USS Massachusetts
by David Hill

1/350 USS Massachusetts BB-59 (Trumpeter)

This is my Trumpeter 1/350 scale USS Massachusetts as she looked after her refit in July 1944 at the Puget Sound Navy Yard, the kit has the ship in a post war configuration which meant some scratch building would be needed to backdate her to a wartime fit.

Here is list of my scratch built and/or modified parts.

Scratch built parts:

• 40mm gun tubs
• 20mm splinter shields
• Spare anchor cut out in deck/hull
• Fore and Mainmasts
• 20mm platform on starbord base of funnel
• Mk.51 director tubs...(to resemble their wartime apperance)
• Steroscopic rangefinder on conning tower
• Details under #2 Main Turret
• 4 pipes at rear of funnel made from .050" styrene rod drilled out

Modified parts:

• The L' Arsenal twin 5" mounts ( PE hatches and .010" styrene rod)
• Three pulleys added to aircraft crane to more resemble Massachusetts'
• All molded on W/T doors sanded off and replaced with PE doors.
• 16" gun blastbags covered with facial tissue.
• Mk.51 gun directors

Aftermarket parts:

• GMM USS Massachusetts PE set
• Tom's USS Massachusetts PE set
• WEM USN doors and hatches PE set
• WEM 40mm ammo racks (for Tamiya Missouri)
• L'Arsenal Mk.37 directors
• L'Arsenal 40 and 20mm AA gun sets
• L'Arsenal 5"/38 brass barrels
• L'Arsenal Twin 5" mounts
• BMK 16" brass barrels
• Anchor chain made from costume jewelry chain

Referance material:

• USS Massachusetts Tech. Referance 2 by Randall Shoker
• USS Massachusetts Ship's data book
• 1/500 scale drawing from Ship's data book enlarged to 1/350 scale
• Walkaround photo tours by Sean Hert, Dave Lockhart, Rob Mackie and Robert Theriaque
• Navsource website

While Trumpeter's Massachusetts had some problems: the hull halves needed alot of filler and sanding to get the hull smooth..the weapons were horrible and need replacement with aftermarket ones, and the same bad main turrets found on North Carolina... I found that the overall fit of the kit was pretty good!

WEM colourcoat enamels was used on the model which was almost entirely painted by airbrush, and I used UNI-Caenis thread and Halloween mask hair for the model's rigging, the display case was built by me and small oak spindles were painted gold and finished off with 3 coats of automotive clear.

I really liked this kit and had alot of fun building her, I would buy this kit again mabe modeling a early war Mass. or a late war South Dakota.

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