USN CRUISERS
Heavy- and Light Cruisers
Scratchbuilt 1:500
by John Bange
In spite of the summer slowdown at the Bange ship yard...I finally completed the refit to Augusta, CA-31:
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…(She is a) Northhampton class
cruiser in Ms-22 (shown here) fresh from the yard...this configuration
is suppose to be around the Potsdam Conference time...I made the 8" gun
houses from basswood and used the barrels from a (Revell) 1/570 KGV.
...here's (a) close up of CA-31:
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The after mast is made of screen door material. I plan to upgrade all the (open-mount) 5"/25s to (Matt Stein Models' Single-5" Open-Mount) guns as time allows.
(And shown in this) photo is as I originally built her:
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...(originally depicting the) North Africa, (Operation) 'Torch' time (frame)
...(Here Augusta) is shown with San Francisco, Wichita and St.Louis:
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...(At) the bottom (foreground is)
San Francisco with scratch hull and upper works. I used 8" turrets,
40mms and 5"/25s from Revell's (1/480) heavy cruiser.
(Just behind her,) Wichita is from the same kits with scratch bridge and funnels.
Same with St Louis (top; furthest back) except she has (Matty's Models') fine 5"38 (Twin Turrets)… St Louis (also has) 6" scratch turrets...
(Here, from foreground to background, are) Birmingham, Alaska, and Tuscaloosa:
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Birmingham (bottom; foreground) will get the Matt Stein (Models) treatment when summer is over...(she has) 6" scratch turrets also...The round bridge on Birmingham is cut from a broom handle.
...Alaska has a (Revell 1/426) Arizona funnel and aircraft cranes, wood
control tower and the 12" main battery on from a 1/570 Revell
kit...North Carolina, I think.
Tuscaloosa is mostly wood,plastic sheet and rod with the same kit parts…(she is next for refitting).
...I try to make Mk 33 (gun directors) out of modified kit parts. I
think I might have chopped up more Missouri's, Helena/Pittsburgh's,
KGV's and Arizona's than anyone...My wife's jewelry box is full of
great anchor chain! I could do this same thing with Royal Navy
cruisers...got a bunch of em...
...I will be needing some Mk 37 (gun directors) soon!
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