Introduction...

USS Indiana , BB58, was the second ship of the South Dakota class battleships. She was laid down on November 20, 1939, launched November 21, 1941 and commissioned on April 30, 1942. Following her shake down in the Atlantic she quickly departed and joined the Pacific fleet, arriving at Pearl Harbor on November 28, 1942. She spent the opening months of the war providing screening for the carriers Saratoga and Enterprise.

During the remainder of the war she roamed the Pacific supporting invasion of Iwo Jima, the Philippines, and Okinawa. She also took part in raids against truck Lagoon and was also present at the “Great Marianas Turkey Shoot.” Needing her anti-aircraft defense bolstered she returned to Washington and missed the Battle of Leyte Gulf. After returning to action she supported actions against the Japanese hone islands.

On September 5, 1945 she sailed into Tokyo Bay, departed for San Francisco nine days later, and arrived on the 29th. She was decommissioned September 11, 1947 and spent 15 years in the reserve fleet. She was stricken from the Naval Registry on June 1, 1962 and soon sold for scrap.

For her service in World War II she earned nine battle stars.

Displacement: 35,000 tons
Length: 680 feet
Beam7.8 feet
Draft3 feet
Speed: 27 knots
Complement: 115 officers, 1678 men
Armament: nine 16 inch guns,
20 five-inch guns,
24 40 mm cannon,
16 20 mm cannon, but increased as the war progressed

the kit...

The conversion kit comes in a nice sturdy hinged lid cardboard box with a nice picture of the Indy. Inside there is the mid section of the ship, a zip lock bag of resin parts, a PE fret, and a sheet of decals. The kit is meant to represent the ships as she appeared in 1942, shortly after her commissioning.

The conversion is to either Trumpeter kit, USS Massachusetts BB59 or USS Alabama BB60. The conversion kits focus are the differences to the ships mid section and superstructure, also the addition of the ships boats crane.

Both Massachusetts and Alabama have different bridges and superstructure as compared to that of Indiana. The Alabama has trunked tower foremast and funnel, similar to that used in the design of the later Iowa-class battleships. So to build the Indiana you will need to either scratch build the new super structure and ship cranes or use this kit.

The midsection of the ship comes as one large piece. The detail on the midsection is comparable to that of the donor kit. The resin is will require some clean up on its base. There were no air bubbles or sink holes in the sample kit.

The gun tubs for the conversion are nicely done in resin. These will house the 40mm and 20 mm AA guns added to the Indy when she was commissioned. As the war went on more and more of these guns were added.

looking a bit closer...

All of the resin parts are free from pin holes and excessive flash. The detail on these parts is nice and crisp. Removal of the parts from their pour strips is very easy, however there will be some clean up work needed. Some of the resin parts do have rough spots on then that may require sanding and or filling.

The PE fret included is nicely done. The parts included are for the amidships cranes as well as some of the ships ladders and railings. The parts are easy to remove from their strip.

The decals included for the kit include numbers, national ensigns, and Naval ensigns. Also on the card are markings for shipboard aircraft. The decals appear to have a thin carrier film.

You will also need to add your own brass tubing needed for the fore and aft masts on the superstructure.

Instructions...

The instruction book has 16 pages printed on heavy paper. There are several black and white war time photos showing the Indiana in her camouflage. Both plan and overhead views are used to show locations on the donor kit for the resin parts.

The pictures of the Indy will go a long way in helping you with camouflage for the ship