Reviews : Revell-Monogram U.S.S. Missouri Battleship
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Buy it if you have fond memories of building it long ago.
Revell's 1/535 USS Missouri model kit is somewhat of an enigma on first glance. It has been for sale almost constantly since its creation in 1953, yet as other reviewers have correctly observed, as a kit, it has numerous flaws in quality and accuracy. However, when one examines the kit's own history, its popularity can be understood and put in perspective with its faults. The USS Missouri was the first subject that Revell produced completely in-house. Revell received no cooperation from the US Navy in its design as the ship was still deemed a reasonably important strategic asset during the period and the hull configuration beneath the waterline was still classified. This explains the wild lower hull inaccuracy (the back of the hull is not nearly tapered enough and the characteristic bulbous prow is not represented). Revell's marketing people weren't sure if kids would want model ships with accurately-portrayed propellers, or if they would prefer to play with their newly-assembled ship models by sliding them across the carpet. In this scenario, scale props would snag and break off on the carpet. Revell infamously chose the flat-bottom route sans props for their first few ship kits. The newly minted Missouri kit was a huge sensation when released and reportedly sold into millions eventually, giving Revell motivation to begin engineering additional ship model kits immediately upon its initial success. Revell did not anticipate that mature modelers were buying these kits as well and feedback from them indicated that increased accuracy and attention to details would be a virtue for future kits. It seems that most modelers fondly recall building Revell's Mighty Mo during its first few decades and nostalgia and an appreciation of the kit's history are probably the best reasons for buying it today. The finished model is an ideal size, slotted almost exactly between common 1/700 and 1/350 scales and relatively inexpensive. Kids who don't care much about accuracy and wish to experience an old school activity may enjoy building this kit if mindful that there is a lot of plastic flash to trim. Most glaring technical issues probably resulting from mold damage include several of the five-inch gun turrets that are not deep enough, asymmetry of the lower hull, and mold mis-alignment on a number of parts. Thick, raised lines representing wood decking, poor fit of many parts, and sinkholes will also be encountered. So, if a modeler achieves enjoyment from correcting these issues or is content leaving them as-is for nostalgia's sake, he or she should be sufficiently satisfied with this kit. Continuing popularity of Revell's 1/535 USS Missouri probably endures because there are so many people out there who have built and loved this model kit in the past and they want to experience memories brought back by attempting to build (and collect) it once again, warts and all.
You Get What You Pay For
Covid-19 helped encourage me to get back into model ship building, something I did a lot of between age 10-12 with my older brother. Back then, Revell-Monogram was the top of the line in our book but then again we weren't that experienced. Now, after putting a few more ships from different companies together, I can only say that Revell is not as good at QA as they once were. I would agree with some of the other reviews that I had some difficulty getting parts to make good fits. The main gun turrets were the worst, they could barely keep the barrels upright, most of the time they just lie flat. I tried to use some filler putty, and while that looked ok it didn't really allow for the free elevation of the guns. Another thing that gave me fits was trying to get the scout planes to stay upright on the catapults. I finally started using CA glue instead of the Testor's standard tube variety and that seemed to create a better bond.
This was actually one that I had put together several years back, it was a kit that I carried with me partially completed through three moves. Over that course of time, some parts disappeared and I had to improvise. Now back when I was 10 I built this and the Revell USS Arizona and they were a couple of my favorite kits of some 50 models that I put together over those two short years. When I got back into modeling, my first choices were those same two battleship models by Revell. The quality of both were no where near what I remember (the modern-day Arizona kit had similar problems with the main guns and catapults). Looking at the prices for both of those kits today, the price seems actually cheaper than they were in the 1970's! The lesson I took away from this is that now I am much better off financially, and I'm a lot more into the quality and detail of my work now, so I have no problem forking over the extra cash to get a good quality model. I'm more inclined to the Trumpeter and Tamiya kits now, and although they have their quirks too I think their overall QA is much better than what Revell has devolved into. I'd recommend this kit for beginners or those just getting back into the hobby since they won't cost you an arm and a leg, that's probably their most redeeming quality.
An OK Kit That Disappoints, but Looks OK When Completed.
By: toflaher
After reading all of the other comments on this kit, I can only say that they are, indeed, quite accurate. I have returned to model building as a hobby after a long, long absence - my last kit was in 1986! So, I bought Revell's Arizona, and I enjoyed it very much. I had passed over the Big Mo a number of times, and finally said to myself, Why not? This will be a good trial run for the 1/200th which I'm planning to build in the future as a display piece for my bar. Needless to say, the critics are right. Flash? There's more flash on this kit than I anticipated. In fact, while an easy build, you actually spend a lot more time trimming the pieces to make them look relatively decent than you do gluing and putting it together. I found myself hungry. I have a budget for model kits and buy about two a month. So, when I bought Mo I thought, well, this is it - until I opened the kit and actually built it. My biggest disappointment was there are no propeller drive shafts! One other commentator here outlined the history of why that happened in the manufacturing process. But, seriously, Revell!? Can we get a new mold for this iconic piece of WWII history? The good news is that after you've removed all of the flash and excess trim, lined up the parts and painted it, the boat doesn't look too bad on my book shelf. I'll save my real modeling joy, however, for the 1/200th scale beast. That's the Mo I'm looking forward to, and while this one, obviously, doesn't live up to my expectations for the 1/200th, I do think that it's an OK model for someone who's never worked in this medium before. I liked, I guess, but was disappointed at the same time by the lack of quality. How so? So bad that I had to go out immediately and get the B-25 Mitchell 1/48th, which is a GREAT kit, and which scratched my monthly model itch quite nicely.
This kit is pretty bad. Shame on Revell
It is very obvious that Revell has been using these molds non stop since they were created in 1953. There is heavy mold flash on every part and the details on the funnel, superstructure, etc are very smooth and faded looking. Couple that with the extremely poorly molded hull I'm debating whether this model is worth even spraying with paint. Coming right off of the Revell 1/426 USS Arizona kit I was expecting this kit to be in similar shape. While the Arizona kit wasn't a real great mold it was serviceable with some work and actually makes for a fairly nice display. But when comparing the dates, the molds of Arizona are 6 years newer than Missouri. (1959). The Missouri hit is pretty bad. I could probably make it look decent but it's going to take a lot of work. And without adding a lot of photo etch the details are going to suck anyway..
Bear in mind that nearly EVERY single kit I built growing up, and now up to and including Arizona which I just finished a few weekends ago, were Revell kits. I'm their biggest fan. Usually their kits, while not being the greatest detail, offer the best value out there for a decent representation in a kit that's easy to build. But not Missouri. This kit is garbage. I'm going to have to do some soul searching to decide whether I want to invest a lot of time and materials into what at best is going to be an average looking end result. Which is a shame because 1/535 is a great scale for an Iowa class for somebody that doesn't have room for a 1/350. I'm half tempted to send Revell an email about this. If I were offering model kits i'd never have let this pass QA.
Great Ship for The History Buff
By: JesusFreak
This model was well detailed for its price! I like that it was flat bottomed so I could set it on my table as a
sort-of waterline diorama if I cared to. It also came with two supports to display it on as well. The various smaller ship's guns were easy to install, and if one wishes, I believe they can be melted at their ends so that the guns can swivel on the ship.I found that the large gun barrels were hard to slide into their bases; however, it would be easy to shave off a little of the base to get a smooth fit. The painting of the deck was a bit tricky because of tight spaces. A steady hand could still do remarkably well. The kit included three decals for the two ship's numbers and its name. It also included a sheet of paper signal flags and a paper U.S. flag. No wire (for rigging) was included. Test fit all smoke stacks and towers before gluing them to the ship as I vaguely remember the directions misguiding me as to which piece to attach first! This problem I believe is easy to overcome if one hasn't already glued them to the ship. Overall, I think this is a great model for anyone, especially history buffs, as this is the USS Missouri. General Douglas MacArthur accepted, on behalf of the United States of America, Japan's formal surrender of World War Two on the deck of this ship. The Missouri served in WWII, the Korean War, and in the Persian Gulf. It also supported troops in Operation Desert Storm. It truly was an incredible ship with an incredible history.
Rather mediocre quality ship, But god ship for a beginner or someone getting into the ship building models
I was rather disappointed about the quality of the plastic used for this ship. First off was there is no shafts or propellers for the ship. It has a rudder but I guess no engines to make the ship go. There are a lot of defects in the molding of the part runners. Some parts also didn't fit on well. This is most notably with the main gun turrets, anti air turrets and secondary turrets. The slot in which you put the small turrets in is often too large, meaning the anti air and secondary turrets will fly off without glue (which makes it unable to traverse) while some slots are too small, requiring you to bore it out with something. The main battery turrets also had difficulty fitting in due to the low quality of the plastic of the molds, and the defects in the mold, meaning I had to trim down the turret mountings and gun barrels to actually get them to fit. One thing that was really annoying was how about half of the superstructure and the deck were all one-piece, meaning it is difficult to color in the deck without accidently overflowing onto the superstructure. The hull is also rather inaccurate, as the underwater part is way too small for the ship. The completed result looks fine. Overall, I wouldn't recommend this set. Get a Tamiya USS Missouri kit or something instead as that will have higher detail than this.
GREAT FIRST SHIP AFTER 25 YEARS OUT OF THE HOBBY WORLD
By: thebutlersellsit
This was the first model I completed in 25 years. My eyes weren't what they were when in my 20s thank god for 3x magnifier led light. This model was a great one to start with, it was pretty easy to assemble. painting was fun and frustrating. i kept having to repaint hull to get the bootstrap straight. and every time i did something on deck w paint I would mess something else up requiring a touch up. but well worth the time. the rigging was was tough and getting signal flags was intense. I definitely recommend this model was so much fun on the cold ny winter nights when I could not go out for a cigar!
OK Kit
By: mirecyli
Haven't modeled a military ship since the sixties but I know I did this one. At that time I knew nothing about modeling but loved WWII and built everything I could get my hands on. All that stuff has been long gone. I was disappointed with this kit not knowing what to expect after so many years. It is simple and poor in detail but as good as it can be in this small scale. I may go bigger but my first love is aircraft and those are more possible to be seen in person. The only ships I have visited are the aircraft carrier at Pensacola, the U.S.S. Alabama in Mobile, AL and the U.S.S. Texas in Houston, TX.
Fun build, better look
This is my third model ship build, and it was a very fun project. It took me a weekend to build. The only reason I gave this a four star is because of the lack of detail on the planes.(I decided to leave them off the model.) I do not own an airbrush so I brush painted this kit, and it turned out great. If you follow the painting directions it will be easy to paint.(All but the deck.) Also I would strongly suggest buying thread thread for the ship rigging, the rigging with the flags took this kit from good to great. This is a great kit, the low price makes it even better!
Great kit of the 'Mighty Mo', site of the Japanese surrender
I built this kit quite a long time ago, after seeing it in a WW 2 documentary. It was my re-entry into the world of modeling after a lengthy absence. This kit represents the 'Mighty Mo' as she appeared in 1945, at the time of the Japanese surrender on her deck. The parts detached from the molds quite easily & went together well. Most of the parts are quite easy to handle even for someone with big fingers like me. Almost 20 years after I first built it I still have it. Certainly worth picking up!
USS Missouri Kit
A very enjoyable build. Scale is a bit of an odd ball scale. Not many kits in 1/535. I was told that this scale was decided on the size of the box and therefore it's called a box scale kit. Not sure if that's correct though. Enjoyed the one piece hull. I think that the painting instructions could have used more detail. Did my hull in dazzle meaning camoflage. Useless trivia...the USS Missouri saves the world from aliens in the movie Battleship. Go Big Mo!
Good All Around Build
By: j.shields28
The model is considerably detailed for the amount of pieces it has, which is just over 60. It comes with papers commemorating the Japanese surrender on its deck in Sept. 1945. The ship is a good build for someone who's more of a beginner at modeling and wants to slowly build their way up to more complicated models. The rigging and the directions for it are a little complicated but other than that, excellent model and directions.
The worst model I have made
By: briand_97
Flash is everywhere on this model, the parts are ill-fitting and the detail is laughable at best (the planes are particularly horrible). I wasn't expecting perfection for a $20 model but honestly, the underachieved based on a really low expectation. I would not recommend this except for a first model that is meant to be tossed soon after completion.
Great beginner model
By: douglaswilson262
I had bought this model as my first ship model and my first paint project and the model is a one day build and has very few pieces and less than the m41a1 bulldog from Tamya and for someone trying out painting models it's really good start out model it has lots of surface areas and some fine tip painting spots to do and I'd highly recommend
Fun Small Scale Model
I enjoyed this model of the USS Missouri.Revell's parts always fit together well, and I used a fun sea-camouflage paint scheme of different blues for the hull. A spray of dullcoat lacquer will help make the model look professional.
Ok for the new to model building
By: lil_d_bilb
I love building models and I have recently been focusing all of my attention to model ship building. This model kit is alright, its not the best but its good enough for me! it was an enjoyable and easy build!
USS MISSOURI
By: Zeke (Thailand)
This is a excellent model. Majority of parts fit perfectly. I just started building model ship and for my first ship, I couldn't have a better ship. I highly recommend this ship if you like the 1/535 scale.
uss missouri battelship
By: waynelyrice
its a nice model for beginners I enjoyed it except i was a little disappointment by some of the lack of detail with the bridge weather than that it is a nice looking model. That helped me gain some skill
A floater
By: blawhorne
with a single-piece hull this battle ship can float. You do all kinds of cool stuff with it. Though it is without some major detail, like propellers, it can function and make a great little movie model
Great detail for this scale size ship.
By: btownsend
Great detail for this size scale ship. I can't afford to purchase the larger size scale ships because I want to build so many of the ship scale models. The detail on this scale model is really great.
awesome
By: jmoreau2019
this was my first model ship... it was awesome. it has a single hull, and was easy to assesmble. I decided to see if it will float, it did and i cut through the water. great for kids
Personal opinion.
By: JoshuaRSalcedo
My first warship model. Although they could have seperated the lower and upper hull, its a good kit for beginners. Got one in my backlog waiting to be built.
Awesome Battleship Model
By: marlimann
Who doesn't like building the Mighty Mo? For the price, it has good instructions, workable pieces and good detail. Well worth the time, effort and cost.
Ok model requires alot of work
This is an OK model and easy to put together. However it is lacking in detail, and requires alot of work to make it look nice.
Great buy!
By: devindiaz11717
Easy to assemble and fine detail and finish. If your looking for a cheap ship to assemble and display this is one of the best.
Great starter model
By: jgfan7124
This was one of my very first models and I had a blast putting this together. I would highly recommend it.
The USS Missouri
By: kelcrawford7
A great ship and can get finished in no time, my first model I ever did.
Nice revell us Missouri model and great price!
Nice for beginners who want to get into models! Thanks hobbylinc!