USS South Dakota BB-57
by Paul Helfrich

1/700 USS South Dakota BB-57 (Hasegawa)

This is my build of the an old Hasegawa kit of the USS South Dakota. I found this in some old hobby shop stock priced at about $7, so it was DEFINITELY an older kit, at that price. I think it might have fallen behind some other stuff on the shelf.

Alone among her class, the South Dakota spent all of WWII in Measure 21 overall Navy Blue camouflage, so that's how I painted her, except I fudged a little on the deck blue. Consider that a very weathered deck blue.

The South Dakota was also the only ship in her class to mount only 8 5" gun turrets, 4 to a side. The others (Alabama, Massachusetts, and Indiana) all shipped 10, 5 to a side.

More American battleships are on the way...currently working on a USS Pennsylvania in her 1944 outfit, and have photos to send shortly of a pre-war Pennsylvania as well.