Tamiya 78029 - 1:350 Missouri BB-63 1991 U.S. Battleship

Plastic model kit of the American battleship USS Missouri (BB-63) in 1:350 scale

Few warships carry a more symbolic biography: it was on the deck of USS Missouri that Japan signed the instrument of surrender on 2 September 1945, and almost half a century later the same battleship was launching cruise missiles during the Gulf War. Tamiya 78029 recreates her in 1:350 scale in precisely that 1991 configuration, from the Gulf operations.

This is a full hull model with a one-piece hull, displayed on a stand fitted with name plates. The kit is based on a 1980s mould, and its 2012 release was supplemented with new parts and photo-etched parts. The finished model measures 774 x 94.5 mm.

The box contains two photo-etched sets to choose from, covering among others the air and surface search radar antennae, the discone antenna, the landing deck railings and watertight doors. Wire is included for the antenna rigging, and the SH-60B Seahawk helicopters can be built with their rotors deployed or folded. The Tomahawk and Harpoon launchers, Phalanx close-in weapon systems and SRBOC decoy launchers are all reproduced.

What's in the box:

• Plastic sprues (one-piece hull, superstructure, gun and missile armament)
• Photo-etched parts – two sets to choose from (including air and surface search radar antennae, discone antenna, landing deck railings, watertight doors)
• Wire for antenna rigging
• Metal propeller shafts
• SH-60B Seahawk helicopters – can be displayed with rotors deployed or folded
• Ship's boats
• Tomahawk and Harpoon missile launchers, Phalanx close-in weapon systems and SRBOC decoy launchers
• Waterslide decal sheet for markings
• Display stand with ship name plates
• Booklet with the ship's history and a painting guide
• Illustrated assembly instructions

Model specifications:

• Scale: 1:350
• Catalogue number: 78029
• Manufacturer: Tamiya
• Model dimensions: 774 x 94.5 mm
• Skill level: beginner/intermediate (large kit with photo-etched parts)

Please note: glue, paints and modelling tools are not included. This model is intended for self-assembly.

Building the model:

The one-piece hull greatly simplifies the start of the build – there is no full-length seam to sand along the sides, and the model gains a rigid base straight away. The greatest care should go to the photo-etched parts: landing deck railings, antennae and watertight doors call for precision tweezers and cyanoacrylate glue. Reproducing the antenna rigging with the supplied wire is a stage best left to the very end, once painting is complete.

For painting we suggest the greys typical of the US Navy at the turn of the 1980s and 1990s: a lighter grey for the sides and superstructure, a darker shade for the decks, and red for the underwater section of the hull. Paint codes are given in the manufacturer's instructions together with the included painting guide. Decals are best applied over a gloss coat, which limits decal silvering, with a matt varnish as the final finish and a light wash to bring out the detail.

Tools you will need:

• Modelling side cutters for removing parts from the sprues
• Hobby knife or scalpel
• Files and sanding paper to clean up sprue gate marks
• Plastic cement (e.g. Tamiya Extra Thin Cement)
• Cyanoacrylate glue for the photo-etched parts, metal components and wire
• Precision modelling tweezers
• Brushes in various sizes
• Modelling paints (acrylic or enamel)
• Modelling wash to bring out the detail

About the ship – USS Missouri (BB-63):

USS Missouri, an Iowa-class battleship, was commissioned in June 1944. The most famous moment in her history came on 2 September 1945, when the instrument of Japan's surrender was signed on her deck in Tokyo Bay, bringing the Second World War to an end.

After a 1986 modernisation the ship received Tomahawk cruise missiles, Harpoon anti-ship missiles and modern electronics, while retaining her nine 406 mm guns in three triple turrets. In 1991 Missouri took part in the Gulf War: on the first night she launched 28 Tomahawk missiles, and over the course of the operations she fired more than 750 rounds of 406 mm ammunition.

The ship was decommissioned in March 1992. Today she lies at Pearl Harbor as a museum ship – close to the place where the war that ended on her deck had begun.

Original specifications (USS Missouri, 1991 configuration):

• Type: Iowa-class battleship, commissioned in June 1944
• Full load displacement: approx. 57,500 t
• Dimensions: 270.4 x 33 m
• Main armament: 9 x 406 mm guns in three triple turrets
• Secondary armament: 12 x 127 mm guns
• Missile armament: 32 Tomahawk missiles, 16 Harpoon missiles
• Close-in defence: 4 Phalanx systems
• Propulsion: turbines producing approx. 212,000 hp
• Maximum speed: approx. 33 knots
• Crew: approx. 1,500
• Service: signing of Japan's surrender on 2 September 1945; Gulf War 1991; decommissioned in March 1992, today a museum ship at Pearl Harbor

About the manufacturer – Tamiya:

Tamiya Corporation is a Japanese model company founded in 1946 by Yoshio Tamiya in Shizuoka, a city regarded as the heart of the Japanese model industry. The business started out in the timber trade and released its first plastic model kit in 1960. The brand is known for extremely precise injection moulds, well thought-out kit engineering and excellent parts fit, which is why its models are chosen by beginners and experienced modellers alike. In the field of ship modelling Tamiya earned its reputation with the 1:700 Water Line series, and since the turn of the 1970s and 1980s it has also developed large 1:350 warship kits – richly equipped and often supplemented with photo-etched parts and metal components. Tamiya instructions are clear and illustrated step by step, which makes even complex kits much easier to build. Beyond the models themselves the company supplies a complete modelling range: paints, glues, tools and brushes. Today Tamiya is present in dozens of countries and remains one of the most recognisable brands in the hobby.