by Bob Nandell
1/600 USS St. Paul CA-73 (Aurora)
This is a very old Aurora model of the Baltimore Class heavy cruiser USS St. Paul, which is somewhere between 1/600 and 1/700 in scale. I recently re-built this early 1960's vintage model by converting it to water-line, and rebuilding parts of the superstructure. The Aurora models were notoriously inaccurate below the water line but look pretty good modified. Some missing parts were also replaced. A catapult was built out of the parts-box and another seaplane found to put on it. Aurora also made a U.S.S. Iowa kit to the same scale back in the late 1950's. Although nowhere near the quality of the Trumpeter 1/700 Baltimore class models now out, this old Aurora model holds the lines and shapes pretty well.
