and sit in the stack better as well.
You have 3" guns on the main deck. Did Pennsy have them there in 1941? It looks like you are doing it in that time frame. I was only aware of the two 3" guns in the two forward mounts, one each port and starboard. I am not certain about this, but no sure about the two on the main deck.

[ArizonaBB39]

Thanks Mark, the more I look at it the more the funnel bugs me, so I'm going to change that. I wasn't sure about the aft 3" guns, I just assumed they were there, but I could be wrong. I can't really find any useful pictures of this area from before the Mare Island pictures.

[Mgunns]

Hi Abram:

Here is a picture of Pennsylvania at 1010 Dock in about August of '41. You can see the tubs but no guns.



Hope this helps

[ArizonaBB39]

It is hard to tell for me if they're there or not, but it does look more like they aren't. Guess I'll have to pull them out of the tubs.

I got up the courage to put one of the boat cranes together after dinner. I was a little intimidated by them, but since there are several excellent pictures of them on Navsource I gave it a shot. It went together just fine, although I have no idea how to remove the cross booms off of the printing block Luckily the Eduard PE set comes with ones for Arizona that I can shorten.

Here are some pictures so far. (Notice how atrocious the funnel cap looks, definitely getting changed. I have to rebuild the extra pipes and whistles on the funnel too, I broke them off while cleaning it ) In some of the pictures you can see my old Arizona in the background and see how different the cranes were.

[ArizonaBB39]

And here's the crane at 90% complete. Just need to add some hand rails and ladders.

[ArizonaBB39]

So I swore I'd seen that picture you posted, Mark, in a book before so I was looking through my Pearl Harbor books and found it. It's much clearer than the scanned image and I'm almost certain there is a gun in the aft tubs with the gun barrel pointed almost straight up. You can see just the tip of the barrel over the large ventilator next to the turret. Since I'm convinced the guns were there I'll leave them for now.

[gott_cha]

Looking good Abram.. Those cranes are really the ticket

[ModelMonkey]

[Mgunns]

So I swore I'd seen that picture you posted, Mark, in a book before so I was looking through my Pearl Harbor books and found it. It's much clearer than the scanned image and I'm almost certain there is a gun in the aft tubs with the gun barrel pointed almost straight up. You can see just the tip of the barrel over the large ventilator next to the turret. Since I'm convinced the guns were there I'll leave them for now.

Hi Abram:

I would leave them there too. I can see what you are talking by looking at the picture, but; it is so cluttered it is hard to pick out any details. By the Mare Island photo's, that tub had been raised to a platform and the quad 1.1's had been installed. As I only got three guns in the set I ordered, I think I will leave them off. But; then again............

Your cranes are coming along nicely as well. They will definately enhance the appearance of the Pennsylvania.

[medicmike]

Abram, very sharp build. Looking forward to seeing the progress. I really like the 3D Model Parts pieces there! I can't wait to try out the ones I got for my Indianapolis.

[Dan K]

Agreed, very sharp work.

[ArizonaBB39]

Thanks for all the kind words guys. Hopefully I'll be able to get more done this weekend.