by Paul Helfrich
1/700 USS Missouri BB-63 (Fujimi)
Given that I have a fairly large model collection, you might be surprised to learn that this is only my 2nd Iowa-class battleship (the other is my 1/720 modern USS New Jersey).
This is the Fujimi USS Missouri, a classic kit from the original waterline series. It's a straightforward out-of-the-box build, showing the ship in Measure 22, as she appeared in 1945.
The final picture compares the Missouri to her contemporaries and main rivals, the German Bismarck and the Japanese Musashi. The Iowa-class ships were probably the best combination of firepower, armor, and speed of the three.
I enjoyed this kit very much. It builds up very nicely. I just received two of the new Trumpeter modern Iowa-class kits (the 1984 Iowa and the 1991 Missouri) as birthday presents and I'm looking forward to tackling them in the new year.
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