Well I finally got recieved my kits for the Group and Campaign today. Decided to to build the South Dakota for the Group Build and a Massachusetts for the Campaign. Keel is being laid for the South Dakota today.. FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!
I decided to go with the Hasegawa 1/700 Waterline Series kits for 3 reasons..
1: They are easily obtained... Well suppoose to be anyway.
2: They are affordable.
3: They will look stupid mounted on a piece of wood so I will be forced to put them in water. Something that will be a first for me.. If you gonna try something might as well shoot high.. Right??

Ok here is the part that got me to bang my head on the bench and ask why??!!!!!
The first impression I got was. Man these boxes are very very small.. I mean i can fit the entire box in the hull of my 1/350 Missouri but hey it is 1/700 so we can live with that.

I open the South Dakota's box and look the parts are neatly done no flash.. According to my refs the box are and kit are correct ( at least to my amatuer's eyes) of the armament layout on her. More on that in a minute. I look at the decals.. and there is enough for 2 Ships.. The South Dakota and the Alabama.. I find that a bit odd but I get to thinking... Maybe just maybe I got a shot at this....

Now from what I can tell... and I may be wrong here but looking at the Alabama and South Dakota there are huge differances that just jump right out and bite ya.. for instance..
The SD had three High angle turrets foward of the number one turret.. Alabama/ Massachusetts didn't.
The SD had four AA guns one turret number 2 ALA and MASS didn't...
The SD had four 5 inch guns around her bridge.. ALA/ Mass had five...

Those are basically the biggest things that jumped out at me.. I know there is more but that is what I saw immediately.

So going on the theory that if Hasegawa thinks that you can turn a SD into an ALA maybe they think you can turn an ALA into a Mass.. right?????

Well I open the ALA look around same quality of parts correct number and types of armament I look at the decals and it is the SAME ONE THAT WAS IN THE SOUTH DAKOTA!!!!!! My head immediately hits the bench!!!!!!!! Why in the world would they think if you put a South Dakota kit out that someone would buy an Alabama and turn it into a South Dakota... When Big Mamie and the Alabama look like twins from what I can see on the outside.... I now have two kits of different BB's with a world of diffeances but the same decals..
So after a couple of minutes banging my head on the bench.. I think I may have cleared my despair. I get to looking and it hits me...
According to the decals the SD was BB57 and the ALA was BB60. I can take the 5 from the 57 and the 6 from the 60 turn it upside down and get 59 hey BB59 that was Big Maimie.. All may not be lost.. then I get to thinking... there i got again making that mistake again... Get to looking harder..

I have yet to figure out how to spell M A S S A C H U S E T T S .... out of the Letters S O U T H D A K O T A.. A L A B A M A..... but I am working on it.......

Ok rant over... I am going back to the bench now.. Stop that thinking thing that usually gets me into trouble and build these beauties..
Progress reports due out later...

Paul

Don't Give Up the Ship!!!!! #:-) SkyWave/PitRoad I think has at least 1 pack of decals for WW2 and Post War ships. I think that they include our BB's, BC's, and CA's. Hasagawa and Tamiya have a habit of setting up their molds with alternate parts and drill out mounting holes to make sisterships from the same basic molds. Examples include Scharnhorst/ Gneisnau, King George 5/ Prince of Wales, and Rodney/ Nelson.
Other than the different 5" fit, ships toward the end of the war were practically stuffed to the gun'ls with light and medium flak in every spot that could be safely done. The outfit for the Massachusetts would be as she was in '42 when she supported the landings in Morocco and French North Africa---shooting it out with the partially completed, Vichey controlled French battleship Jean Bart.

Keep up posted Paul. Especially try to post pictures when possible.

No worries guys there will be no abandoning any ships at all.. Pics will be posted as progress is made on both ladies..The Campaign starts tomorrow.... Thanks BlueBear for the lettering info.. Hopefully I can find a set, but I figured the bow number should be enough for now at the 1/700 scale I can barely read the letters anyway.. I will check on it though cause it will bother me...

Ok Gents I am going back to the micro-surgery and hopefully the brass set I ordered for them will be in soon as well..

Paul