by Bob Cicconi
1/700 USS Alchiba AKA-6 and the USS Ralph Talbot DD-390 (Battlefleet/Midship)
I've enclosed photos of my latest build, a diorama of the attack transport Alchiba being escorted to the Guadalcanal landings by the Ralph Talbot (DD-390) on August 7, 1942. I used the Battlefleet 1/700 premium edition Alchiba kit, and the Midship Models 1/700 USS Henley to make the Ralph Talbot. The Alchiba kit is very nicely cast and went together with very little extra work needed. I used the Gatormask set made especially for this kit to mask the modified measure 12 camo scheme, along with Gold Medal Ultra Railings, brass flagposts and antennas, and stretched sprue rigging. The Ralph Talbot was a little bit more involved, as it had 20mm gun tubs on each side of the stack, and a deck house under the funnel. I modified the funnel slightly, scratchbuilt the 20mm tubs, deck house, foremast and mainmast, and the K-gun charges, and used Gold Medal Ultra Railings and their USN DD/cruiser photo etch set along with their single 20mm guns. I used Paperlab enclosed 5" guns, and Corsair Armada open 5" mounts along with stretched sprue rigging. The measure 21 Navy Blue and the Alchiba's Ocean Gray and Navy Blue were all WEM Colourcoats. It was a fun build, but I couldn't have done it without help from Kenny Loup (masks), Dave Shadell (camo measure research), and Dick Jensen and Rick E. Davis (Ralph Talbot research and information).
