Reviewed by Timothy Dike |
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| The USS Arizona was one of two Pennsylvania
class battleships built during the first world war. She was modernized
between the wars and was at her berth when war came to the United States
on December 7th 1941. She will always be remembered for the tremendous
loss of life that occurred when she was hit by a Japanese bomb that detonated
her forward magazine. The Arizona sank immediately and to this day lies
on the bottom of Pearl Harbor, a permanent memorial for those who gave
their lives in defense of their country.
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.
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| HULL | |||||||||||||||||
| The hull is nicely cast with lots of surface detailing. There is nice deck planking, lots of bits and deck winches and nice anchor chain detailing. I am not a big fan of cast on anchor chain, but it looks like the master used real chain so the result is pretty good. |
to enlarge |
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Splinter shields are well done and there is a lot of surface
detailing present. The hull on this kit is the same as the one used in
the
Pennsylvania.
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| SUPERSTRUCTURE | |||||||||||||||||
| Overall the superstructure parts are pretty well cast with some flat sanding needed to get rid of the resin over pour and bring the decks back to a realistic thickness. Notice the distinct differences than those in the Pennsylvania kit. |  |
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The fighting tops are well done with window frame details
cast on. Some of the main mast platforms have gusset details cast on. The
bridge part will need some work as there is a piece of resin from what
looks like a mold tear that will have to be sanded off.
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| MAIN GUNS | |||||||||||||||||
| 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 | |||||||||||||||||
| A couple of the larger whale boats are provided cast in resin. Detail is pretty good and these will just need the casting gate removed from the stern. |  |
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| WEAPONS SPRUE X2 | |||||||||||||||||
| 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 | |||||||||||||||||
| There are a number of parts that are supplied cast in white metal. These include the cranes, and main and secondary gun directors. There are also two Kingfisher float planes. Some of these parts a bit flashy and will need some clean up. |  |
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| PHOTO ETCH | |||||||||||||||||
| 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 | |||||||||||||||||
| 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 | |||||||||||||||||
The instructions are six pages with a bill of materials,
subassembly views and exploded views. Note quite as extensive as those
in the Nevada / Oklahoma
kits.
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| CONCLUSIONS | |||||||||||||||||
 This
kit is in my opinion, the most accurate Arizona kit on the market today.
That probably won't change the minds of those who only build plastic kits,
but this kit is just what you need to do a 1941 Arizona. I am glad
that Midship continues to upgrade these old Classic Warships kits. This
one has a list price is $100 US. But I found it for $75 online. Hard to
justify compared to the plastic kits at a fraction of the cost, but those
who appreciate the extra detail that resin offers will like it. These kits
are available now at Pacific
Front and Freetime
Hobbies. |
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