Reviews : Tamiya US Navy Indianapolis Cruiser Boat

Just completed the Indianapolis and enjoyed building it. The instructions are excellent and the parts are easy to identify. Even putting on the smaller AA weapons was not too much of a chore as I first installed the bases for the 5 inchers and 20mm's before attaching the guns. I pre-assembled the 40mm's before attaching though. The only real problem I had was the assembly of the forward mast as it broke so I had to make do with what I had to use. I used a different paint scheme also as I used the Model Master Navy Sea Blue for the decking and an intermediate gray for the hull. Assembly of the 2 scout planes always gives me trouble, especially with wing pontoons since they are so small. I painted the planes with a Navy Sea Blue and a light gray for the underside of the wings and pontoons. I stayed away from using any silver which the color chart shows for certain items such as searchlights and radar.

This kit depicts the famous USS Indianapolis - the ship the carried the Hiroshima bomb to Tinian Island. It was 1 of 2 cruisers of its class, the other being USS Portland. This kit was pretty straightforward to assemble. The only problem I had, as with other kits, was removing & keeping track of some tiny parts. However, this kit's parts, even the smaller ones, were easier to apply and nothing a set of tweezers can't handle. As another reviewer said this kit is worth it for its association with 'Jaws' and the real-life mass shark attack that befell most of its crew after it was torpedoed by an IJN submarine and sank. Highly recommended.

My son wanted to build this ship after writing a 15 page paper on the USS Indianapolis for school. He is 12 and is usually very good with his hands / building things. When I tell you my husband who can build anything couldn't even help with this one, I am not exaggerating. The pieces are so tiny and break when you try to remove them from the kit. The plastic is thin and the entire thing is a waste of time and money. We were so disappointed with this product. The only saving grace is my son is going to use it in his 3D display sinking so it won't matter that so many pieces are missing etc.

Anyone who saw the movie JAWS, has to build this model. This is the shipped referenced by Robert Shaw when talking about his removed tattoo and his time of survival in the water, one of my all time favorite movie scenes besides, leave the gun, take the canolli Can think of how many time that scene went through my mind as I built it, and imagined his story along the way. Great fit and finish to the pieces, takes some skill to assemble and detail. But the end result was so much worth the extra effort and I put into building it. If you liked Jaws, you need to build it!!!

I've always been a Tamiya model fan and their model of the USS Indianapolis is excellent. When building models, I have always appreciated the detail and fit of the Tamiya brand. This one does not disappoint. Detailing is superb and the fit could not have been better. How good? Well, my wife summed it up when she told me she never heard me cuss once! Take your time and enjoy the build because you will certainly be ecstatic over the finished product.

It's a nice quality model. I personally prefer full hull and bought this on a whim. weighted, no etched parts, easy to assemble. I would not recommend this or a waterline series (they are all not full hull) due to them not having a full hull. however the benefit of not needing a stand is nice also.

I only had a few problems with some of the pieces lining up correctly but with time I finally made it work, just have to paint the finished model

This is a great build of the Indianapolis. Tamiya is flawless as always.