The USS Arizona is one of the most widely known and publicized battleships in US Naval history. As such, there have been many kits produced of the Arizona. Of those, one kit stands out. In late 2010, Trumpeter released the massive 1/200 scale USS Arizona. With such a large scale, it comes as no surprise that there have been numerous aftermarket detail sets released, including a set from Trumpeter.

• Main Armament – SM-200-001, $21.49
• Secondary and AA – SM-200-002, $18.99

Master Model has established themselves as the leader in turned metal barrels. Their attention to detail and accuracy has earned them a top spot in the aftermarket world. Recently, Master released two new sets designed for the 1/200 Arizona. I already had the base kit and the Trumpeter upgrade set (both of which contain metal barrels), so I was interested in seeing what Master had done. And I was not disappointed.

History Brief

The Z-38 was a Zerstörer 1936 A-class destroyer, also known as the Narvik class destroyer by the Allies. These ships carried only their hull number and were not named by the Germans. Constructed by F. Krupp Germaniawerft AG in Kiel, she was fitted with leftover parts intended for larger ships, including 155mm twin turrets and 5.9inch guns. Closer in size to a light cruiser, her wartime displacement weighed in at 3,691 tons and hosted a crew of 330 souls. She was launched on August 5th, 1941, and commissioned on March 20th, 1943. Soon after completion of her sea trials, she was selected for escort duties and found herself assigned to the battleship Scharnhorst. Her colorful wartime record was extensive and, nonetheless, just as honorable. After WWII, she was seized by the British and used as a test ship under the name Nonsuch. She was scrapped in 1950. A total of 15 Zerstörer 1936A-class destroyers were produced by Germany.

This large format publication on fine, heavy paper is almost entirely written in Japanese. It contains articles on ships present at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, both Japanese and American, but primarily American battleships. The articles, which I am unable to read, focus on models of these ships, both in plastic and in resin.

Even so, the photographs of the finished models, along with many photographs of the model builds in progress, are fascinating and I found that I really did not need to understand the text to get inspiration and information from this publication.