'Afternoon All,

For those of you who are Pearl Harbor and ARIZONA nuts.....such as myself,, there's a new-tool kit out of the ARIZONA, in 350th scale, from DaLiGenJian Model in China. I was a little skeptical at first, but after looking at imagery posted on another site, finally took the plunge and ordered a kit for $338.39 Cdn ($248.18 USD).

The kit arrived this past Friday, in a very sturdy box - other model companies would do well to package their kits the same way!. The kit contents are thorough, with the major components being done in injection molded plastic, Decks are to be covered with very thin wooden veneers (supplied). The majority of the detail and superstructure parts are done in P-E, provided in 10 EXTENSIVE sheets of P-E, while other parts are done in 3-D printed plastic. A decal sheet is provided for the hull draft marks, flags, and aircraft markings - the latter correct for the ARIZONA, and pre-cut masking is also supplied for decks and other purposes that I can't figure out, as I don't speak or read Chinese.

The hull molding is full hull with interior bulkheads for added strength - and is superb! It scales out exactly at 608' in 350th scale. The beam is also dead on at 106" in 350th scale, excluding the bilge keels. The hull detail is exquisite, with hull plating very well done, but subtle. Bilge keels and docking keels are also very nicely done, as are the sea-water intake openings on the underside of the hull.

This is a beautiful kit, but one that relies heavily on P-E for the superstructure and details. Port-holes/scuttles are on the hull, but each one is supplied with a P-E "ring" to complete the detail! For images of the kit and contents, Google "New tool multimedia Arizona kit - WWII", and you'll get a full video presentation of the kit.

Cheers,

Chris Preston