The tooling that Atlantis used for these kits is a second mold that Revell made from the original 1/535 USS Missouri master patterns in 1954.  This second version of the USS Missouri was motorized, but little evidence of this exists in the current Atlantis kit.

To learn more about the Revell 1/535 USS Missouri, check out our History Series article about it.  Stay tuned after this review and we’ll go into detail about the differences between the Revell USS Missouri and Atlantis Iowa Class Battleship models (Iowa and Wisconsin).  Our goal is to inform the potential buyer and have a little fun at the same time.

REVIEW SUMMARY:  This is not your dad’s 1/535 USS Missouri.  Atlantis’ Iowa Class Battleship kits feel fresher than the Revell version.  While it’s a vintage kit with parts that might need some minor cleanup, modelers can expect an easygoing, fun build to get a big 20-inch model of the iconic Iowa Class battleship from either of these kits (Iowa or Wisconsin).

Atlantis Models USS Iowa in 1/535 is made in the USA.  MSRP is a low $21.99.

The Iowa and Wisconsin kits are the same plastic; decals and paint schemes are different!

At time-of-review, the USS Iowa is available at Atlantis-Models.com.  The Wisconsin fell off the website during the summer of 2020, indicating that they have exhausted supplies, and some retailers show zero stocks.  So if you want a Wisconsin kit, better get one now!  This would indicate that the Wisconsin was a strong seller for Atlantis and it’s certainly not the first of their kits to sell out quickly.  I found mine on eBay.

Contents of Atlantis' USS Wisconsin kit.  The Iowa will have decals specific to that ship.

I counted 69 gray styrene parts in Atlantis’ Wisconsin kit.  The Iowa will be the same.  The astute modeler might notice that either Atlantis kit contains a few less parts that the Revell kit.  Stay tuned for our discussion on the differences between the Revell and Atlantis kits for further explanation.

Tiny insignias for the SC Seahawk catapult planes are a nice addition to the decal sheet for the USS Wisconsin.

Builders will experience a little flash and some sinkholes on some parts.  None of this is major and only devout modelers will probably do anything with the sinkholes.  Plan on a little cleanup, but nothing major.
 
Stated skill level for this kit is for modelers age 12 and up.  None of the parts in this kit are extremely small or delicate.  Experience with a tube of glue (or the liquid cement, which is what Dem Brudders prefer) is recommended for anyone attempting this kit.  If the prospective builder has built a simple glue-kit or two, they should be well prepared to try Atlantis’ Iowa or Wisconsin.

This is a perfect “first ship kit” for anyone with their eyes on attempting other ship models, particularly newer kits that might have smaller parts.  Atlantis’ Iowa or Wisconsin is the perfect place to begin your shipbuilding skills.  You can learn the ropes (sorry!) of shipbuilding here and maybe save making some mistakes on a more expensive ship model later.

One interesting aspect of this kit is attaching the main gun turrets, crane, and catapults so they are moveable.  The Revell kit has retainer plugs to secure the gun posts to the deck so they can rotate, but the Atlantis kit has no such plugs.  The instructions recommend heating a screwdriver end to melt the post where it protrudes through the deck.

Box sides for the Wisconsin kit.

Be careful doing this.  Such work was commonly recommended to us youngsters back in the 1960’s when none of us wore seatbelts or bike helmets.  Our kid-chemistry sets had strong oxidizers, acids, accelerants, and in some cases, radioisotopes.  We actually ate French fries dripping in high-cholesterol animal fat and walked to school by ourselves.  We generally accept (at least those of us who survived childhood!) that none of those things are acceptable in this day and age and you need to be careful heating a screwdriver over anything other than hot-water temperature.

You could heat the screwdriver with a candle or oven burner, and I’d recommend experimenting first with a piece of kit sprue.  If you’ve heated the screwdriver enough to stick to the plastic, it’s too hot.  You don’t even need to flare the post all the way around, just enough so that the gun turret won’t come out of the deck.  And I'd recommend asking Dad first which of his screwdrivers you can use (he'll say you should have @%&* used an old one).  Don't ask me how I know this.

This photo is featured on the back of the box of the USS Iowa kit.  The instructions show you how to use household thread (not included) to add rigging if you want.

If the turning turrets feature doesn’t float your boat (sorry!), you can simply glue them on.  Kudos to Atlantis to leaving the retro-fun moving parts feature as an option that helped get us even more excited about these kits so long ago (and got me in hot water with our dad).

Compare the USS Wisconsin in Measure 22 Camouflage from this image of the back of the box for #H463.  While the plastic is the same, this different color scheme is a great reason for wanting to get both kits.  The model was built by Guy Malone.

Here’s a special tip that will make your Atlantis Iowa Class battleship model kit a nice display piece.  The plastic display trusses that come with the kit have small notches in the base.  You could find a piece of wood that will make a nice display base (craft stores sell them ready-made).  Stain and varnish the wood, and get some brass wood screws from a hardware store to mount the kit display trusses to the wood base. 

Here's an image showing some of the colors for the Measure 22 camouflage scheme the Wisconsin wore during WWII.  Navy Blue was used for the hull from waterline to lowest point where it met the deck, and Haze Gray was used above that for all vertical surfaces.  Deck blue covered all horizontal surfaces according to references I found.

Regarding painting, I’m conflicted on the stated usage of silver paint to the degree specified in the instructions.  Actually, I wouldn’t use any silver paint at all.  I find little evidence to suggest that the barrels of the guns or anchors should be painted silver as specified.  Same with the radars; I’ll leave it to the modeler to verify this via their own research, but pictures of Iowa Class battleships suggest that the large-turret 16” guns had gray barrels and the 5” guns also had gray barrels.  The quad “Chicago Piano” guns might have dark gunmetal barrels and radars likewise would have been toned down with gray paint to avoid detection from a distance by a shiny, reflective surface.  To Atlantis’ credit, these paint errors perpetuate from the Revell instructions.

​LEARN MORE ABOUT U.S. NAVY CAMOUFLAGE 

The science of U.S. Navy ship camouflage evolved during WWII.  While the USS Wisconsin only wore Measure 22, the appearance of the USS Missouri changed during the war as lessons learned in combat dictated modifications in camouflage strategies.  We'll  refer to you this great Wikipedia article on WWII color schemes or measures, used by the Navy during World War II.  Color chips are provided and it's interesting to see how Navy ship colors progressed!

The USS Wisconsin (BB64) moored in front of the wrecked hull of the USS Oklahoma.

The Iowa’s classic battleship paint scheme as depicted on the box is fairly simple.  If it’s not wood or a fitting and it’s a horizontal flat surface, paint it a darker shade of gray than the ship’s hull.
 
Here are a couple suggestions for paint colors for the USS Iowa (natural teakwood deck color):  I like to throw a small amount of yellow in my “Deck Tan” paint.  Mix a small amount on a piece of paper to see if you like this.  A very small amount of red thrown in as well provides more of a teak shade.  Again, try this with a small amount of paint first to see if you like it!

There is a small amount of flash and some sinkholes to deal with, but none of it is major.

The same goes for the hull-red color, called out in the instructions as “dark red.”  Take plain old flat red paint, and mix a small amount of brown in it.  Again, try this with a drop on a piece of paper first so you don’t mess up a whole bottle, but stirring a lesser amount of brown paint into red provides a very nice “hull red” color.

Paint colors for the Wisconsin are a different story.  During WWII, the USS Wisconsin (BB64) wore Measure 22 Camouflage.  Guy Malone's built-up model on the back of the box appears to show the model in this scheme.  Here's a great link from ShipCamouflage.com for Measure 22 colors and their application.

A small decal sheet includes the ship’s name for the stern and numbers.   Atlantis decals are high-quality and should go on easily and well.  I’d recommend spraying a spot of clear (transparent) gloss paint or lacquer before laying them down so they don’t “silver” on the clear areas.  A great modeling secret is to hit the decal with another shot of glossy clear paint after it’s completely dry (overnight at the soonest; 24-hours preferably).  Yes, this seems redundant, but you’ll find that the clear areas of the decal virtually disappear once you’ve hit this with a final shot of clear flat paint or lacquer as a final over-coat.

This photo of USS Wisconsin during WWII shows a characteristic of Measure 22:  Main hull color is Navy Blue 5N.  Starting at the point on the hull where the deck is closest to the water, a horizontal line divided the vertical surface, and the areas above the low point of the deck starting where it gradually curved up (the "sheer") were painted Haze Gray 5H.  All vertical surfaces above the hull were also painted Haze Gray.  The wood deck was painted Deck Blue, and horizontal surfaces, such as the tops of the gun turrets and non-wood decks were also painted Deck Blue according to references I found.  I'll be first to admit I'm not an expert on Iowa Class color schemes and I welcome any additional information some of our readers may have on the WWII colors for the USS Wisconsin.

Dem Brudders are happy to see a new take on this classic kit!  Atlantis Models has unearthed a long-hidden treasure for fans of the Revell 1/535 USS Missouri in the form of the alternate tooling for the kit which has been unseen for many decades.  Revell's classic 1/535 USS Missouri is one of the most important ship kits in the history of the hobby and most modelers have built it at one time or another.  In the process of becoming a major model kit manufacturer, Atlantis Models has given us not one, but two versions of this kit, which has been revitalized in the form of the alternate tooling.  We give it a hearty four thumbs up!
​

Check out the Atlantis USS Iowa on Amazon.

Check out the Atlantis USS Wisconsin on Amazon.  Prices and availability may change since it appears to be getting scarce.

BONUS MATERIAL

A KNOCKDOWN, DRAG-OUT, NO-HOLDS BARRED SLUGFEST BETWEEN REVELL'S USS MISSOURI AND ATLANTIS MODELS' IOWA CLASS BATTLESHIP KITS!  WHICH KIT IS BETTER???  LET'S PLAY BATTLESHIP!

This feature represents Part II of our series on the historic Revell USS Missouri and Atlantis Iowa Class battleships in 1/535 scale.

After the Hobbico bankruptcy and divestiture of Revell's assets, Revell USA was restructured under the umbrella of Revell of Germany.  They are back in business in the USA and have restarted production and distribution of their model kits, including the iconic 1/535 USS Missouri.

I’m sure many of you are wondering about the specific differences between the Revell and Atlantis Iowa Class battleship kits since they do come from different tooling.  Dem Brudders purchased one of each type of kit and used their obsessive-compulsive, super-anal skills of observation to do a side-by-side comparison of the parts between the Revell and Atlantis kits.

THE GROUND RULES:

To avoid any possibilities of favoritism, I purchased both kits myself.  My Revell version is actually a special-run of the USS Missouri in a USS Iowa box, but parts compare to another classic Missouri kit I have.  The Atlantis entry is from their USS Wisconsin, reviewed above.

Revell USS Iowa, a special 2013 release for the Battleship Iowa Museum gift shop.  It's the same plastic as Revell's classic USS Missouri, but they took out the commemorative medallion replica and Missouri nameplate.

Revell plastic.

Atlantis' USS Wisconsin BB-64, 2019.  The same plastic is available as Atlantis' USS Iowa.  This kit is NOT a "knockoff" or copy of Revell's kit!  It was an alternate mold, made from the same master patterns as the 1953 Revell kit, only one year later.

Atlantis plastic.  This view shows the remnants of the motorization hardware mounts inside the hull.  Sprue layout is completely different than the Revell kit.

Revell’s USS Missouri kit has been available for most of the past seven decades or so.  It has to be one of the most popular model kits ever made since it first went on sale in 1953.  The downside to this is that the tooling has become a little worn from the heavy use.

Atlantis' hull.  The "knobs" are a tooling change that eliminated prop shaft holes for the motorized version.  The five small holes retain a small nib on the rudder.

The Atlantis kit is from the alternate mold for the USS Missouri that was made in 1954.  Original kit master patterns were used to create this second mold.  Modelers will notice subtle differences between parts and the layout of the sprues is different.
 
Revell took an opportunity with the second mold to create a USS Missouri that was motorized.  A battery box, motor mount, and twin propellers were added.  1954 box art features this new version.  At some point, the motor hardware was deleted and all that remains are some vestiges of prop shaft pass-throughs and locating ridges for erstwhile battery box and motor mount parts on the lower hull.

The rudders are different on both kits.  The Atlantis version has a small nib that fits in any of five small holes behind the rudder shaft.  Back in the day, if you set the rudder in the middle, your 1954 Motorized USS Missouri would cruise away in a more or less straight line on your chosen body of water.  The other four would send your model in circles right and left, which a choice of tight or less-tight circle.

The USS Missouri had a nameplate.  I believe this was a later addition to the tooling that the second mold, AKA Atlantis Iowa Class kit, never had.

The replica of the medallion commemorating the Japanese Surrender Ceremony is another late addition to Revell's USS Missouri that was not implemented on the second mold.  This piece has some nicks and dings indicative of mold damage from handling during many runs of Revell USS Missouri kits since the medallion was added.

At some point around the early 1970’s, Revell added a replica of the 19” medallion that was mounted on the USS Missouri’s deck to memorialize the Japanese Surrender Ceremony, which took place September 2, 1945.  This event signified the end of World War II.  The Revell rendition was a pretty good replica of the real thing, and gave modelers who’d already built the Missouri an excuse to buy another one with this feature.  Likely, after this was added, there was no reason to use the alternate tooling for the USS Missouri and it was mothballed for decades.  After viewing the Atlantis parts closely, it is apparent that the molds were properly prepped for long-term storage and no rough spots indicating corrosion or improper handling were noted.  The parts for the Atlantis kit have less flash than the Revell parts.  Overall, the modeler may observe that the Atlantis kit will probably be the easier build.

Revell version on the left in both photos.  Slight differences such as width of the ladders can be seen here.  Note that the bridge windows can be seen on the Atlantis piece; on the Revell part, they were worn off decades ago.  One of my modeling friends who built the Revell kit in the 1960's recalls that the window lines were there at that time.  I filled the rigging holes in the Revell part (left) so I can drill a much smaller hole, which will look more realistic for the rigging.  Both models have some pretty big holes for that household thread!

With the USS Missouri remaining one of Revell’s most popular kits and in their catalog nearly continuously since its debut, the continuous use of the tooling caused some inevitable wear.  Generally, the details on the Atlantis kit seem a little more crisp and the parts feel “newer” when put side-by-side.

On the plus-side for the Revell version was that the Atlantis kit seemed to have more sinkholes.  This was a bit surprising to me since in all other cases, the Atlantis releases have had fewer sinkholes than the vintage releases of the same kits I’ve observed.  However, none of the sinkholes I observed on the Atlantis parts are “deal killers” as far as the modeler’s prospect of building a first-rate model and many builders will probably not care about them at all.

Revell piece on the left.  Note that the ladders on the Atlantis part at right have sharper detailing.  Subtle differences can be seen which is indicative of a different mold being made months after the original, even though the same masters were probably used.

One difference that is very noticeable is the truss-style stands.  Quite a few subsequent Revell ship kits utilized the same-style trusses, which were designed to mount to a wood base.  These would help provide a substantial display piece with the completed model integrated.  The trusses for the second mold are different; the cradle area is split and the truss-supports are beefier.  They provide more of an illusion of “weight” to the finished model.

Revell stand at top that we've grown to know and love, having been used in several Revell ship kits.  The Atlantis version has beefier struts with a split in the middle of the support strut!  Is it Bizzaro-World?  Buy one of each today and decide for yourself.

An interesting bugaboo on the Revell hull is an asymmetry!  It appears that a slight error between inner and outer molds left a thin spot in the hull.  At some point, Revell attempted to correct this by shaving some material off the outer half.  This left the slight asymmetry.  I noticed a thin region on the Atlantis version in the same place, but the adjustment which put the hull symmetry out of kilter on the Revell kit is not present on the Atlantis side.
 
This asymmetry isn’t noticeable unless you pick up the completed model and look at it upside down, meaning when it’s on display, it’s not even noticeable.  However, if you are an anal perfectionist like certain individuals we know well (ahem), correcting this is fairly easy.  I’d recommend gluing a piece of sheet styrene inside the hull first, and shaving off the outside until both sides match.

Parts fit of the Seahawk airplanes was a tad better on the Atlantis side.  You do need to shave the wing opening just a bit to improve fit, but on the Revell version, the slot for the wing was deeper and I needed to add a small piece of sprue to make up the gap left after gluing on the wing.  An interesting addition to these planes would be some wing floats.

Hull asymmetry on the Revell kit.  You really won't notice this unless you flip your finished model over.

Atlantis crane at top.

On the flipside, the Atlantis crane is cleaner.

Revell's five-inch guns.  Some of the turrets are a tad short and will need some shimming.  The same guns on the Atlantis kit have thicker (sturdier) gun barrels and don't need any shimming.

Revell part at top.  Details are slightly different between the kits, indicative of a second mold being made from the same master patterns

Revell at top.  The steps appear to be sharper on the Atlantis kit, at bottom.

The catapults on the Revell kit show that the tooling has had decades of heavy use.

The Atlantis catapults show virtually no wear.

Atlantis' 5-inch guns showing thicker, more rubust barrells--and sink marks that weren't present on my Revell kit.  Note that the rudder on the Atlantis kit is different than the rectangular affair on the Revell kit.

Revell's sixteen-inch gun turrets.  The turret in the foreground is actually the front turret on the ship.  On the revell kit, it's too thin, again probably from tooling wear.

On the Atlantis kit, detailing on the main turrets is sharper than on the Revell kit.  Note however that there is a more pronounced sinkhole on that front turret (it's the one without the gun tub).

A hull-to-hull faceoff reveals that the Revell piece (top) is a few millimeters longer than the Atlantis version, at bottom.  Note the differing forward hull contour on the Atlantis kit!

a closeup of that hull-length difference.  Another item of note is the "nub" for the anchor mount.  I'd recommend shaving off the round protuberance on the back of the anchors before mounting them, if you can do it without destroying the anchor or cutting yourself!  They'll look a little better closer to the hull.

After measuring the length of kit hulls, the Revell version (about 19-13/16") actually scales out at about 1/537.  We can reasonably call it 1/535.  The Atlantis hull measures in at 19-3/4", so it's a tad shorter than the Revell kit and actually measures in at 1/540 scale!  OK, we're really splitting hairs here.  Both the Revell and Atlantis kits are very close in scale to Revell's USS Oriskany (also released as Apollo recovery ship Hornet Plus Three) and Revell's Forrestal carrier kit.  Revell's USS Roosevelt was Revell's first aircraft carrier ("Carpet Navy" kin to the Missouri), and it was also sold as the straight-deck USS Midway.  It's also  a close scale-fit at 1/547, so your Revell or Atlantis Iowa Class battleship will be a nice companion to these models being very close in scale.

SO, WHICH ONE WINS?

As far as "buildability," we give the edge to the Atlantis Iowa Class kit.  Both kits will require some parts cleanup, but the Atlantis tooling clearly has less wear-and-tear than that of the vintage Revell model.  There's really no contest there.  Atlantis decals feature either the Wisconsin or Iowa, and we'll bet they'll release a New Jersey some time in the future.

However, if you want to specifically build the USS Missouri, and get the Missouri nameplate and surrender commemoration plaque, then the Revell kit is your choice.  So, don't count the Revell kit out as a candidate for an interesting model.   The USS Missouri was the location of the official treaty signing that ended World War II, and as such has special significance among Iowa Class battleships.  It's no coincidence that Revell chose the Missouri as their first ship model, and for that matter, the first of all the model kits they produced themselves.

The true winners in this contest are us modelers, since we've never had two great model kit companies releasing two 1/535 Iowa Class battleship models!

Scroll down just a bit to see the other crazy-cool stuff we have here at DemBrudders.com!