Hobby Boss HY83401 USS Arizona BB-39 Boat Model Building Kit

This is a relatively easy model to assemble at this scale. It is not the "highest quality" model out there as far as detail goes but the pieces fit together nicely and when painted it can actually look pretty great even next to much more detailed and expensive models. It does come with the bottom hull with the option to leave it off for a waterline look, however it doesn't have a baseplate for waterline. All in all a great model for the price!

My Dad built models when I was a kid and the USS Arizona has always had a special place in my heart, so when my 9 yr old son asked to start building model battleships - this is the one I ordered. It was easy enough to figure but know that we weren’t perfect in our application - I’ve got more skills that need harnessing here - however, quality of the model was good enough for me to figure and for him to love.

I picked up this kit for practice because I really wanted to do the Arizona justice when I moved on to a bigger scale, namely, Revell's version in 1:426. I had never built a ship before, (I mostly model armor), and had to familiarize myself with some of the various USN terminology to be able to properly research the build for historical accuracy. I found some very informative posts in the Airfix tribute forum, as well as a complete (and very extensive) build review online by Charles Landrum. He builds the larger scale also in his review, but nevertheless, the information he provides about the Arizona itself is extremely helpful for this kit also.The kit itself is mostly what you would expect for one of it's age and make. I had no issues with the fit of the hull, but when it came time to work on the superstructures I had to make some modifications, so make sure you dry fit EVERYTHING. The yardarms in particular were very fragile, so it took an extremely light touch. I drilled out all of the portholes, and after some research realized that some are misplaced. If you are terribly concerned with historical accuracy I strongly recommend the book that Mr. Landrum references in his review. I still haven't worked the rigging yet, because, quite frankly, I'm afraid of breaking stuff. I ended up lighting the model with some small LED's that I found online at modeltrainsoftware.com (also for practice for the larger scale Arizona). Their lighting kits are easy to use, inexpensive, and don't require soldering.All in all, this was a great introduction to the USS Arizona. Since I was mostly concerned with the fundmentals to base my next project on, I'm not going to post a picture of the finished product. I will say that this kit could be built up into a fantastic display piece all on it's own with little extra effort, at least in my opinion. Tom's and GMM do make PE kits for this kit also if a person was inclined to go all out on it. If you're new to modeling and/or ships, and want to build a display-worthy memorial to the USS Arizona, I strongly recommend this kit to practice on (for the price you can't beat it).

I think this model came in a decent time frame. I also believe that it is a perfect size some pieces are small but overall for what I paid for it I am thoroughly happy.. I will actually probably most likely be purchasing a couple more of these.

This is a great kit, very detailed, but very small. The finished boat is about 10" long or so. I bought it for my 4yr old who became obsessed with the Arizona after a trip to Pearl Harbor. It took me several hours over 3 days to put together. I'm very good with tweezers now. And I used super glue so it would dry faster...for me, it was not fun to put together. The hardest part was the barrels on the main guns. They are thinner than toothpicks and don't have any mechanism to line them up or hold them in place. I used modelling clay to make a slight wedge so I could line them up parallel and at the same elevation.I'm fairly proud of the fact that its still mostly intact after 3 months. He plays with it, but he's surprisingly careful. We (and I mean me) also put together a model of the Missouri. It was a larger scale and went together much more quickly and easily. Unless you're a masochist, listen to the guy in Jaws and "get a bigger boat!"

I think it was a good buy I would recommend someone who really likes to do models and has a like to navy ships

Good quality kit, easy to assemble, nice color chart, decent instructions.

The overall parts required more time to clean up and make fit. Holes were filled in or to small for parts to get into the holes.Directions could be more detailed.Overall, do not waste your money on this model from China.It took almost a month to receive.