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John Healy
151 articles

1/700 USS Maryland BB-46

November 9, 2015 · in Ships · · 12 · 3.2K

This is the recent kit, which was apparently developed by Pit-Road in Japan. I love ships and ship models, but being PE challenged, they usually don't love me. This is the first one that I feel that I've finished to a decent enough standard to show off. It actually won an award at our local show over the past weekend. It represents at the time of the Pearl Harbor attack. The cage masts are aftermarket 3D printed parts from Blue Ridge Models in Georgia. I also shaved off the molded on anchor chains and replaced them with fine model RR chains. The dark gray is from a 40 year old tin of Humbrol German Panzer Gray, the light gray is Humbrol 147, and I did the decks with a combination of Tamiya deck tan washed with various Humbrol brown enamels. I added basic generic railings and some simple rigging. I made the water with acrylic gel over acrylic paint on a Hardware store sign board that I stained. I plan on replacing the rigging with EZ line. There she is, now to build the other two ships in the class, Colorado and West Virginia!

Reader reactions:
2  Awesome

6 additional images. Click to enlarge.


12 responses

  1. Nice work, John...I like it.

  2. Looks great John, the light wood deck really stands out against the dark grey paint work. Nice base as well.

    • Thank you, Richard. It's a very modeler friendly scheme for the reason you state. It is called "Measure 1". It was the first of nine camouflage schemes introduced by the USN just prior to WW2.

  3. The water effect is convincing. I think this past weekend at Telford I must have seen 100 ship models, naturally most of them modelled on water, half-hull. There are as many ways to model water as there are modellers, and it's always good to see a new 'take' on the effect.

    • Thanks Rob! The photos from Telford always impress me and it looks like a great time. I've discussed going on a UK vacation with Mrs. Healy in a future November so that I can attend for at least one day. Some great news there this year from Airfix regarding the HP Victor.

  4. Nice work John.
    Well done mate.

  5. Very nice!

    "E-Z Line" ?

    Hmmm I may have to check into that, the rigging on the ship I posted yesterday was done with "Diff-E-Cult Line"...i was thinking there has to be a better way. Maybe there is.

  6. John, I didn't know there was a Maryland available, thanks for posting it. Thinking I ought to get one, since I live there, and the real thing is long since reduced to various other things.
    The ships silver is in the collections of the Maryland Historical Society, though no longer on display.
    Good job on her, before her forced modernization, post Pearl Harbor.

    • Thanks Bernard! Pit Road/Trumpeter are rapidly kitting every last big gun ship for WW2. Check out any of the online shops. California is the only one of the "Big 5" that isn't available, but it's due in January. You can get most of these ships in either 1941 or modernized form.

  7. John, thanks! Being an airplane guy, I had no idea. The choice of pre or post 1941 is appealing. Basket masts!

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