Reviewed by Timothy Dike |
| The USS Oklahoma was the only other Nevada
class battleship built. She was a 27,500 ton battleship with her
ten 14" guns distributed in two triple turrets and two twin turrets.
She was commissioned in May 1916 and joined up with her sister ship to
protects European bound convoys during world war two.
Oklahoma was modernised in the late 20's and emerged with a fit nearly
identical to sistership Nevada. Oklahoma was eventually assinged to the
Pacific Fleet and was ther moored outboard of Maryland when the Japanese
attacked on December 7th. She was one of the first causulaties when the
bombs started to fall taking three torpedos right off the bat. With most
of her watertight doors open, flooding was uncrontrolable and the ship
imeadiately started listing to port. Even as she was sinking two more torpedos
struct sealing her fate and she rolled over into the mud of the harbor.
Many of those who were able to escape clammered up onto the Maryland and
helped man the anti aircraft guns. Unfortunately many were trapped below
decks and over 400 men lost their lives aboard the Oklahoma that
day.
The ship was eventually salvaged, but the damage was so extensive that
she was stripped of useful gear and decommissioning 1 September 1944. She
was sold for salvaging and was to be towed to San Francisco, but the tow
line parted and she sank May 47 while 540 miles out.
Oklahoma received 1 battle star for World War II service.
This new kit from Midship is actually the old Classic
Warships kit. New molds have been made from the master and new parts
have been added. The kit depicts the ship during 1941 and is perfect for
Dec 7th.
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| HULL |
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| The hull is nicely cast with lots of surface detailing.
Casting is pretty good on this ship with only minor cleanup needed. The
distinct lines of the ship are well done and the old deck level casements
are cleanly cast. The kit features nice bow detailing with cast on anchor
chain and pronounced hawse pipes. The deck features nice wood planking
and there is a gutter that runs along the perimeter that will be helpful
when you apply the photo etch railings. |
click images
to enlarge
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| This is the same hull as used on the Midship Nevada.
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| SUPERSTRUCTURE |
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| The rest of the superstructure and the fighting tops are cast on resin
wafers. Casting quality is pretty good with some flat sanding needed to
completely remove the excess resin. But the other parts are well done although
a little lacking in wall details such as doors and portholes. |
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| This kit shares a lot of common part with the Nevada
with only one platform as indicated on the instructions being different.
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| MAIN GUNS |
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| Main guns are well done with resin cast gun barrels. Note the gun barrels
while individually cast elevated as a set so keep that in mind when building
your ship. The 5" 25 cal guns are the same as those used in many of the
old Classic Warships kits and current Midship kits and while they are well
cast they are not correctly shaped. They are probably good enough for most
modelers but you might consider replacing them with Corsair Armada versions. |
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| SHIPS BOATS |
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| Three of the larger whale boats and two covered launches are
provided cast in resin. Detail is pretty good and these will just need
the casting gate removed from the stern and some minor cleanup. |
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| WEAPONS SPRUE X2 |
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| This kit features two of the MidShip standard weapons sprues to supply
the small weapons and fittings. The rafts are molded in two styles and
are both nicely done. This will supply the small weapons as
well as give you a bunch of extra spare parts you can use for other projects. |
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| METAL PARTS |
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| There are a number of parts that are supplied cast in white metal.
These include the cranes, main and secondary gun directors. There are also
two Kingfisher float planes and some 3" guns. These are pretty good with
a little flash that needs to be cleaned up. |
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| PHOTO ETCH |
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| A photo etch fret is supplied to add the fine details to this kit.
These include nice aircraft catapults, and cranes. Inclined ladders and
lots of railings are provided. These parts are relief etched to help give
them a 3D appearance. This is a complete fret and really enhances this
kit. |
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| There is also a length of plastic and brass rod included
to fabricate the tripod legs for the fighting tops.
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| DECALS |
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| The decal sheet is a real treat and includes flags and pennants as
well as both prewar and early and late war hull numbers. These are printed
by Microscale and are typical of the high quality decals they usually produce.
They are nicely registered and sharp. |
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| INSTRUCTIONS |
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| The instructions are eight pages with a bill of materials,
subassembly views and exploded views.
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| CONCLUSIONS |
|
 This
kit is one of the best Midship resin kits on the market. It was very good
when Classic Warships first released it and Midship
made it even better with photo etch and other new parts. This kit and the
the sister ship Nevada
are your best bet for a full Pearl Harbor battle line. This one has a list
price is $100 US. But I found it for $75 online. A good price when you
consider the complete photo etch, sharp decals, extra weapons sprues, and
an overall well cast kit. These kits are available now at Pacific
Front and Freetime
Hobbies. |
