BY BILL ENGAR

Since acquiring the legacy tooling from the former Revell USA in 2018, Atlantis Models has re-released a significant number of model ships that were formerly made by Revell, Monogram, Aurora, Renwal, and others.  Renwal’s ship kits were known for their impressive detailing.  In constant 1/500 scale, larger ships such as the Essex Class aircraft carrier and USS North Carolina are big models and will command attention on your shelf.  The USS North Carolina will make an impressive display piece when completed.

"With battle portrait box top you can frame."  Atlantis Models commissioned all-new artwork for the return of the former Renwal 1/500 USS North Carolina battleship.  This kit has not been released in a very long time!

The styrene plastic model kit has 144 parts and retails for only $24.99.  It’s a full-hull ship with propellers correctly represented and a pair of pedestal-stands that slide into the hull bottom.  Glue for styrene models is required for construction.  The model is molded in light gray plastic so that those builders not interested in painting can construct a reasonably accurate model in an evening or two.  With additional painting and care, there is no reason why a contest-winning model couldn't be built, even right out of the box with no added detailing.

Renwal caught the shape of the USS North Carolina quite nicely.  Hull length in 1/500-scale is nearly 18" long (45 cm).  It's a big model!

Main hull and lower superstructure.  Renwal did not mold AA guns into the deck--they're separate parts!

This is a vintage model kit that dates back to 1959.  As mentioned, a casual modeler can easily build the kit over an enjoyable weekend.  Modelers who want to do a contest-quality job will find a handful of sink-holes, minor flash, and the typical work cleaning up mold parting lines and sprue attachment points.  With a little skill at paint and weathering, you'll have a spectacular battleship model.  Instructions show where to add some minimal rigging.  If you've never rigged a ship model, this is a perfect place to try out the technique!

There's a little flash near the main sprue stub.  But it's minor.  One of our favorite things about the kit is the AA guns.  They are petite with nicely depicted, thin personnel shields.  For 1/500-scale, they're better than what you'd typically see on a competitor's kit back in the day.

Renwal used a different approach for engineering the ship's upperworks.  Revell and others tended to tool these parts to stack on top of each other like a layer-cake.  Renwal molded them in halves which allowed detail to be depicted on the bulkheads.

Upperworks, cranes, and prop shafts are found on these sprues.  It's easy to spot a Renwal ship model from the plaque-and-ball-style stand.  The elevation of each main gun could be posed individually, a marketing point mentioned on the original box top.

Bulkhead detailing includes portholes, hatches, ladders and more.  If you look VERY closely, you can see hand-wheels and dog arms on the open hatch covers.  Now, that's detail!

With all the great bulkhead detailing on this kit, it will look awesome with a little weathering.  If you've never tried it, techniques such as washes, pastels, and/or dry-brushing will enhance the molded-in detailing and amaze all your friends!

Likewise, this lower superstructure bulkhead has nicely engraved and raised details that you typically don't see on a ship model of this vintage.

There were two North Carolina-Class battleships.  Both were commissioned just months prior to the United States entering World War II in 1941, so as you could imagine, they were the most modern battleships afloat as the war officially began for the U.S. Navy.  Renwal Models also released this kit as the USS Washington, BB-56 in 1961.  Those of you who'd like to build the Washington will be happy to know that titles and numbers are included on the decal sheet to build the Washington in addition to markings for the North Carolina, BB-55 (better buy TWO kits!).

Note that the decal sheet includes markings for the Washington (BB-56) in addition to the North Carolina (BB-55).  Longtime builders of Revell ship kits will be familiar with the paper flag sheet.  You can rig the ship as depicted in the instructions and hang these flags to spell out a message that will only be understood by those familiar with the International Code of Signals.

An interesting kit anachronism is that a 1/500 Sikorsky S-55 Chickasaw helicopter is included.  Both North Carolina battleships were decommissioned from active duty in 1947 and the S-55 didn't even fly for the first time until two years later.  However, the North Carolina and Washington were kept in reserve against the possibility of modernization and reactivation so perhaps it was assumed by Renwal that the ships could sail again and would likely have a helicopter on board.  As it turned out, a modernization for the ships to keep up with a then-modern carrier task force was deemed too expensive.  The North Carolina battleships were stricken from Navy records after the Renwal kits were first released.  Of course it is up to the builder whether or not to depict the helo on their model.  For the record, when I build mine, the Chickasaw will proudly go on its spot on the deck where Renwal intended it to go.  The fact that you can identify it as an S-55/H-19 in 1/500-scale is pretty cool in itself.  Many helicopters that accompanied other vintage ship kits were generic-looking and inaccurate.

We love that the instructions use vintage artwork from another age.  

Instructions include a detailed English description of where each part should go accompanied by a handful of exploded-diagrams.  Beginners might be challenged by this.  If you've never built a ship model before, we'd recommend that you first build either Atlantis' USS Iowa, #H369 or Wisconsin #M3006.  Both these kits are simpler in their construction with very easy-to-follow instructions.  If a modeler has previously built a battleship or two from kits requiring glue, they should have no trouble building the North Carolina.   

The big box is stuffed pretty full.  This is a really large model and a bargain at $24.99 MSRP.

Atlantis puts more effort into their boxes than most other manufacturers.  Model dimensions, paint colors, a brief history, and several photos of the model are included.

Atlantis Models lists this as a Skill Level 3 kit intended for modelers age 14 and up.  This is probably a pretty good recommendation.  It's perfect for a builder who has already built another ship model or two.  Those awesome AA guns are quite delicate and having a little experience handling somewhat fragile parts will be helpful.  This is not a state-of-the-art kit where the builder is expected to add photoetch detailing.  Seasoned modelers can expect a much more vintage and nostalgic building experience.  But that's really the beauty of these vintage kits.  Engineered over 60 years ago, the kit has a timeless quality that will be appreciated by any modeler or collector familiar with this hobby.  Younger or less experienced builders will enjoy the build as well.  Other than some fragile parts that need a little care in handling, construction is pretty straightforward.

Guy Malone portrayed his Atlantis USS North Carolina in Measure 12 (Modified) camouflage as shown in this photo on the back of the kit box.  It accurately represents the North Carolina as she would have appeared early in WWII.  As a WWII-period battleship, note that Guy did not include the helicopter!

We love this kit!  It's a perfect companion to Atlantis Models' 1/500 Essex Class carrier kit, the Ticonderoga, CV-14.  The 2Modeler guys give Atlantis Models' USS North Carolina battleship kit four enthusiastic thumbs-up and you'll be happy to add it to your collection!  Considering shelf presence, low price, build-ability, detailing, and overall quality, Atlantis really checks all the boxes on the list of important things that modelers like to see in a great model kit!

SPECIAL THANKS TO ATLANTIS MODELS FOR PROVIDING THIS KIT TO REVIEW AND ENJOY!!!

BONUS FEATURES

VINTAGE SCALE:  BUILD A COLLECTION IN 1/500 OR THEREABOUTS

Plastic model kits have been common since the 1950's.  However, It took a while for ship models to be standardized in 1/700 and 1/350 scales.  Before that, kits were often engineered to fit a standard-sized box.  Perhaps the most famous example is Revell's 1/535 USS Missouri kit dating back to 1953.  One of the most successful and popular model kits of all time, the model's hull measured 20" long.  It was a big kit that stood out on your shelf but didn't overwhelm it.  Other Revell ship kits followed that were roughly the same general size in an odd number of scales.

Renwal Models had some amazing box art.  We love this image (courtesy of BoxArtDen) of the Cleveland-Class cruiser Pasadena from 1959.  The dramatic scene features a ship in heavy seas firing a  main gun salvo while a Terrier missile launches simultaneously with a helicopter of a type we can't identify perched safely on the fantail underneath a deck crane which would be used to hoist floatplanes on deck.  OK, maybe there are some inconsistencies with reality but how many of us would have cared as youngsters drooling over such dramatic box art!  You'd just knew something special had to be in a box with a painting like this.

During the 1960's, Revell seemed to standardize their ship models variously in 1/720 scale (1/10 of 1/72 scale!) or 1/570 scale.  Their popular Queen Mary kit debuted in that scale and a few battleships and eventually the Titanic appeared in 1/570-scale as well.  As the 1960's dawned, Renwal Models had a handful of ship kits in 1/500-scale.  The nearly 18-inch North Carolina/Washington battleship had same-scale companions in the form of a Cleveland-Class cruiser and a Farragut-Class destroyer.  The spectacular Essex-Class carrier USS Ticonderoga in its postwar angled-deck guise followed in 1961.  With a 21" hull, this model was bigger than Revell's USS Missouri.  The really cool thing about these kits was that you could display them together and they'd all be the same sizes relative to each other as their real-life counterparts.  You could make your own 1/500 carrier task force!

Atlantis Models offers the 1/500-scale Ticonderoga, originally a 1961 Renwal kit.  The image is a vintage Renwal painting that adorned the first issue of this kit.

The Ticonderoga was Atlantis Models' first release of a Renwal ship kit.  Their 1/500 North Carolina is their second.  The North Carolina/Washington hadn't been released since the 1960's.  Renwal's Farragut-Class frigate was released in recent years as the USS King by Revell and the Cleveland Class cruiser was also released as the USS Springfield.  To complement your Atlantis 1/500 North Carolina and Ticonderoga, you can still find these previous Revell releases.  We don't know if Atlantis has the molds to these or not; perhaps we'll see them in an Atlantis box in the future.

The USS King and USS Springfield, both former Renwal ship kits in 1/500-scale, were released by Revell in the 2015-16 timeframe.  They should still be easy to find to create your own 1/500-scale vintage task force.

The final 1/500 Renwal ship kits that haven't yet been re-released are the Tolland Class and Haskell Class attack cargo/attack transport ships.  We don't know where the molds are to these kits are; they're another pair that we hope Atlantis Models has available to release at a future date.

The Seminole was a Tolland-Class attack cargo ship.  It hasn't been seen since Renwal's initial 1950's release.

The Sarasota was a Haskell-Class attack transport.  Like the Tolland-class kit, this 1/500 kit likewise has not seen a re-release since its initial run.

Another model kit currently sold by Atlantis is the USS Pittsburgh, a Baltimore-Class heavy cruiser.   It's a 1/490-scale kit, which is very close to 1/500.  It'll look great displayed with your North Carolina.  The Pittsburgh was originally a Revell kit, one of its early ship models first released not long after the 1/535 USS Missouri was a big hit.  The Atlantis kit portrays the ship as it was in WWII, prior to its guided missile conversion which substantially changed the appearance of the ship post-war.  The Pittsburgh comes with a full set of names and numbers to build your choice of any of 14 Baltimore Class cruisers!

The Pittsburgh may be painted in splinter-camouflage as seen here.  Other options include standard battleship-gray with any of 14 ship names and numbers as included on the decal sheet.

While model ship builders have become accustomed to finding most post-1970's ship kits released in either 1/700 or 1/350 scale, those models that fall between seem to be "right-sized."  Many 1/700 ship models are so small, they're practically hard to see and any more than a handful of 1/350 scale kits will overwhelm your display space or kit storage area.  We think that 1/500 or thereabouts is a happy medium and we enjoy the economical vintage ship kits that Atlantis offers.

If building a 1/500-scale task force sounds overwhelming, why not consider Atlantis Models' awesome U.S. Task Force Combat Fleet kit, a 1/1200 collection of ship models containing most of the ships discussed above.  Included are the USS North Carolina and USS Hornet, an Essex Class carrier like the Ticonderoga.  Yes, they're pretty small in 1/1200 scale, but placed together they make a very impressive display and they're easy and fun to build.  You can even expand your set since different ship models from other manufacturers can be found in 1/1200-scale.

This classic Renwal kit, re-released by Atlantis Models in 2022 has a complete collection of a dozen US Navy ship models in 1/1200 scale.  

Keep an eye on Atlantis Models as they add more ship kits to their line. We'd guess there might be some exciting news ahead related to their line of 1/500 ships.  In virtually every case we've seen, when Atlantis re-releases a kit, it's better than previous releases.  Decals are usually of better quality and often have additional options that previous releases lacked.  Atlantis always cleans up the tooling and quite often, the Atlantis release fits together better than earlier versions of the same model.
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​VISIT IT!

The operational career of the USS North Carolina spanned just ten years.  Nicknamed the "Showboat" as a media star during her commissioning as a modern battleship prior to WWII, the USS North Carolina has more than lived up to this name since being dedicated as a museum ship in 1962.  For over six decades, she has been a major tourist attraction with over 250,000 visitors per year.  Don't miss it!

Battleship North Carolina may be experienced in Wilmington, NC.  She's near the downtown area in an estuary on the west bank of the Cape Fear River just off of Highway 74.