Reviewed January 2022
by Martin J Quinn

Other new features were the US Navy’s first triple turrets, geared turbines and oil-fired boilers. Nevada’s role in World War 1 was mainly training and convoy escort. Between 1927 and 1930, Nevada was modernized with tripod masts replacing her original “cage” masts and many other changes. Few further changes were made to her before December 1941.

Early on December 7, 1941, Nevada was in the process of changing boilers in use for harbor service and so had two boilers lit when the attack came. This allowed her to get underway – the only battleship to do so. Nevada was hit by one torpedo in the first wave and was hit by several bombs in the second wave. The cumulative damage was severe enough for Nevada to be ordered not to leave Pearl Harbor and was instead grounded. Sixty of Nevada’s crew were killed in the attack. The ship was credited with shooting down four Japanese aircraft.

Nevada was repaired and extensively modernized in 1942 and participated in combat operations in Alaska, Normandy, Southern France, Iwo Jima and Okinawa. After the war Nevada was used in the atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll. She was painted bright orange and was the target of the first bomb. Nevada survived both bomb test and was finally sunk off Hawaii by US gunfire. 

Her wreck was discovered in May, 2020, three miles deep, some 65 miles southwest of Honolulu, Hawaii. 

This history comes from the kit instructions.  For more on Nevada, see her Naval History and Heritage Command page here.  

The Tom's Modelworks Nevada

On the heels of the 80th anniversary of the Japanese sneak-attack on Pearl Harbor, Tom's Modelworks has produced; in collaboration with 3D Model Parts, Kraken Hobbies, Model Monkey, Corsair Armada and ProtoExpert3D; a 1/700 model of the USS Nevada (BB-36), the only US battleship to get underway that fateful December morning.

The kit is boxed in a sturdy white flip-top box, with evocative artwork of Nevada at sea, accompanied by other Pacific Fleet battleships, on the lid.  The contents are well packaged, with everything, from hull and parts, to photo-etch, secured in separate plastic bags.   This kit is a true multi-media kit, using brass, resin and 3D printed parts.

The hull - which was re-mastered by Corsair Armada from what was originally an HP models hull - appears to scale out pretty much perfectly in length and beam.  It's solidly cast in light gray resin, with good details and only minimal flash.  The planking is a little over scale, but the details are generally pretty good, especially the bollards and the deck winches, as well as the detail on cast portion of the vegetable locker. 

On the other hand, the chocks look a little undefined and perhaps (at least to my eye) somewhat under scale, the portholes - especially on the starboard side - aren't consistent, and the upper deck sags slightly in the center of the hull.  This sag should be hidden by the boat deck, but might result in a seam where the aft end of the boat deck fits to the hull. 

The ships boats are provided by ProtoExpert3D.   There are 13 boats included, from a 26' motor boat to a 50' launch.  Detail is good with planking visible on the inside of the open boats and launches.    There are raised "hand rails" on the motor launches and each boat has a rudder included. 

• 2 Mk 19 directors
• 4 3in/50 cal gun mounts and barrels
• 8 5in/25 cal gun mounts and barrels
• 10 5in/51 cal gun mounts and barrels
• 8 .50cal machine gun mounts and barrels

3D Modelparts has been around for awhile, and these parts are up to their usual standards. 

• 2 3in AA gun tubs
• 2 Twin 14in main battery turrets
• 2 Twin 14in main battery gun barrels
• 2 Triple 14 in main battery turrets
• 2 Triple 14in main battery gun barrels
• 1 Foremast top with closed windows
• 1 Mainmast top with closed windows
• 1 Foremast top with open windows
• 1 Mainmast top with open windows

These parts are all well done, with nice printed details.   The turrets have subtle details on the turret roofs, while the main battery has open muzzles.   The details are also quite nice on the 3in AA gun tubs - especially the supports on the underside of these tubs.   But it's the spotting tops that really shine.   Here you'll find subtle surface details and two versions to choose from:  a set with closed windows and a set with open windows.    I'm particularly impressed with the open window versions of the spotting tops.  The legs of the tripods are visible through the lower level windows and the finesse of the window frames, especially those around the top level, are very very impressive.  

• Boat deck sides
• Boat deck
• Signal bridge
• Pilot House
• Air Defense platform
• Funnel
• Foremast tripod with machine gun platform
• Main mast lower tripod
• Main mast upper tripod
• Main mast MG platform (aka "birdbath")

Also included are anchors, 36in and 24in searchlights, 20ft and 12ft rangefinders, saluting guns and paravanes. 

The boat deck sides are printed separately from the boat deck.  This was done to facilitate the placement of the 5in/51cal weapons inside their casements.  The bulkheads are thin, with details such as portholes and watertight doors.  Also captured correctly is the bulkhead in the center of the casements.  On the Nevada and Pennsylvania classes, this section sloped outward, from top to bottom.   This is the first kit that I've seen that gets this feature correct.  The top of the vegetable locker is also included here.  This has some nice vent detail on the port side, and an opening on the starboard side for a photo-etch screen. 

The planking on the boat deck matches that of the hull.  So, while it's a little overscale, they match, and it looks ok.  Other features on the boat deck include thin splinter shields for the 5in/25cal AA guns, skylights, open hatches into the deck below and the movie projector booth, which has some nice details on it.  Also, though it's hard to see through all the printing supports, it appears that the undersides of the boat deck are properly broken into separate compartments.

The funnel has nice surface details, baffles across the top of the smoke pipe and really nice piping. 

The signal bridge is one piece, and has such features as a compass, periscopes on top of the armored conning tower and small searchlight platforms.   There are some print lines visible, but will most likely disappear under a coat of paint. 

The pilot house has open windows and details on the inside, including a compass and a chart table, while the air defense platform has thinly printed splinter shields and W/T doors.  Here too you'll find some faint print lines, but again, I suspect they'll vanish under a coat of paint. 

The main mast tripod is separated into two parts - an upper and lower section, split at the searchlight platform.   There are supports printed to the underside of the platforms.

The foremast tripod is one piece, with an integral machine gun platform.  The MG platform has nice thin shields.   Both tripods have the brace for the rangefinder clock included, though the top part of the brace on the mainmast was broken off in my kit.

The smaller parts are all very small, sharply printed, especially the anchors and saluting guns.  The latter are very delicate with thin barrels. 

The parts from Tom's Modelworks include:

• 2 boat cranes
• 3 Vought OS2U Kingfisher
• 1 Catapult Machinery part
• 1 Aircraft crane strong-back

The boat cranes are especially well done, with rivet detail on the crane arm and brace, which may actually be over scale, but is still impressive looking.  The trusses on the brace from the kingpost to the crane arm are printed open, which is a nice touch. 

The Kingfishers, printed in a funky green color, look the part.  The struts for the wing floats do look a little oversized, and there are some print lines visible on the wings. 

The part that replicates the catapult machinery is a nice touch.  It, and the aircraft crane strong-back, are extremely delicate. 

Nevada comes with five photo-etch frets, of varying sizes.  Among the items included are:

• Main deck catapult sides and bottom
• Main deck catapult top
• Catapult aircraft trolley
• Bow rails
• Main deck rails
• Forecastle deck generic railing
• Aircraft crane pulley
• Vegetable locker grill
• Mainmast leg ladders
• Jackstaff
• Flagstaff
• Foretop yardarm braces
• Maintop yardarms
• Main topmast
• Fore topmast
• Aft boat booms
• Turret catapult support structure
• Catapult rails

The photo-etch is all up to TMW usual standards.  Some of the parts that stand out to me are the relief etched vegetable locker screen and the entirely new catapult on fret 7107.  There's also some additional parts included, like a spare aircraft dolly, which will allow you to pose one of the Kingfishers on the deck. 

The instructions, which are 25 page long, are quite extensive. In addition to a parts manifest - that, as mentioned, shows parts broken out by the collaborating partner - there are clear step by step instructions on how to assemble your Nevada, including many historical photos for reference.   At the end of the instructions is a color rendering, showing Nevada as she looked on the morning of December 7, 1941, in overall Measure 1 camouflage, with a Measure 5 false bow wave.  These instructions are really well done.   Here's a selection of some of the pages from the instructions.

Overall, I think this is a really nice model of "The Cheer Up Ship", and an ingenious way to update an older release with new technology.  While the re-mastered hull is decent, it's the 3D printed parts that really make this release shine.  The quality of the 3D printed parts included in the kit is very, very good.  There is also an extensive, high-quality photo-etch set and a very robust set of instructions.  In summary, there is a lot to like, and it won't break the bank.  Highly recommended!

This is Tom's Modelworks’s 1/700 USS Nevada, kit number 700-11. The model lists for $110.00 and is available directly from Tom's Modelworks, who I'd like to thank for this review sample.