The Colorado-Class Battleships (1923-1944)

[Korvar]

First of all, fantastic work!

Two comments:

For the Nov 1942 USS Colorado as drawn - she appears to have an SK air search radar when she should still have the SC along with the SG for surface search (I can't see it, but SGs are small so I could easily be missing it in all the detail). I believe you have the Mk 3 FC under the SK, so you're good there. She didn't get the SK until a year later, but in that particular refit all the 1.1" guns were removed, among other things. It seems to me that your intent was for the November '42 refit, so a simple AS radar switch would take care of it.

As for the Maryland 1943 configuration as drawn - she didn't receive the enclosed base-mount 5"/38 guns until May of 1945 as part of her last refit, and as far as I can tell you've drawn her true to that configuration. A simple date change would do.

That said, incredible detail overall!

[David Latuch]

First of all, fantastic work!

Two comments:

For the Nov 1942 USS Colorado as drawn - she appears to have an SK air search radar when she should still have the SC along with the SG for surface search (I can't see it, but SGs are small so I could easily be missing it in all the detail). I believe you have the Mk 3 FC under the SK, so you're good there. She didn't get the SK until a year later, but in that particular refit all the 1.1" guns were removed, among other things. It seems to me that your intent was for the November '42 refit, so a simple AS radar switch would take care of it.

As for the Maryland 1943 configuration as drawn - she didn't receive the enclosed base-mount 5"/38 guns until May of 1945 as part of her last refit, and as far as I can tell you've drawn her true to that configuration. A simple date change would do.

That said, incredible detail overall!

You are most likely correct, i am the first to admit that radar is not my strong suit.

[Hood]

Excellent work as ever.

Two other small nitpicks, the top view of Colorado 1926 seems to have two different types of 3in gun next to each other and the 40mm Bofors near B turret are missing from the side view of Maryland 1943.

[David Latuch]

Excellent work as ever.

Two other small nitpicks, the top view of Colorado 1926 seems to have two different types of 3in gun next to each other

Haste, the enemy of us all.

and the 40mm Bofors near B turret are missing from the side view of Maryland 1943.

You're correct, an oversight.

[signal]

The ships look great! However, all of the float/observation planes in the
1943 and later versions have the wrong wing roundels.

[Colosseum]

These are great to look at, as usual.

My only suggestion is for you to delete whatever parts sheets you are currently using, and pull down new ones from the link in my signature. The last couple of drawings you've made have all invariably used old parts (often times alongside their updated versions???), and this is an easy fix. Of course you aren't obligated to use the "current" parts, but since the "old" parts you are using are inevitably drawn by me, I don't feel out of line pointing this out.

For these drawings, the .50-caliber machine guns are too large and should be replaced. You have used the old Mark 34 directors on the July 1944 drawing, but the correct newer ones on the 1943 version. Same goes for the 36" searchlights; incorrect versions on the pre-1944 drawings and correct ones on the July 1944 drawings. All the OS2U Kingfishers are old drawings. One of the SG radars on the 1944 version is correct and the other is incorrect. Old Mark 51 directors on every drawing. The last set of drawings you made for another class of BB (I can't remember which) used incorrect 5"/38 mounts. I just think these are being produced too quickly and not carefully enough.

Basic photo research of Maryland shows no evidence of the Measure 21 overall Navy Blue being applied to the ship after the Puget Sound refit of April 1944 (where the stub cage mainmast was removed and replaced with the tower aft). The usual source for extremely basic USN camouflage research makes no mention of BB-46 having Measure 21 anytime in 1943. Obvious and easy-to-spot errors like this make me extremely nervous.

This isn't a race. It's taken me nearly 6 months to complete six classes of small submarines. Just take your time and do the ships slowly and correctly and you won't have a thread full of people correcting each drawing. If you have trouble identifying radar, send me a PM with the image and I'll be happy to shoot you a note on what is what.

[David Latuch]

These are great to look at, as usual.

My only suggestion is for you to delete whatever parts sheets you are currently using, and pull down new ones from the link in my signature. The last couple of drawings you've made have all invariably used old parts (often times alongside their updated versions???), and this is an easy fix. Of course you aren't obligated to use the "current" parts, but since the "old" parts you are using are inevitably drawn by me, I don't feel out of line pointing this out.

For these drawings, the .50-caliber machine guns are too large and should be replaced. You have used the old Mark 34 directors on the July 1944 drawing, but the correct newer ones on the 1943 version. Same goes for the 36" searchlights; incorrect versions on the pre-1944 drawings and correct ones on the July 1944 drawings. All the OS2U Kingfishers are old drawings. One of the SG radars on the 1944 version is correct and the other is incorrect. Old Mark 51 directors on every drawing. The last set of drawings you made for another class of BB (I can't remember which) used incorrect 5"/38 mounts. I just think these are being produced too quickly and not carefully enough.

Basic photo research of Maryland shows no evidence of the Measure 21 overall Navy Blue being applied to the ship after the Puget Sound refit of April 1944 (where the stub cage mainmast was removed and replaced with the tower aft). The usual source for extremely basic USN camouflage research makes no mention of BB-46 having Measure 21 anytime in 1943. Obvious and easy-to-spot errors like this make me extremely nervous.

This isn't a race. It's taken me nearly 6 months to complete six classes of small submarines. Just take your time and do the ships slowly and correctly and you won't have a thread full of people correcting each drawing. If you have trouble identifying radar, send me a PM with the image and I'll be happy to shoot you a note on what is what.

I believe I have addressed all of your concerns. Sorry for the errors, I often get too close to my drawings and miss the forest for the trees.

[signal]

Your attention to detail in your ship artwork is very
good, but your aircraft are still wrong. The 1944 and
1945 aircraft should have a roundel with a white bar
on either side, and your aircraft have what appears to be
some kind of markings on the horizontal tail surfaces.
There were no such markings on any USN aircraft.
Examples of correct markings are available on the USN
parts sheets.

[Spike]

David, check your inbox for a PM.

[David Latuch]

Thanks Brad. I'll revisit the drawings.