by John Leyland
1/700 USS Minneapolis CA-36 1938 (Combrig)
The model depicts USS Minneapolis as flagship of CRUDIV SIX in 1938. My main purpose in building this model was to illustrate the method of underway recovery of the SOC floatplanes. The tail code color for CRUDIV SIX was black, and as flagship the section color of the aircraft was red. As we all know now, the ship should have black stripes on both forward 8in. turrets and a red circle (like a hinomaru) on the aft turret. At the time the photos were taken, this subject was in a state of lively debate. I have since added the proper markings. The flag hoists are "Foxtrot" port and stbd to signify "I am operating aircraft" and the "Cast" (now called Charlie) flag on the side the aircraft is to be taken aboard. The reference below is a first hand report by a man who is obviously intimately familiar with the process
http://www.pacificwar.org.au/Midway/RalphWilhelm/SOCrecovery.html
I feel the Combrig kit of Minneapolis is excellent, suitable for anyone who wants to try a resin model. I used Gold Medal Models photoetch in preference to the kit PE for cranes and catapults as well as for the usual stairs, ladders, rails etc. I prefer Tom's Modelworks crew figures, as they are easy to bend to poses and "fill out" with "green stuff" thinned with Testors liquid cement. I like the Paper Lab brand of metal castings for searchlights and 26ft. motor whaleboats. The water base is Liquitex acrylic gel medium painted with Testor's Model Master enamels and coated with Future.
