Casemate USS Missouri, Kagero Top Drawings

[Shar2]

USS Missouri

Kagero Top Drawings

The long and spectacular career of the USS Missouri is well known, although she is most famous for being the ship on which the Japanese surrender took place in Tokyo Bay in 1945. She served as a front line battleship in various stints from 11 April 1944 until she was finally fully de-commissioned in 1995. Although some will say she still serves, as a Memorial ship alongside Battleship Row, Pearl Harbour, behind the USS Arizona Memorial.

Kagero have just released this book in their Top Drawing series. This softback book has three pages containing the history and specifications of the Mighty Mo, with a further twenty 6 pages of line drawings covering the whole ship from stem to stern. Each sheet contains detailed drawings of various parts of the ships structure, weapons systems, radars, aircraft and other, smaller parts. Each drawing is beautifully done with some fine detail that would normally have been missed is other titles. The drawings have obviously been done from some excellent references which have resulted in a very useful book for the detail addict. Most the drawings are in 1:200 scale with a few in 1:100 for larger detail information, making it perfect for owners of the big Trumpeter kit. Also included with the book are five B2 sheets of plans. Some sheets have a selection of drawings from the book on one side and half the ships length drawing in 1:200 scale on the reverse, whilst the others have full colour profiles of the ship in 1:400 scale. The 1:200 scale drawings and the drawings contained within the book show the ship as she was in 1945 and 1991 configurations. The plans showing the later dated ship will help modellers scratch build the details needed to convert the kit to this configuration, at until such time that any aftermarket company fills the need.

Conclusion
This is probably the best book in this series I have seen, certainly the most useful in a modellers point of view. The drawings are clear and crisply drawn and the full scale plans for the big Missouri kit will be so useful. The scale plans can also be joined together, if desired, to make an impressive wall piece in the modelling den to help keep the mojo going on the long build.

Review sample courtesy of

[snapper_city]

Nice one Dave. I'll have to get myself a copy.

[bootneck]

I bought a copy from the Casemate stand at SMW 2014. Just couldn't resist it after looking through a couple of pages; and the plans are just the best.

I fully endorse Dave's review.

Mike