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USS Missouri by B-Ram - FINISHED - Revell - Scale 1:535 - PLASTIC


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Hello everyone. This will by my first attempt at a build thread. Also, this is my first attempt at a ship model in over forty years.

I thought I would start with a easy build, so I picked up Revell 1:535 USS Missouri. There is not a lot of detail on this model and I can't find that there is a photoetch set for this model. I started by working to get the hull and the deck to fit correctly. The froward area of the hull was bowed in, so I added extra tabs to the underside of the deck to make it fit. After gluing it up and lots of sanding, the hull/deck fit is starting to look better. The anchor chains were molded in, so I removed them to the chain plates and will replace them with metal chain.

Please let me know if I have started this thread correctly and please feel free to add any comments to my build. Oh yeah. I don't know a lot of ship terminology, so if I use the incorrect terms please let me know.

 

Bill

 

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Bill,

 

Welcome to the craziness (some call it art or passion...) of plastic scale ship modeling.  I built that Revell model some 50 years ago (when I was still a little kid) and it is not an easy model to go back into plastic modeling, after a long stop. After finishing that kit, you may be tempted to acquire a Tamiya kit of the USS Missouri for a more realistic and easier model to build.

I have posted a picture of the Revell kit I built, same model, different artwork: 

 

444381720_RevellH300-200Missvg.jpg.db5a9e51dc0a00bb6d4644e04838eec4.jpg

 

Yves

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Welcome, Bill!

 

Good to see you've started your build log - I'm looking forward to following it. You're off to a good start (and you've already started to "kit-bash" to take the model to a higher level than the kit provides - kudos for that!)

 

I've never built anything that complex in plastic - the only 20th century ships I ever made were Airfix kits of the ships that took part in the battle of the River Plate - Graf Spee, Exeter, Achilles and Ajax - but they were even smaller scale than yours (1:600) and that was a very long time ago. So I'm not able to give any advice, but you're probably right in going for 1:350 next, and looking at the build logs for these ships to see which ones are better to build.

 

As far as wooden models go, that question gets asked a lot and if you look at the threads on New Member Introductions you'll see a lot of good advice regarding what's a good "beginner's" model. Just don't do HMS Victory or Vasa as your first build!

 

 

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Welcome to the Returnee group which seems to grow everyday. As you have already learned, things from different plastics, paints, adhesives, etc. have changed a lot from what we had in our childhood. It sounds like you have the patience of age so enjoy yourself. Don't be afraid to make a mistake. It's just the learning curve. You can't make a bobo that one of us hasn't already made.

Much help is available on this and other websites.

Have fun, Harley

Cheers, Harley<p 

                     

 

Under Construction:       USS Curtis Wilbur DDG-54 1/200 by ILoveKit

Completed:                     F-35A 1/48 by Tamiya

                                        USS Atlanta CL-51 1/350 by Very Fire 

                                    Liberty Ship John W. Brown 1/350 by Trumpeter

                                    HMS Spiraea K-08 1/350 

                                    USS Arizona BB-39 1/200 by Trumpeter/Mk1 Design

                                 HMS Sir Gareth 1/350 by Starling Models

                                  USS Missouri BB-63 1945 1/350 by Joy-Yard, 9/11/21

                                  USS Indianapolis CA-35 1945 1/350 by Trumpeter

                                  USS Kidd DD-661, 1945, 1/350, on The Sullivans kit by Trumpeter

                                  USS Alaska CB-1, 1/350, Hobby Boss, Circa 2/1945

                          Brig Syren 1/64 Model Shipways, Wood

Started,On Hold:     Frigate Confederacy 1/64 Model Shipways, Wood

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Hello everyone.

A little progress. I'm working to correct the bow area. The ship doesn't have the opening for the mooring chains to go through, so I am adding them. Also there are two guns molded into the bow area. The pictures that I am using show that there no guns in that area. There may have been guns there at some time, but to be consistent through the build I am going with the pictures I have access to. The forward rail plate in the model is way too thick and miss-shaped. I am correcting that.

 

I am new to ships and I do not know a lot of ship terminology, so if I use the incorrect words to describe a part of a ship, please let me know what the correct terminology is. 

 

Thanks, Bill

 

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Odd scales like 1/535 were the result of designing kits to fit into a pre-determined box size and thus are often referred to as "box scales." I can remember building old Revell issues like this one when I was a kid; the modern plastic marvels in standardized scales of 1/250 and 1/350, along with their gobs of aftermarket upgrades, were largely unavailable at that time. There's a lot of nostalgia attached to these old kits, just as our fathers would have had in regards to the even older wooden kits that preceded them. 

Chris Coyle
Greer, South Carolina

When you have to shoot, shoot. Don't talk.
- Tuco

Current builds: Brigantine Phoenix, Hawker Hurricane

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Making progress, Bill. It probably feels very slow at the moment but each small advance is one step further towards the completed model. It's good to see how you're improving your model compared to what was provided in the kit.

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Not much to talk about right now. I have been spending a lot of time removing lots of flashing on the parts. Lots. I went to several of the local hobby shops near me and I was unable to find the paints I was looking for. With things the way they are now, it looks like many have taken up the model building hobby. Hopefully I have several more hobby shops in my area and I am sure I will find some paint. Interestingly, I have been looking for what I would like to build for my first wooden ship and have found that a lot of the companies that sells ships have quite a few of them on back order. My first attempt at building a wooden ship might take a little longer.

 

Bill

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7 hours ago, B-Ram said:

a lot of the companies that sells ships have quite a few of them on back order.

That seems to be the way of it, B-Ram. Apparently the model kit companies are experiencing unprecedented demand - it's probably not how they wanted to increase their profits, but . . . :unsure:

 

7 hours ago, B-Ram said:

Hopefully I have several more hobby shops in my area and I am sure I will find some paint.

Perhaps you can order it on-line if you can't get it any other way.

 

Unfortunately getting rid of flashing is one of the inevitable issues in plastic modelling. But as with all things, there comes a time when it's all done and you can move on to more interesting things.:)

 

 

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17 hours ago, B-Ram said:

I see if I can order a copy of the book

Good. I hope it's of use to you.

 

17 hours ago, B-Ram said:

I have been getting more done on the Missouri. I have gotten the guns all cleaned up and I have the major structures in place. 

Photos! We need photos! :D

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Hello everyone,

 

Time for a update. The ship is built for the most part. This is really a basic model. There are only 74 pieces to the model and did not pose many challenges to build. I wish there would have been a photo etch set, but I could not locate one. Overall, the ship went together well. As I mentioned before, the biggest part of the work was to remove the flash around the parts. Every part had to be cleaned up before I could put it into place. I'm going to start on adding the detail. I'm sure I will spend most of my work on this.

 

I apologize for the content of this build. This is my first thread and I am not sure as to what content I should be including. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please feel free to let me know.

 

Thanks,  Bill

 

thumbnail.jpg.a5b3d3e1b58d77cf2a925b1cbec8fa0f.jpg 

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My first memory of modeling is my Dad's build of a basic, gray plastic kit of the Missouri - just like yours - no extras and no paint.  He built it on a folding card table set in the corner of our dining room.  My height at that time put my eyes just on level with the table's top.  With my vision skimming the table's surface I watched all the parts go together. (I still have the table.)  The model was a mysterious thing to me; bristling with guns like a coating of course fur.  He told me the big guns were 16 inchers.  Of course, I thought that was the length of the barrels and it made no sense when he told me the ship was hundreds of feet long.  It was years before I understood he was talking about the gun's bore diameter. 

 

My Dad was a WWII Army engineer in the Pacific.  Though he never told me why, it was many years later when I finally understood why he built a model of that particular ship, the ship that witnessed the Japanese surrender and what the Missouri meant to him. 

 

Thanks for the photo.      

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Hello everyone

I had the opportunity to go to the craft store and pick some supplies. I was able to find some very fine chain. I think this will be the perfect size for anchor chain. Also, I was able to get several sizes of wire 26 & 28 gauge. I am going to try to build handrail with these, if the size looks correct.

 

Bill

 

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Hello again,

 

I forgot to mention earlier about painting. For this model, I have painted most of the gray areas after completed the majority of the ship, The 16" guns were painted separately and have not been glued into place yet. I left the 16" guns off to allow access to paint the deck areas. I have found for me, it is better to glue most of the model together and paint the largely completed model. I have found that when I paint the pieces separately and then glue the pieces into place I have to do a lot of touch up painting. I will paint the hull below the water line near the end of work.

 

Bill

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16 hours ago, B-Ram said:

I am not sure as to what content I should be including.

Not a problem, but if you have any photos of the intermediate steps between the completed hull and the previous post, that would be great.

 

She looks very good.

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Hello everyone,

 

I have been working to replace the anchor chains. The chains that were molded into the deck were way too big and out of scale. Also, the chains did not go around the pulleys. In replacing the chains, it was necessary to replace the pulleys that the chains go around.

 

Bill

 

Mo12.jpg.0d757ff91f17f244e01012f64b4619b7.jpg

 

 

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Hello Yves,

 

Thank you for the kind words. One thing that I am noticing, after getting back into modeling, is I am finding myself figuring out how I should do things after I did it wrong. It's getting me back into the model building thought mode. The most important thing though is that I am enjoying the process.

 

Bill

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I have started painting the deck. This will take some time to complete. I have thinking and I don't think there would have been an easier was to accomplish this. As you can see on the aft area, I started painting the deck with Tamiya Wood Deck Tan. Way too light. I changed to Model Master Dark Tan. That looks better. I will go over the aft deck area with the Model Master, but I want the paint to dry well before adding a second coat. Also, the Tamiya is an acrylic paint and I did not like the way it was laying down. This was the first time I have tried to use an acrylic brush paint and I'm not so sure about it.

 

Bill

 

Mo15.jpg.2e7541421af9716bba23b90df8850284.jpg

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It's looking very good.

 

If you work out how to do things right the first time, can you tell me? :default_wallbash: It would be nice not to have to think Aaaargh! If only I'd done it that way first! Still happens far too often.

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Hello everyone,

 

Well, I've gotten most of the work finished. I still have some detail work to do and I still have to paint the waterline and below. I am still waiting on some paint so I can finish that. It did not turn out too bad. It was something to get me started again. Now I will be looking forward to starting my next build.

 

Thanks to everyone that looked in.

 

Bill

 

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Thanks for the kind words. It was a somewhat frustrating model to build. When I bought the model, I did not know that the molds were made in the early 1950's. I think that explains a lot about the model. One interesting point was that there were numerous holes in the deck, as if they were going to details to the ship.

 

Well, off to my next build. I'm hooked!

 

Thanks,

Bill

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