Welcome to the first of  several articles about one of the most important model kits in the history of the hobby, Revell's 1/535 USS Missouri.  Additional topics will include kit reviews and some project ideas!

THE EARLY HISTORY
 
During the first half of the 20th Century, hobby kits emerged with wood as the material of choice.  If one wanted to build a military ship, plenty of carving would be involved.  Rendering a battleship model from kits of the time would take many hours and quite a bit of skill.  The plastic model concept, which began in the early 1950’s changed all that.

Revell's first release of the 1/535-scale USS Missouri came in a box with proportions more like what you'd see for a tube of toothpaste.  Subsequent issues were flatter with proportions much more like common ship model kits of today.

The USS Missouri was the first model kit subject that Revell produced completely in-house. Revell received no cooperation from the US Navy in its design as the ship was still deemed an important strategic asset during the period and the hull configuration beneath the waterline was still classified. This explains the wild lower hull inaccuracy (the back of the hull is not nearly tapered enough and the characteristic bulbous prow is not represented.  The hull is not deep enough and there are no propellers!).

Early sales of Revell's USS New Jersey exceeded expectations.  A second mold was made from the original kit masters to keep up with demand by 1954.  This was the motorized version.  Backyard admirals everywhere rejoiced.  What happened to that tooling?  Stay tuned!

REVELL’S CARPET NAVY IS BORN!
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Revell's marketing people weren't sure if kids would want model ships with accurately-portrayed propellers, or if they would prefer to play with their newly-assembled ship models by sliding them across the carpet. In this scenario, scale props would snag and break off on the carpet. Revell infamously chose the flat-bottom route sans props for their early ship kits.

The four Iowa Class battleships were similar enough that Revell could rebox the USS Missouri and call it an Iowa.  Collect them all!

The newly minted Missouri kit was a huge sensation upon release in 1953.  Buyers were pleasantly surprised that a big ship model with intricate details could be built in a fraction of the time as the wood kits of the day.  Youngsters with a tube of glue and a couple evenings of easygoing assembly work would have a fairly nice display piece without any paint, since the model was molded in gray plastic.  Perhaps the success of this kit is what put Revell on the path to become the world’s largest model kit company eventually.

The Missouri masquerading as the New Jersey in the mid-1950's.

Early demand for the kit was so heavy that Revell created a duplicate mold to prevent a manufacturing bottleneck.  They decided a new feature that would distinguish kits from this additional mold was a motor.  The “new” kit for 1954 added a battery box and twin, operating propellers.

And no collection of Iowa Class battleships would be complete without the USS Wisconsin. 

It was not uncommon for youngsters of the day to build more than one kit since the next marketing strategy was to release the model with box art and decals depicting the other Iowa Class battleships.   Boxings featuring the New Jersey first appeared in 1955 and the Iowa and Wisconsin followed in subsequent years.

The Custom Chevy Van contest prize pegs this USS Iowa as a 1970's release.  We love the angled horizon in this box art.

The overnight success of the USS Missouri gave Revell motivation to begin engineering additional ship model kits immediately upon its initial success.  Revell’s subsequent ship kits included a Baltimore Class cruiser, Fletcher Class Destroyer, and Midway Class aircraft carrier.  Revell did not anticipate that mature modelers were buying these kits as well and feedback from them indicated that increased accuracy and attention to details would be a virtue for future kits and the flat-bottom “Carpet Navy” eventually gave way to ships with more accurate hulls that included propellers.

The last box where the USS New Jersey appeared in 1/535 scale.

DECADES OF POPULARITY

As a young modeler in the 1970’s, I recall making the choice between Revell’s Arizona and Missouri kits.  I wanted a ship model, and my paperboy money only allowed me to buy one, so I did my research before payday to figure out which one would I’d want most.

This boxing from the 1970's had the new replica of the surrender plaque.

Both models were still strong sellers at the time even as they were approaching a third decade on the market.  A friend had built the Revell Missouri kit and showed me a unique accessory that came with his model.  To commemorate the official Japanese surrender ceremony that occurred on the deck of the USS Missouri on September 2, 1945, a brass plaque 19” in diameter was made.  Revell eventually made a replica of this plaque in approximately 1/10 scale to include with the Missouri kit.

Revell did an Iowa Class model kit in 1/720-scale.  Revell decided to create a series of ships at one-tenth of their popular 1/72 aircraft scale.  1/700 had not yet been chosen as the preferred small-scale standard, although 1/720 is close to it.  Revell created a somewhat accurate lower hull with propellers for this model.

I was impressed with this feature, but decided to buy the Arizona since it had an extra measure of realism compared to the Missouri.  I liked details below the waterline such as the propellers on the 1/426-scale Arizona.  Revell improved each new ship model it released after the Missouri.  Just a few years separated the USS Missouri and USS Arizona kits, yet a comparison between the two reveals an extra level of realism in the Arizona that appealed to me as a youngster.  Yet the USS Missouri was still just as popular at the time and remains so today.

Revell's 1/350-scale USS Missouri was a big, detailed model.  Released under the Ceji-Revell brand in the mid-1980's, It came from a mold made by Otaki that originated around 1971.  Tamiya released a state-of-the-art 1/350 USS Missouri some years later.  The Tamiya kit was very nicely executed and set a high standard for large-scale ship models.

I recall that the issue of the Missouri kit from the 1970’s stayed in Revell’s catalog unchanged for many years until it received a larger, updated box in the 1990’s.  Millions of them have probably been sold and it has been one of the company’s most popular kits—year after year.

This replica of the Surrender Plaque was included in the 1970's release of the Revell USS Missouri.

The Revell Missouri kit also had a plain name plaque that showed up about the same time as the medallion.

The Iowa Class battleships were considered the apex of naval power during their design.  After the Pearl Harbor Attack, however, which brought the United States into World War II, it was assumed that aircraft carriers would be the main source of naval war power going forward.  The larger Montana class battleships under construction were cancelled since subsequent naval battles featuring aircraft carriers demonstrated their strategic value in future actions.  Despite this, the Iowa Class battleships still soldiered on, fighting after WWII in Korea, Vietnam, and finally, the Persian Gulf until the 1990’s, when they were finally retired for good.  All four ships are now museums.

In the 1990's, Revell's USS Missouri got a new, bigger box.

By the mid 1980’s, the notion of a fit-the-box model ship was antiquated.  Revell tried to update its USS Missouri / Iowa Class battleship product with offerings in more common scales.  They came out with an Iowa Class battleship kit in 1/720 scale that matched their other small-scale ship kits such as their USS Intrepid Essex Class aircraft carrier in its WWII guise and their downsized USS Arizona.  The 1/720 Iowa Class battleship model actually had two different versions with WWII and 1980’s fittings.

As of time of posting, this is what a new USS Missouri kit will look like.  There's plenty of room in the big box.  And the price is still low.

By the 1980’s, 1/350 scale was established as the standard large-scale for ship kits.  Tamiya had a number of releases of popular models in this scale.  These were state-of-the-art kits that commanded premium prices.  Otaki Models had gone bankrupt, and Revell got access to their 1971-vintage USS Missouri tooling and came up with a mid-1980’s release of a USS Missouri in 1/350 scale.  Parts quality wasn’t quite up to Tamiya’s high standards and this model didn’t enjoy the same enduring popularity of the Tamiya kits.  In 2014, this kit was re-released as a modernized USS New Jersey and came with photoetched parts, machined brass gun barrels, and wood decks.  Pricing for the all-inclusive Revell kit was better than a Tamiya kit with the aftermarket detail sets purchased separately.

The 1/350 kit hasn’t been listed in Revell’s catalogs in recent years, but the ancient 1/535 version soldiers on, still racking up sales.

Revell of Germany released the 1/535 USS Missouri.  It's outfitted in Measure 32 dazzle camouflage, which provides a nice incentive for acquiring it!

Here's what you get from a contemporary boxing of the Revell USS Missouri in 1/535 scale.  

LITTLE KNOWN DETOURS
 
The 1/535 USS Missouri kit first appeared as the Iowa in 1960, and last under the Advent brand in 1979.  On occasion, Revell Models would commission a special run of a model kit that would not make it into their annual catalog.  On July 4, 2012, the USS Iowa Museum opened near San Pedro, CA.  In 2013, Revell made a special run of 1/535 USS Iowa model kits that were only available through the USS Iowa Museum Gift Shop. 

No, you didn't miss this release of the USS Iowa at your hobby shop.  It was a special release only available through the ISS Iowa Museum gift shop.

Revell outfitted the box for the special museum edition of the Iowa with the same information and photos as one would expect to find with a standard catalog kit release.

The box for this Iowa release is the same size as the standard USS Missouri kit as sold in the 21st century.  Box art is similar to the Picture Fleet box of 1961 “with battle portrait box top you can frame.”  Revell took a rather interesting measure to differentiate the plastic for the USS Iowa kit from the standard USS Missouri.  It appears that they molded and bagged the Missouri kit as usual.  The bag in my kit had been slit and the surrender medallion and Missouri nameplate had been removed!  The slit bags without the unique USS Missouri parts were put in the special Iowa boxes, shrink-wrapped, and shipped to the Museum.

These are Revell parts from the original 1953 mold, which is still in use.  What's missing?  Revell actually removed the USS Missouri name plaque and surrender medallion replica for this special release of the USS Iowa!

REVELL USS MISSOURI – ATLANTIS IOWA CLASS
 
In 2018, Hobbico, the owner of Revell, suddenly went bankrupt and Revell’s assets were liquidated.  The remains of Revell USA were acquired by the owners of Revell-Germany.  It took some time for kit production to reestablish, and the original USS Missouri has returned and can still be purchased in stores at time of posting.  One aspect of its original appeal is still intact—you can get a big battleship model at a low price.

The Atlantis Models USS Iowa!  Available from Atlantis Models, your local hobby shop, or fine online outlets such as Amazon.com! 

During the liquidation, a large portion of Revell’s legacy tooling was sold off.  Atlantis Models, a newer company on the model kit scene, acquired this substantial collection and opened a new chapter in the history of Revell’s classic USS Missouri kit.  One of the tools they acquired was the second mold made of the Missouri, the 1954 motorized version.  Atlantis surprised modelers in 2019 by releasing TWO Iowa Class battleship kits—the Iowa and the Wisconsin!

Atlantis' USS Iowa, #H369, depicts the lead ship of the Iowa Class as seen in this view from Atlantis' website.  The kit captures the classic lines and colors of this iconic battleship.  We hope to see an Iowa Class battleship kit in Atlantis' catalog for a long time to come.

What is the difference you may ask in the two Iowa Class battleship kits sold by Atlantis?  Their USS Iowa represents the ship in Battleship Gray with natural wood decks.  The scheme seems to be the way most of us know and love an Iowa Class battleship.  See our review of the Atlantis Iowa Class kits here!

Here's a photo of the boxtop from the Atlantis USS Wisconsin kit.  See our review on the Wisconsin.  It has a closeup comparison between the Revell tooling and Atlantis tooling!

The Wisconsin is a different story—Atlantis outfitted the model in Measure 22 camouflage, which the ship wore throughout WWII.  Box art is the same as Revell’s 1969 USS Wisconsin box art.  Atlantis apparently has an agreement with Revell to use that old box art, and they’ve done so on many of their kits.  Perhaps the distinguishing characteristic of the Wisconsin kit release are several photos on the box of a built Wisconsin kit in standard Measure 22 colors!  The model looks spectacular in this guise and I wanted one immediately when I first saw it.  Just how popular is this kit?  Apparently, the release has sold out as it is no longer available on Atlantis’ website and it seems to be getting scarce in hobby stores and online retailers!  Perhaps Atlantis will re-release it

UPDATE APRIL, 2024:  ATLANTIS MODELS RELEASES A 1/665 USS MISSOURI AT HOBBY LOBBY RETAIL STORES

In addition to release of a 1/535 USS Iowa from an alternate Revell mold, Atlantis Models has released a USS Missouri BB-63.  As of posting, it wasn't found on the Atlantis website, but we saw it at a Hobby Lobby store.  The tooling was originally from Monogram, originally released in the 1970's as part of their 16" ships series.  Box art actually comes from the Revell 1/535 kit sold in the 1970's.

Vintage Monogram plastic with vintage Revell artwork!  Sold at Hobby Lobby stores in 2024 at a crazy-low $19.99.

Atlantis Models debuted their 1/665 Iowa Class battleship in the form of the USS Wisconsin in 2022.  They've added the Missouri with this new release in 2024.  It's a fun mashup of Monogram plastic with Revell box art.  Check out our review of the 1/665 Wisconsin kit.

The back of the box shows several other Atlantis ship models including their 1/535 Iowa.  A model built by Jeff Smedley shows how the finished 16" model with look with skilled assembly and painting.
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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!

When I saw this image of the Atlantis USS Wisconsin depicted in Measure 22 camouflage, I knew I had to have this kit!  Like many Atlantis kits, it was very popular and sold out quickly.  Get 'em while you can!

While Revell still sells their 1/535 USS Missouri at a low price, Atlantis Models entices modelers with an even lower price.  Since the mold that Atlantis uses did not have the Missouri nameplate or commemorative plaque, chances are that Atlantis won’t release the kit as the Missouri, and Revell likely won’t release their version as anything other than the Missouri. 

The plastic from the Atlantis USS Wisconsin kit.  Note that the sprue layout is completely different between the Revell and Atlantis kits.  The same masters were used to create the second mold so the parts are nearly identical save differences between motorized and non-motorized versions.  We should point out that motor hardware such as battery box and props were all deleted from the tooling.  If you want to add a motor, some scratchbuilding will be needed!

Both companies had cooperative agreements with various releases of other kits prior to the Hobbico bankruptcy, and we hope the friendly relationship continues causing a win-win situation for both companies and modelers with more 1/535 Iowa Class battleship models available at one time than ever before.

There are subtle differences between the two sets of tooling that Revell created originally for their 1/535 Iowa Class battleship.  Is one better than the other?  See our no-holds barred showdown between the Revell and Atlantis versions!

TWO-THIRDS OF A CENTURY AND STILL GOING STRONG

Even with the kit’s limitations, Revell’s 1/535 USS Missouri is still a big seller.  It looks like Atlantis is also doing well with their Iowa Class kit(s).  Even though there are plenty of Iowa Class battleship kits available in scales other than 1/535, the Revell version seems to be one of the most popular, and history will tell whether or not the Atlantis version is a strong seller for them as well.
 
In Part II in this series, we detail the specific differences in the plastic between the Atlantis and Revell Iowa Class battleships.  We present the question—which one should I buy, the Atlantis kit, or the Revell kit?  See both kits side-by-side.

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