Unreleased ships for 1/4800...

Koninklijke Marine (Royal Netherlands Navy)
Java-class light cruiser [1942]
Ships in class: HNLMS Java, HNLMS Sumatra
- waiting on for additional ships for the pack(CL.DeRuyter, CL.Tromp, etc) and seaplane compliment (Fokker C.XI-W)

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US Navy
New York class battleships
Ships in class: BB34 New York[1942], BB35 Texas[1944] (shown)
- waiting on New York; will be available together with the New Mexico class BBs (NM, MS, ID)

Gleaves class destroyer (also as Benson class)
*available mid-July (waiting on refit/version with -1 5x 21" TT (aft set))*
Ships in class: 66 (30 in Benson)

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Dai-Nippon Teikoku Kaigun (Imperial Japanese Navy, IJN)
Aircraft carrier Hiryu[1942]
- waiting on additional carriers for the pack (Soryu, most probably the Shokaku and Ziukaku as well) as well as aircrafts

Fubuki class destroyers (3 main types, top to bottom)
*avalable mid-July*

- Type I (9+1 ships); pipe-type air inlet with low angle guns (Type A); Uranami as Type I kai (designed with bowl-type air inlets, but retains low-angle guns)
- Type II (10 ships); bowl-type air inlets with 'Type B' high angle guns
- Type III (4 ships); re-arranged internals, visually identified with slimmer forefunnel

US Navy's New Orleans class heavy cruisers [1942]

Sister ships:
- New Orleans (CA-32)
- Astoria (CA-34)
- Minneapolis (CA-36)
- Tuscaloosa (CA-37)
- San Francisco (CA-38)
- Quincy (CA-39)
- Vincennes (CA-44)

The sculpt for this class represents their general appearance during 1942 (3 of the class: Astoria, Quincy and Vincennes were sunk during the First Battle of Savo Island)

Note I've put in a support strut in between the cranes on top of the hangar. The 1/4800 pack contains 14x aircrafts representing SOC Seagulls (also in 1/4800); as usual and at this scale, extra care is advised when handling/painting these tiny aircrafts (~2mm wingspan).

Cruisers, lights and a heavy...

Cruisers, the flavor(s) for the 2nd half of the month (in order of recency)...

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     The French heavy cruiser Algerie [1941] was built in response to the Italian Zara-class CAs and was considered to be the best [Washington] Treaty cruiser in Europe. She is unique in many ways; more so being the only one built, has flush deck, tower foremast and improved armor. Her speed is maintained despite of her lower power output (vs. the preceding Suffren-class) due to the improved hull form.
      The flying boat Loire 130 (close enough in 1/4800) will take up reconnaissance duties for her.

She will be included with the other 1/4800 MN cruisers 1st half of April
1/1800 MN CL Algerie[1941] will be available soon

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     The Pluton[1938] (to be renamed as La Tour d'Auvergne by 1939) was a french mine-laying cruiser before World War II. Shortly after commissioning, she received modifications to allow her to be also used as a gunnery training ship.
     She was lost September 1939 when her embarked mines accidentally exploded while being landed at Casablanca, Morocco.

She will be included with the other 1/4800 MN cruisers 1st half of April
1/1800 MN CL Pluton[1938] http://shpws.me/51W4

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     Jeanne D'Arc[1935], a training cruiser, armed similar to the Duguay Trouins (4 x dual 6.1"/50cal), but the turrets are visually different. I also made a 1/4800 CAMS.37 flying boat (at this scale, could also be used to represent the FBA 17 the Duguay Trouins used some time during WWII)

She will be included with the other 1/4800 MN cruisers 1st half of April
1/1800 MN CL Jeanne D'Arc[1935] http://shpws.me/4IK2

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     The French cruiser Duguay Trouin [1937] (sister ships La Motte-Piquet and Primaguet). She subsequently joined the allies (FNFL) in 1943.
     La Motte-Piquet was at the Far East during WWII and was part of the French squadron during Battle of Koh Chang (speaking of the Battle of Koh Chang, check out Arun Rodriguez's Objects May Appear.... for he made the rest of the combatants available in various scales).
     Primaguet was lost during the Naval Battle of Casablanca vs. USS Massachusetts (BB-59) and USS Wichita (CA-45) (seriously... <_< )

She will be included (x3) with the other 1/4800 MN cruisers 1st half of April
1/1800 MN CL Duguay Trouin[1937] http://shpws.me/4rjP

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     Brooklyn class light cruiser as she appears in 1942. This can represent the first 7 ships (CLs 40-43; 46-48). Boasting 15 6" guns in 5 turrets, the layout was similar to the Japanese' Mogami class cruisers (before the Mogami's triple 6s were replaced with dual 8s, upgunned to heavy cruisers)

Included in 1/4800 US CL Brooklyn class CL [1942] (7+2) http://shpws.me/4rdC
1/3000 US CL Brooklyn[1942] (x2) http://shpws.me/4Slh
1/1800 US CL Brooklyn[1942] http://shpws.me/4rb3

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     USS Helena[1942], the sister ship to USS St. Louis (CL-49), sub-class of the Brooklyns with 4x2 5"/38s instead of 8x1 of the preceding ships (note that in the later years, some ships of the Brooklyn and Phoenix subgroups had been refitted with dual 5"/38)

 Included in 1/4800 US CL Brooklyn class CL [1942] (7+2) http://shpws.me/4rdC
1/1800 US CL Helena[1942] http://shpws.me/4rba

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     Regia Marina (WWII Italian Navy) Capitani Romani class light cruisers. Built in response to the Contretorpilleurs of the French Navy (Marine Nationale). Pretty much summed up the Italians with this one (except for the submarines o_O )

1/4800 IT CL Capitani Romani[1943] (x6) http://shpws.me/4tbV
1/1800 IT CL Capitani Romani[1943] http://shpws.me/4jxn

Regia Marina: Their aircraft carriers of World War II...

Please visit the link below for some background on Italian aircraft carriers during World War II http://www.regiamarina.net/detail_text.asp?nid=56&lid=1

The next 1/4800 release, aircraft carriers...

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(Almost) everybody knows the Aquila, a conversion from a passenger liner (SS Roma). She was almost completed by the time of the armistice. From a distance, her profile looks similar to the Kriegsmarine's CV Graf Zeppelin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_aircraft_carrier_Aquila
http://www.navypedia.org/ships/italy/it_cv_aquila.htm

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Sparviero, another planned passenger liner conversion. Simple enough design-wise, just hoped they improved upon the design to something similar to the Aquila
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_aircraft_carrier_Sparviero
http://www.navypedia.org/ships/italy/it_cv_sparviero.htm

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Bonfiglietti Project 1929 (see below)

There are a couple of WW2 Italian CV designs floating around, specially in one MMO naval game: Bolzano (post-war) conversion, Rota(1925), Gagnotto(1936), etc. (I have no idea the availability of the RM in that game when I did my list)

After some research, I've read that the design of the La Spezia model (Vian-Bonfiglietti Project 1928 CVL) in this link, was an earler design vs. the one below; which I tagged as Bonfiglietti(1929), but as per topmost/www.regiamarina.net link, falls under 1932. Notice the similarities of the bridge/island superstructure. Still, the project/designs were dropped some time around 1936.

Personal archive pic; credits to where I got the pic from (unfortunately I forgot already).

Considering the aircraft carriers I made available for Marine Nationale (French Navy): Béarn and the Joffres (x2)... and with Sparviero's stats near/similar to Béarn; I will be doing the Bonfiglietti as another fleet carrier (via 1929/1932 design).

Meow... Royal Navy's Lion class battleships of 1939

*cough*ROARRR*cough*... The Royal Navy's Lion class battleships of 1939. Four were planned, only 2 laid down... all were ultimately cancelled. (HMS Vanguard fared better but was completed too late to join the war)

Something to play with the French Richelieus, Italian Littorios, USN Iowas, IJN Yamato and German H39.

Comes with 4 Supermarine Walrus (2 with folded/stowed wings) along the central longitudinal support
Link to shop/product page: http://shpws.me/3O35

Additional readings:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lion_class_battleship
http://navypedia.org/ships/uk/brit_bb_lion.htm

Cycle WIP: Reconstructed BBs of the Italian Navy

48IT09 Caio Duilio[1941]

Her sister ship, Andrea Doria (background), has the Bredas on the dual 12" mounted nearer to the barrels

Source: Regia Marina - Italian Battleships of World War Two (E. Bagnasco & M. Grossman)
48IT09 IT BB Caio Duilio [1941] (x2; via Shapeways)  

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48IT07 Conte di Cavour[1940]

Guilio Cesare (background) has her #2 and #3 37mm AA guns positioned similar to that of Caio Duilio
(i.e. at the back of the turrets/closer to the bridge/mainmast)
Adapted from illustrations by F.Bargoni/F.Gay
48IT07 IT BB Conte di Cavour[1940] (x2; via Shapeways) 

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48IT(07+09) IT BBs Cavours and Duilios

48IT(07+09) IT BBs Cavours and Duilios (2+2; via Shapeways)

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48IT12 IT DD Navigatori
 Two versions: 1941 (Foreground) with 2x triple 533mm torp tubes; and 1943 with only one triple 533mm (platform of 2x single AA guns replaced the aft tubes)
sprue contains 4x 1943s and 2x 1941s
48IT12 IT DD Navigatori (x6; via Shapeways)

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1/1800 FN DD Mogador - dropped

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[Multiple scales] MiG 1.44 - postponed

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1/500 F-22 Raptor http://shpws.me/3D33

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