Arizona
Battleship USS Arizona
- Scale: 1:192
- Release: 1995
- Limited Edition: 139
- Model Size: 38”L x 7”W x 12”H
- Base Type: Black Walnut
- Base/Case Size: 42”L x 11”Wx 15”H
- Availability: Sold Out
USS Arizona
USS Arizona is the ship most Americans associate with December 7, 1941 and the attack by the Japanese on Pearl Harbor. Perhaps it was the sight of the Arizona burning that is etched in most of our memories. On that day, the Arizona suffered more loss of life than any other ship in US Navy history: 1,177 men. The Arizona not only mobilized a nation to action in World War II, but she would also forever change the American way of life.
Most people know that the Arizona still lies at the bottom of Pearl Harbor with USS Missouri now on display nearby, but few know what a grand ship she was for more than 25 years before the attack. Fine Art Models hopes it can convey this visual experience through our 1:192 scale model of the Arizona. And we hope it can serve as a tribute to the men lost on this ship.
Fine Art Models
We spent three years developing this model and made every effort to faithfully replicate the Arizona in exact detail, from machine-turned metal 14-inch guns, to the antennas on the twin Kingfisher airplanes. Each Arizona is built by a team of five of the most skilled craftsmen in the world and takes more than 300 hours just to assemble. We used computers to generate exact scale drawings from US Navy plans, space-age technology, and materials to build an uncompromised hull, real wood decks with scale planking, lasers to precisely etched minute parts, and a complete brass superstructure.
For us, it has particular significance. While growing up, I had a neighbor who was a survivor of the Arizona. Our neighbor died when I was young, and his widow gave me one of his most prized possessions, his Arizona cap. I have that cap today, and, as I look back, I believe that experience had a profound effect on my life.
This is more than a ship model that exceeds museum standards, it’s more than a great piece of art, it’s a statement, and we hope a worthy tribute to everything the Arizona stands for.
References
Stillwell, Paul, Battleship Arizona, an illustrated history; Annapolis, Naval Institute Press, 1991 — stories of life on board from personal interviews and official records.
