Yep, you read that correctly. A USN, not an IJN, build.
I’ve been planning to build a cage mast version of one of the Big Five ever since Trumpeter released its 1/700 Maryland kit back in 2013. Actually 2012, since I did see the sample kit on the Trumpeter table at the IPMS Nationals in Orlando. Very exciting. Now seems as good a time as any to build one.
It’s been more than 50 years since I first read my father’s copy of “Day of Infamy” (right next to “A Night To Remember” on the bookshelf). That book entranced me and introduced me to a whole side of WWII that I barely knew existed. I was as taken by the descriptions and photos of the American battlefleet and their fight as I was by those of the Japanese attackers. Building every BB on Battleship Row was beyond my skills back then; one could sort of modify the classic Revell Arizona to cover the Pennsylvanias and Nevadas, but that was about it. For me, anyway. But, I never lost my fascination for the standard battleships.
Originally, I thought I would build Maryland 1941. For some reason, she seems the epitome of this type to me. But, I wasn’t quite ready to tackle the oversized bulges of the kit, given the number of recent projects that I’ve worked on that required extensive re-working or scratch-building. I wanted to start with a build that looked to be fairly straightforward, without major corrections. Any improvements and upgrades could come from photo-etch and 3D printed parts.
I decided on California, since the kit seems very straightforward. Extras included a Five Star Photoetch set for Maryland (knowing that not everything could be used), replacement cage masts, tops, directors and small weapons from 3D Model Parts, a deck mask from Hunter, alternate photoetch from Tom’s, 14”/ 5.51”/ 5.25” brass barrels from Master Models, and the 5.25” weapons set from the Finemolds Nanodread line. I was curious about the various alternative weapons and figured I would just see which might be the best. The same will be true for catapults and fighting tops.
Further into the thread, I will go into a little more detail about certain aspects of the kits and builds that I think worth noting. For now, I just wanted to get the thread going, and display the current status of the builds.
I should mention that I ended up with two builds because I discovered that the waterline plate is 1mm too short to properly fair it to the hull without a ton of corrective work. I also found the styrene of the plate harder to work than expected. I was so frustrated by this first attempt that I bought a WeeVee kit (which has the same hull) in order to swap hulls. I cut the new waterline plate in half, faired it to the new hull, and filled in the gap with styrene strip.
But, I’m also very stubborn, and I ended up correcting the first hull to a satisfying point. Hence, two builds, and the purchase of a lot more aftermarket stuff.
Both ships will be in Measure 1 using a custom mix of Tamiya colors, and I’ll share some thoughts on that as well. The decks are also covered with a custom paint mix with a wash.
In these pics, WeeVee is painted with the custom mix for modified 5-D, the one with a tinge of blue. It’s interesting how different lighting changes the color ever so slightly. The overhead photo is the most representative version of my 5-D mix as it appears to my eye.
California is wearing a base coat of XF-63 German Grey, which was the starting point for my mix, but isn’t really dark enough to my eye to use as 5-D.
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In all seriousness, Dan, great work as always! 
