1:700 USS Large cruiser Alaska

The real subject

USS Alaska was the first of a class that the US Navy carried under the special designation of large cruiser. In size and armament she stood between heavy cruisers and battleships: the main armament was nine 305 mm guns in three triple turrets, with dual-purpose and anti-aircraft armament distributed over the superstructure and along the sides. She entered service in 1944 and operated in the closing stages of the war in the Pacific, where she was used mainly escorting the fast carrier task forces and in shore bombardment. Her postwar service was short, as ships of the class no longer had a place in the postwar fleet.

What the set contains

A plastic kit in 1:700 scale, which is the most widespread for ships and keeps even a large vessel to a reasonable size for a display case. The model is supplied unassembled and unpainted. The extent of the parts, the form of the hull and the marking options are given in the instructions enclosed by the manufacturer.

Building and painting tips

In 1:700 scale, clean work is what matters. Remove excess material and traces of manufacture before you fit a part, because on a finished superstructure you will no longer reach them. Build and paint the superstructure and the guns separately from the hull and join them at the end. Apply the paint in really thin layers, otherwise the fine relief of the decks will be lost. A rewarding finishing touch is rigging from stretched thread and a crew distributed over the deck, which gives the model scale and life.

• 1:700 scale, a plastic kit of the large cruiser USS Alaska
• the real ship carried nine 305 mm guns in three triple turrets
• the ship entered service in 1944 and operated in the Pacific
• the model is supplied unassembled and unpainted
• a good basis for adding photo-etched parts and rigging

Terms of supply

Paints, glue and filler are not included in the delivery, unless stated otherwise.