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.

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.

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.