1/350 USS Arizona BB-39 (Hobby Boss)

I enjoyed building the Arizona. I really like the overall look of the ship but more so I felt building the model helped to remind me of my parent's generation's version of “9/11” and all that the Arizona has come to represent.

The build took me nearly 7 months on and off, a great winter project. The problems with this kit are already well documented on various ship model forums. I spent much more time covering up the kit’s flaws (the poorly located, highly visible seams, and poor molded on deck detail that needed to be sanded off and replaced) than I did on the small details that I did want to be seen. Online resources and model forums/galleries, including this one, were very helpful to me as a novice modeler (only my second ship model as an adult) and gave me some great ideas to help overcome the problems I encountered. Thanks to you all!  A special thanks to Charles Landrum for his online build of the Arizona. I found his finished model inspiring and his tips very helpful for a beginner like myself.

I used GMM PE Brass made for the Arizona as well as Tom’s Modelworks PE life boat racks also made for the Arizona. I was very happy with both of those PE products. The amount and complexity of the PE on this model far exceeded my first experience with PE on the USS Laffey.  I was very glad that I chose to take on the smaller Destroyer model first; otherwise the Arizona may have seemed a bit overwhelming. The primary lesson that I have learned so far is the virtue of patience and knowledge that it can be very beneficial to put down the project for a short while when it becomes particularly frustrating. I find it helpful to remind myself when I begin to lose perspective that “There is no deadline and I am doing this for fun”!

Overall I was fairly satisfied with the finished model and I learned a great deal.
 

Gallery updated 2012

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