Another close-up where, among the other ordnance, you can see some of the 49 20mm Oerlikon guns! These drove us nearly to insanity - they have minute etched shields, shoulder braces, hand wheel and sights that have to be painstakingly added to the moulded gun! We got into the habit of fabricating five at a time to spread the task over several modelling sessions. Happily, Ben's eyes are better, and his hands steadier - so I cut the bits off the fret and he attached them...

Building this model was a labour of love; I had previously built a model of the Missouri over 50 years ago. Those exquisite etched components were not available then! I recently had the privilege of being shown round her on a visit to Honolulu - an amazing dream come true!

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