Gold Medal Models

1/350 Massachusetts/Alabama Photo-etch Set For the Trumpeter kits

Stock Number: 350-41

Reviewed By  Charles Landrum, IPMS# 26328

MSRP: $42 Available directly from Gold Medal Models or through retail outlets:    Gold Medal Models, 1412 Fisherman Bay Road, Lopez, WA 98261          website: www.goldmm.com I would like to thank Loren Perry for this review sample. These are heady years indeed if you are a fan of American battleships. Trumpeter has followed the release of their North Carolina Class battleship kit in 1/350 with their release of the South Dakota Class battleships Massachusetts and Alabama, also in 1/350. These ships, while more compact than the faster Iowa Class, bristled with armament and every available bit of deck space was crowded with equipment. A good PE set is need to bring out this type of detail. True to form Loren Perry has been close on their heels, releasing his latest set to complement the Trumpeter kits. This set is an 8 x 10 inch sheet, double relief-etched in .005-inch brass. As is his signature, there is little wasted space, every available section of brass is filled with details. As is the case with other GMM sets, this sheet allows you to build not only Massachusetts and Alabama but also the sister ships South Dakota and Indiana. The instruction sheet is a large, double sided 8-1/2 x 14 sheet that is clear and easy to follow. The location call outs and exploded view drawings are very helpful. Details Provided? · Lots of life rails, including pre-measured sections for the main decks including the upsweep for the steep bow angle. The main deck railings have the deck edge chocks (closed and open style) etched in and there are additional chocks to glue on either side for a better 3-D profile. Included are the transom rails from Massachusetts and Alabama. · Inclined and vertical ladders · Watertight doors, left and right handed and open doors included as well. · Aircraft catapults (with diamond tread detail!) and shuttles. · The aircraft recovery crane with rigging and strongback. · Aircraft propellers for the OS2U Kingfisher and SC-1 Sea Hawk floatplanes. · Finely detailed boat cranes with rigging with the earlier style for South Dakota and Indiana included. · Replacement fore and main yardarms with foot ropes, anemometers and rigging holes etched in. Included are doubler plates for greater thickness and strength. · Life raft netting and paddles. · SK, SK-2, SC-2, SG, SR, Mk. 3, Mk. 8, Mk. 12, Mk. 22, Mk. 27 and Mk. 37 radar antennas. · TDY ECM and two TBS antennas. · Details for 40mm and 20mm guns. · 5 in gun sights (very small!). · Cable reels. · Motor whaleboat detail and boat cradles. · Bridge awning and window frames. · Stokes litters (stretchers). · Many turnbuckles and eyebolts for rigging. · Capstan and brake wheels. · Hawse covers. · 2 Leadsman platforms. · Assorted hand wheels. · Life rings. This is another set with some exquisite detail in etching. The catapults and shuttles are his finest yet - such petite 3-D detail! The radars are very fine, very scale-like in appearance and will require a delicate touch. Other noteworthy details are the anchor details, the yardarms and the cranes. I particularly like the eyebolts and turnbuckles for rigging. So what is missing? Not much, he has added many of the smaller details missing in the North Carolina set. I still would like to see accommodation ladders and braces for the floatplanes, still this is a nit-pick given the fine detail provided. Assembly of the radars is complex, as were the originals, and will require a methodical approach and steady hand. Patience will be rewarded with jewel like results. The cranes and catapults are easier but again are eye-watering when assembled. This is another "must-have" set if you want to build this graceful class of fast battleship. It elicited a lot of excitement at a recent IPMS Tidewater meeting as members, including non-ship modelers, marveled at the detail and quality. The price is competitive with other manufacturer's sets, but given the fine engineering of the set, I would say that the price is a bargain. As always you will have many details left over for other projects. Highly recommended.

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