U.S.S. Wisconsin BB-64 by Atlantis - Episode 16

Today, on the WorkBench. I will show you how I assembled the U.S.S. Wisconsin BB-64 from Atlantis.
This was a fun build from beginning to end. The only part that gave me any trouble was the assembly that allows the 16 inch gun turrets to turn in unison. The hole where the gun directors fit through needed to be drilled out just a little to allow the shaft to go all the way through.
The paint scheme was a combination of primer gray for the hull, a custom mix of paint to get the Terracotta Red color and semi-gloss black. There aren’t any guidelines for the waterline. So, you are sort of forced to guess where it may be and I think I got it almost dead on.
As I mention in the video, I have a personal connection to this ship. Watch to the end to find out what that connection is.
I realize that this is a departure to the theme of the channel, but when I discovered this kit I knew that I had to build it. I wanted to share it with everyone and I hope that you enjoy it. This build doesn't mean that I am shifting away from car and truck builds on the channel. It's just added fluff to go with it. Make sure to tune in next week for another exciting build!
I hope that you enjoy watching this video as much as I did building the kit.
Any Comments or questions? Please leave them in the box below.
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Thanks For Watching!
Kevin
Equipment used to make this video possible;
Main camera: GoPro Hero 7 Black
Secondary camera: Samsung S7 Android phone
Video Editing Software used:
Corel VideoStudio Pro 2020 64 bit.

[@TI4438]

I built too many of these not to recognize it as the same molds used by Monogram. An excellant kit for beginners.

[@scaleautoguysworkbench]

You may be correct on that observation. Atlantis does have a bunch of old kits, most likely from every manufacturer. It is nice to have some old kits back in circulation.

[@TI4438]

@@scaleautoguysworkbench the base is unmistakable. Gonna have to order a few.

[@scaleautoguysworkbench]

@@TI4438 Sounds like a plan. I went looking for the Wisky on the Auto World Store site and they are now offering it in two different scales, 1:665 scale for $18.99 and 1:535 for $21.99. So, I guess you now have a choice...

[@Hjerte_Verke]

Absolutely correct. This is the same mold used for Monogram's U.S.S. New Jersey kit no. 3001. They didn't note scales back then but I am pretty certain it is 1/600 scale and it is fathoms better than Revell's 1/535 Missouri.

[@santiagovictor2004]

Ah yes big whiskey herself, great job on the kit it looks awesome (btw I love what you did with the front guns to make them move that’s cool!)

[@scaleautoguysworkbench]

Thanks! The gun movement feature was part of the kit. It did take a little bit of finessing to make it work though. The holes were to tight to allow them to move, so I had to open them up a little with a drill so that they would move freely. It is a cool feature.

[@TI4438]

That shot of the deck with nothing attached brings back memories. No telling how many Iowas I built as a kid.

[@scaleautoguysworkbench]

This is the first ship that I have built in a long, long time. I have a couple more in my stash to build. This ship was fun to build because it sort of took me out of my comfort zone. I say sort of because I have painted and repaired the full sized ones.

[@TI4438]

@@scaleautoguysworkbench gotta be easier than working on the plastic ones.

[@scottgauley7722]

I've built Tamiya'a 1/350 Missouri and New Jersey kits. Those were quite satisfying, but very time consuming! I picked myself up this kit today from Hobby Lobby for $12! Looking forward to putting this one together! Best $12 I've spent in a long time!

[@scaleautoguysworkbench]

I haven't built the Tamiya ones yet. It sounds like they have a lot more detail to them than this Atlantis kit, you might get disappointed when you compare the ships together. It is pretty nice though for a basic build. Ollie's has had all of the Iowa's for sale in the past for $12.99 and tax. Not sure if you have one near you or if they still have them. The Wisconsin has a special place in my heart for the reasons stated at the end of the video. I never could get orders to any of them and I did try to get them. I ended up on Perry class Frigates and my last duty station was taking Marines to the beach as part of an LCU crew. Thanks for watching my video!

[@scottgauley7722]

@@scaleautoguysworkbench Oh yeah, the Tamiya kits have incredible detail! But for the Atlantis' scale, price, and ease of build I am impressed! With some good paint you can really make this tiny model pop! I normally don't buy anything but 1/350 scale, but I couldn't resist this one!

[@scaleautoguysworkbench]

This kit is really basic and fun to build. The most time-consuming thing was painting the decks. I also like the simple mechanics of the turning gun turrets.

[@scottgauley7722]

@@scaleautoguysworkbench My favorite feature this little kit has is the synced gun turrets to the director. I think that's a pretty cool feature! Something I wish the bigger kits had too!

[@davidhinkson8856]

As amazing as modern day ship kits are, I think I prefer these older more simplified ones. This came together nicely and it's always rewarding to put together a model of a subject that you have had personal experience with.

[@scaleautoguysworkbench]

Thank you! This kit did come together nice. I was even surprised at how well it turned out. The actual ship had been a museum ship for only a short while before I was allowed to have my retirement ceremony on board. It was a great memory that I will cherish for the rest of my life.

[@benchpressboi154]

I just bought this myself as an ego booster after an awful mess up with the Tamiya BB-63. I wanted to see how you painted the deck as I can't paint with enough accuracy to go around the details on the deck. Great video!

[@scaleautoguysworkbench]

I'm sorry to hear about your mishap with the Tamiya kit. I hope that you gained some sort of insight on how to do the deck after watching my video. I like using acrylics on most of what I build because they are a bit more forgiving when a mistake is made. Good Luck on your build and thank you!

[@benchpressboi154]

yea for sure. I just got a bunch of acrylic paints of from my grandpa so I'm hoping to complete it by this weekend

[@scaleautoguysworkbench]

Might I just suggest that you take your time when painting the deck part. There are some areas on the 02 and 03 levels that are small and you need a steady hand to keep the paint going where it needs to go. Also, have a narrow brush to cut in around the superstructure and a wide brush for doing the open areas. Good Luck!

[@paulsmodels]

I have built enough of thes lousy kits to ID the same molding as the Revell/Monogram kits of battleships etc. You did a great job on this thing, but get a Tamiya ship kit if you want a good display kit.

[@scaleautoguysworkbench]

I have seen others that have gotten the Tamiya kits and they do look awesome. To be honest, I only bought this kit because of my connection to the actual ship and it was "cheap". I'm trying to whittle down my stash and I am running out of room for the completed kits. Once I have that all figured out and have the room for a larger ship build I have considered getting the Tamiya version of this. Thanks for watching!

[@Hjerte_Verke]

This model is GOOD (not great) for a display model and is pretty accurate for the basic shapes and can be improved with a little scratchbuilding. It is about the only 1/600 Iowa available. The only real problem is in the stern area (propeller skegs and struts) but elsewhere pretty fantastic for the time it was made.

[@goforitpainting]

Cool video and model.

[@scaleautoguysworkbench]

Thank You! It was a very simplistic kit but went together really well. I was trying to keep a Military vibe going while the video progressed along. I'm glad that you enjoyed it!

[@floydbenson7040]

I just visited the Whiskey at the Naval museum at Hampton roads Virginia. Toured the ship...amazing bucket list kind of experience. Crazy just how big those guns are in real life. Down in the claustrophobic guts of the ship I sensed the fear of being in there trying to do my job during a kamakazie attack or any attack for that matter. I know by the time she entered the way the imperial Japanese nave was not much to speak of but she was not the only Iowa class in the war. Respect to those men and women who served at any time. My father was on the Cushing Fletcher class destroyer during the war. So I'm all about it. Nice build you brought her to life. I bought the same kit at the gift store at the museum.cant wait to put her together. I'm going to look up a Dazzle paint scheme and try to put her in a battle diorama.

[@scaleautoguysworkbench]

Thank You! I was stationed in Norfolk for the last 9 years in the Navy. When I had my retirement ceremony on the Whisky they weren't allowing visitors to enter the skin of the ship. I have moved away from the area and can't afford to travel there right now. I would love to tour the ship though. It would bring back memories of my Navy days that's for sure. I never served aboard any of the Iowa's but that's not for a lack of trying! I guess that I'll just have to live with this brief ceremony on her fantail. I have seen some pictures of the dazzle paint jobs that the Iowa's had on them but I couldn't tell you where on the internet it was. Just google it I guess... Good luck on your build! Thanks for Watching!

[@acescalemodeling]

Great job, especially at that small scale!

[@scaleautoguysworkbench]

Thank you very much! Those smaller guns fought me a little as well as the propellers but in the end it came out really good, I thought any way. Thank you for watching!

[@Ronniejamesleo]

I did the uss iowa but went with trumpeter. I bought the atlantis uss pittsburg and wish i hadnt. That will be the first n last atlantis kit i'll ever purchase.

[@scaleautoguysworkbench]

I have discovered that Atlantis, although a wonderful company, is using very old molds to produce model kits that haven't seen the store shelf in decades. So, what they lack in quality they make up for it in a very nostalgic way. This kit has come from a very old mold and you can tell when you look into the hull. It still had the mounting points for electric motors. Still, it built up into a pretty decent representation of the USS Wisconsin. I have a couple of Trumpeter kits on the shelf waiting to be built but I haven't gotten to them yet.

[@Salty_Balls]

The tooling reminds me of the old box scale Monogram. But someone should have mentioned to them that those aren't the directors they used for the main battery guns. That'd be Spot 1 fore and Spot 2 Aft, which for some reason they didn't even include or even attempt to model. I have no idea what they have going on instead at Spot 1&2. 🤔. The ship looks bizarre without them. 🤨

[@scaleautoguysworkbench]

I believe that this, like most of the Atlantis lineup, are mad using very old molds. This particular offering is made to reflect the ship in its 1944 configuration. I cannot really comment on the accuracy in the kit compared to the actual ship but I would like to think that they got it mostly right? As I have almost zero experience with actual life aboard a battleship, I am unfamiliar with its operational aspects. I did twenty in the navy, mostly CG's, FFG's, one ASR and an LCU. I decided to have my retirement ceremony on the Wisconsin because it was a museum ship in downtown Norfolk, VA and I thought that would be the perfect setting for it. The gods in DC never had any openings on any of the BB's when I came up for orders. I think that their thinking process was that once an FFG sailor, forever will you be an FFG sailor.

[@TI4438]

This is definitely the same molds as the Monogram kits. The base is a dead giveaway.

[@fivecitydirttracker4776]

Nice ...

[@scaleautoguysworkbench]

Thank You!

[@cjdavis2684]

This looks like a really cool model and could be built up into any one of the four Iowa glass battleships..... As a sailor you know the waterline is called the boot top. Been trying to find it I see they list the old Revell Missouri kit now not this one and that old Revell kit is ridiculous this one looks so much better than it... Keep hoping to find a copy of it I'd like to turn it into the Missouri since it looks a lot better than the old reveal kit nice job Although the anchors would have been gray Not Gold and I've never seen silver gun barrels on any warships it's one of the things I don't like about a lot of the old construction sheets they give you the wrong colors on some other stuff other than that the model looks really cool

[@scaleautoguysworkbench]

First of all, Thank you for the nice comment. I don't know if you are aware but I am a retired Boatswains Mate from the U.S. Navy i.e. a "deck hand" (that's me at the end of the video at my retirement ceremony). I am fully qualified and aware of U.S. Navy shipboard color schemes. For most of my career I could even quote you the formula numbers as well as the Navy Stock Numbers used to identify each individual color. That being said, the barrels of my build, although they may not look like it in the pictures, are very much as close to "Haze Gray" as I could get them to look, especially due to not having access to the actual colors during this build. For that, I hand mixed most of the colors that were used in its construction and got them as close as I could to the actual color. In addition, although I couldn't find any evidence that the Wisconsin ever earning the "Golden Anchor Award" for retention, I decided to give it to her anyway. By the way, the USS Missouri did win this award as did a few of the ships that I served aboard. Thank you for watching!

[@wouterkraay6996]

That glue I used in 1965 but for that job is thin glue a must

[@scaleautoguysworkbench]

I wouldn't know how to use any other glue but the Testors Orange Tube as I have only ever used this. I am comfortable with this and will likely continue to use it, but thanks for the advice.

[@wouterkraay6996]

I think it an art you still use that glue 👍

[@haroldburch541]

Very nice build, I love to build these types of ships, they are simplistic and enjoyable to build. You did a very good job on this one!! Also Thank you for your service, and protecting our country.

[@scaleautoguysworkbench]

Thank You! This ship went together really easy. It was was my honor to serve, thank you for your support.

[@Hjerte_Verke]

11:43 Better to use the head of a small finish nail, heat the tip and mash straight down to mushroom the head of the pivot point. It does it effectively in one go with no mess, unlike here 😄 All kidding aside, the technique is heat the nail (or the end of a flat punch), apply it to the peg and hold it there until the heat dissipates a little, don't pull it away or you'll get strings of melted styrene, then remove it and you'll have a nice mushroom head.

[@scaleautoguysworkbench]

Thanks for the advice!

[@doodledangernoodle2517]

I never understood why model companies package these Iowa-class ships separately instead of just doing a more customizable Iowa-class kit that features the parts/decals needed to fit any of the four ships out in any era. Such as with the new bridge, Tomahawk missiles, etc. Same goes with any ship class that has multiple packages for individual members. Feel like it’d be cheaper

[@scaleautoguysworkbench]

With it being an Atlantis kit it is from an old, old, mold. They didn't spend the money to keep up with the 80/90's changes with the upgraded weapons systems. I agree that it would have been nice to have the option to build it in the original configuration or the more modern version. I was kind of hoping that it had those options before I opened the box. I suppose with some scratch building you might be able to convert this into a more modern setup. There is a ton a reference material online that could help. It would be way easier to have them incorporate it into the kit though.

[@wouterkraay6996]

But nice build model schip

[@scaleautoguysworkbench]

Thank You.

[@michaelgrey7854]

Haha on first glance I thought this was HPIguys workshop's channel lol.

[@scaleautoguysworkbench]

And why would you think that?

[@peloi111]

wHAT THAT BLUE MUSTANG YOUVE GOT IN YOUR SHELFE?

[@scaleautoguysworkbench]

That is a 99 Mustang GT that my son built many years ago and it is dark green. The other blue vehicle on the shelf is a 1973 Cougar. Are those the ones that you're asking about?

[@peloi111]

Yes, that was the first model kit I ever got and am happy to have remembered and found it here , I will build one now, thank you very much. @@scaleautoguysworkbench

[@Hjerte_Verke]

Using messy tube glue? I know the model is "cheap and outdated" and maybe you're going "retro", but I think it deserves Tamiya liquid cement or the like.

[@scaleautoguysworkbench]

Yes, I use tube glue. I always have and most likely, always will. It's only messy if you don't know what you're doing with it and no I'm not going "Retro" as you put it. Tamiya is a brand that sometimes is over valued IMHO. I have had that brand shoved at me from more angles than you will ever know, and I find it okay, but I don't find any more value in it than any other brand. I started building over 50 years ago. So, i am accustomed to using the old school stuff. It works well enough for me.