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.