USS North Carolina BB-55 Battleship

Coming from molds made in the 50s, and almost no build photos online, I took a shot in the dark with this model. Simply stated, this is a totally underrated kit that surpassed every expectation! Fully built, this kit embodies the true name of “Showboat” in every possible way. Pros: Detail: for a 1/500 scale and old kit, I was blown away with the level of molded detail. Port holes, hatches, everything was top notch, right down to the 20mm AA guns! Each 16” barrel is individual, allowing one to raise or lower them individually, something you never see on this scale. Quality: the plastic is phenomenal, and for a 70+ year old kit very little flash (most was on he 5” turret barrels and the radar mast, easily removable) Fit: I had only one major fit issue I’ll discuss in the “cons” but everything went together smoothly. Cons Deck fitting: the only major fit issue, there are stubs on the top of the lower hull half that prevent a clean seal, and you end up with the horrendous gap seen in the stock photos. This can be adjudicated by sanding those nubs down quite easily. Instructions: Atlantis could improve the instructions. It’s mostly one sided and shows the sub assembly for the superstructures which lead to a few pieces being put on out of order. If they made the instructions more detailed (maybe a 3 page pamphlet) it would assemble flawlessly Paint scheme: I can’t fault them heavily here, but the paint guild could improve. The ship did not have the squiggly cammo pictured, rather the Measure 32D pattern. A minor flaw that can drastically improve the models quality. Detail: this applies to the helicopter and molded railings. The helicopter was likely just a fad of the era it was made, and the molded railings are just an eyesore. You can file the helipad down with a dremmel and cut the railings off and use some 1/500 PE ones by Toms, but it also looks great without them altogether. This kit far exceeded all my expectations! Any flaws were minor and easily overcome. Novice or skilled builder, Atlantis rebooted a fantastic model that is sure to impress anyone. An absolute 10/10, 5 star model that is a must have for any ship modeler. I recommend the 2021 release for the best of best results