1:700 Pacific Warriors - USS Fletcher & USS Indianapolis

Pacific Warriors, a pair of ships in 1:700 scale from Revell

The package brings together two separate models: the destroyer USS Fletcher and the heavy cruiser USS Indianapolis. Both ships are built in the form with split hulls for a waterline setting, completed by a deck with superstructure and armament. According to the manufacturer the set holds, besides the plastic parts, the basic shades, glue and a brush, so you can manage without further equipment. The build is rated as more demanding and assumes experience with gluing and painting.

The real subjects

The Fletcher gave her name to the most numerous class of destroyers the US Navy ever had. The ships were fast and well armed and were committed to escorting formations, to anti-submarine work and to night actions. The Indianapolis was one of the heavy cruisers with a main armament of 8 inch caliber and in the closing part of the war she served as a flagship. Her name is linked today above all with her loss in July 1945, shortly after she completed a secret transport voyage across the Pacific.

Building and painting tips

• Leave the small parts on the sprue as long as you can and separate them only just before gluing.
• Paint the hull and the decks separately and only then join them; that saves laborious masking.
• The camouflage bands come into their own when the transitions follow the engraved lines.
• Treat the railings and the masts carefully, as they are very fine in this scale.
• The finished models look their best together on one board with a water surface.

Both kits are supplied unassembled and unpainted. Equipment beyond what the manufacturer gives has to be obtained separately.