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U.S.S Arizona....Please Help
Posted: Friday, November 24, 2006 - 12:59 PM UTC
Hi all, hoping you can help on this one because im pretty stuck. I am wanting to "backdate" the Arizona to the time when she had the steel cage masts instead of the tri-pod's she had the day the attack on pearl happened.

I have looked if anyone is offering it, but am not typing it in correctly or...well...you can guess the rest.

If someone has an answer that can help me out, i appreciate it. Thanks .
gator
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Posted: Friday, November 24, 2006 - 07:49 PM UTC
Ahoy Spades! SmileyCentral.com
Here's is a link to Tom's Modelworks. They carry 1/350 cage mast and cranes in PE.
tom's 1/350 Cage mast

Gator
Posted: Friday, November 24, 2006 - 09:28 PM UTC
Thanks Kenny for the link. Now, 1 last question, aside from the cage masts, she was pretty much the same ship throughout her career, correct ???

Thanks again.
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Posted: Friday, November 24, 2006 - 09:55 PM UTC
Here you go. Some of the best reference photos on the Arizona. The span from construction to Pearl Harbor.

USS Arizona

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MartinJQuinn
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Posted: Sunday, November 26, 2006 - 08:24 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Thanks Kenny for the link. Now, 1 last question, aside from the cage masts, she was pretty much the same ship throughout her career, correct ???

Thanks again.


Arizona was a very different ship in 1921 than the ship that was sunk in 1941. For pictures of a built up version of the ISW (formerly Toms Modelworks) kit by Jeff Herne, click here

Notice the 1921 version has a much lighter superstructure.
wildspear
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Posted: Saturday, April 14, 2007 - 08:31 AM UTC
I have a question about the Arizona. On top of the main mast there is a machingun platform, what types of machine guns were mounted on this platform? How many?
MartinJQuinn
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Posted: Saturday, April 14, 2007 - 09:50 PM UTC

Quoted Text

I have a question about the Arizona. On top of the main mast there is a machingun platform, what types of machine guns were mounted on this platform? How many?


You are talking about the 1941 version, correct? The tub shown in this picture?


There were four .50 caliber machine guns located in that position. Manned by Marines, IIRC.
Halfyank
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Posted: Saturday, April 14, 2007 - 10:06 PM UTC
To follow up on what Martin wrote about the machine guns in the fighting top I believe they would have been water cooled .50, not air cooled. I don't know if that could be seen in any scale a ship would be modeled in though.

blaster76
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Posted: Sunday, April 15, 2007 - 01:47 AM UTC

Quoted Text


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To follow up on what Martin wrote about the machine guns in the fighting top I believe they would have been water cooled .50, not air cooled. I don't know if that could be seen in any scale a ship would be modeled in though.


I'ld sure like to see that level of detail
wildspear
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Posted: Sunday, April 15, 2007 - 04:13 AM UTC
Thats the first photo I've seen that showed the tub on top of the mast. I think it was water cooled machine guns but are we sure it was 4? Not much room in the tub I might try to make some thing that portrays the machine guns better than what revell molded in the tub but we'll see.
MartinJQuinn
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Posted: Sunday, April 15, 2007 - 07:48 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Thats the first photo I've seen that showed the tub on top of the mast. I think it was water cooled machine guns but are we sure it was 4? Not much room in the tub I might try to make some thing that portrays the machine guns better than what revell molded in the tub but we'll see.


I'll have to check my Stillwell book, but I'm pretty sure it was four. Yes, they were water cooled .50 calibers (my bad for not mentioning that). Here's a picture of some on the quarterdeck of the battleship Washington in 1942:
wildspear
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Posted: Sunday, April 15, 2007 - 11:00 PM UTC
Martin and halfyank,
Thanks for the info,very helpful. Does anyone know if anybody makes ports holes for my 1/426 Arizona? I got a little sloppy with the drill.....
wildspear
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Posted: Monday, April 16, 2007 - 12:32 AM UTC
I found some portholes at WEM, the Kriegsmarine porthole and door set....these should be close enough for me.....hopefully.
Halfyank
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Posted: Monday, April 16, 2007 - 10:28 AM UTC
You might want to see if your local library has a copy of Battleship Arizona by Paul Stillwell. It's a really excellent book on the ship. For instance there is one thing you should check out. Many U.S. warships had their port holes sealed up when war seemed to be approaching. I'm not sure if the Arizona had this done or not.

blaster76
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Posted: Tuesday, April 17, 2007 - 09:30 AM UTC
I dont think so. It seems that I recall seeing a special on her a while back and they had some divers with cameras showing things and one scene stood out was a porthole with an airpocket.
gator
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Posted: Tuesday, April 17, 2007 - 04:48 PM UTC
I also seem to remember a Pearl Harbor special where they stated that the port holes were open on the some of the battleships to air out the ship. I believe it was because there was going to be an inspection Monday morning.
dlgn25
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Posted: Tuesday, April 24, 2007 - 10:55 PM UTC
When lost, Arizona shipped eight .50 cal. watercooled machine guns, presumably four each in the tubs on the foretop and maintop.

As for whether they'd be visible in modelling scales, we do them in photoetch in both 1/700 and 1/350.

Cheers,
John Snyder
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http://WhiteEnsignModels.com
Halfyank
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Posted: Wednesday, April 25, 2007 - 08:19 AM UTC

Quoted Text

I also seem to remember a Pearl Harbor special where they stated that the port holes were open on the some of the battleships to air out the ship. I believe it was because there was going to be an inspection Monday morning.


That was the USS California. She sank fairly quickly from relatively minor damage because her access ports were all open for the inspection.

wildspear
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Posted: Wednesday, April 25, 2007 - 04:53 PM UTC
John,

I saw the PE .50 cal on your site and I may go with those but with the tubs my kit only had the one on top of the main mast and thats all I have every seen on the Arizona....ia there a tub I'm not remembering?
TracyWhite
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Posted: Wednesday, April 25, 2007 - 07:28 PM UTC
There were four water cooled machine guns on the aft fighting top, the forward platform you can see in the picture above was for a radar that was never fitted; she was due to receive it in a January/February overhaul. I don't know where the other four were mounted.

As for the original question regarding a 1921 Arizona... you're probably better off trying to get the Tom's or Iron Shipwright version (ISW has the Tom's masters & molds) Arizona went through a major overhaul at the end of the 20's, and in addition to losing the cage mast, she had blisters added, widening the hull, and her superstructure significant;y revised. In order to back-date you'd need to cut the blisters off and scratchbuild the enttire superstructure save the armored conning tower.
wildspear
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Posted: Friday, April 27, 2007 - 07:40 PM UTC
Does any one have a collection of Don Preul's model of the USS Arizona? The new one that was placed at the memorial. I want to paint my "zona" in the same fashion that he has. Do we have any members on the island that could take some pic's? Sorry had to ask.

So I would like the pic's if you have them or if anyone has don's e-mail I would like to drop him a line.
TracyWhite
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Posted: Saturday, May 05, 2007 - 05:03 AM UTC
Try Don at http://jdproduct.com/

It's really not that difficult though, 5-S vertical until you get above the top of the stack, at which point it's 5-P. Wood decks on the quarterdeck, main deck, and boat deck, 5-S on the decks above that. Insignia red on the top of turrets 1, 2, and 4.
wildspear
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Posted: Saturday, May 05, 2007 - 06:42 AM UTC
Tracy,
Thanks for the link. I didn't need the pics for just the paint job but mainly as a reference as I put all the rails and things on my arizona.
blaster76
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Posted: Sunday, May 06, 2007 - 12:19 AM UTC
looks like my "zona will have to hit the drydock for a little paint upgrade. So Tracy has the insignia red turret tops been officially accepted by the powers that be or is it still a new evidence proposal. I'm still a wee bit skeptical as it took over 50 years to discover this, and not once did any of the survivors make mention of it with all the models that were out there and the paint schemes shown. There still is the dispute going on whether or not the tops of the gun turrets were yellow or dark grey on the Bismarck as to after she left the Fjiord in Norway for the final ride.
wildspear
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Posted: Sunday, May 06, 2007 - 02:04 AM UTC
blaster76,

It stands to reason that the turrets could have been red on top to help with airborne indentification and the Arizona could have been blue to help with camo......but there are so many different ideas I don't think we will really know for sure. I'm going the red turret and blue ship route, I'm haveing fun with the build and the research and thats whats this should be about.

P.S. Sorry about any mis spellings, here at work with no spell check
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