Military Model Scene

Title:  TopDrawings, The Battleship USS Massachusetts

Author: Witold Koszela

Publisher:  Kagero

ISBN:  978-83-65437-58-7

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Another new TopDrawings title from Kagero, this time for the Battleship USS Massachusetts. Launched in 1941 it first saw action as part of Operation Torch, attacking Casablanca in North Africa.  It saw more action in the Pacific for the rest of war, which it survived.  The Massachusetts was retired in 1947 and kept in reserve until 1962, since when it has been moved to be a historic ship, now open to the public as a museum.

The book has a page of background notes, provided in both English and Polish, and another with all the statistics.  These are followed by 25 pages filled with detailed drawings presented in either 1/100 or 1/200 scales, depending on the size of each element that enable it to be kept to the page size.  So, these include the different sections of superstructure, main and subsidiary gun turrets, radars, aircraft catapults, crane etc.  There are also 1/72 scale plans of the Vaught OS2U Kingfisher and the Curtis SC1 Seahawk, both aircraft types which operated from the Massachusetts.  Also provided, as separate A3 size fold out sheets tucked into the book, are 1/400 scale drawings showing the ship as a whole and one side in colour, showing the ship in the colours she wore in 1944.

Excellent quality throughout and ideal for modellers looking for the detail in completing a model, in whatever scale.  Kagero do a really neat job in their TopDrawings series.

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Distributed by Casemate Books, who kindly provided my review copy.

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Robin