During
the 1930s the large cruiser with heavy guns was in vogue among the navies
of the world, and the United States was no exception. To counter a reported
Japanese super-cruiser they came up with the six ships of the Alaska class.
These were to be as large as a battleship, have slightly lighter armament
than contemporary battleships, and a cruiser's speed. The rationale was they
could sink anything smaller, and run away from anything bigger. At the time
they were built, the threat of the Japanese ships was shown to be non-existant,
and the only two ships completed (Alaska and Guam), were to be used as escorts
for the fast aircraft carriers and foreshore bombardment. Both were very expensive
to run, and shortly after the end of WWII both were laid up in reserve and
eventually scrapped without returning to active service.
USS
Alaska was laid down on 16 December 1941, launched 15 August 1943 and commissioned
17 June 1944. She joined the Pacific fleet in January 1945 and spent the next
seven months supporting the invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa, attacking enemy
shipping in the East China Sea and participating in operations against the
Japanese home islands. She returned to the US in December 1945, paid off on
17 February 1947 and was sold for scrap in July 1961.
The
kit comes in a stout cardboard box with the hull taped to the bottom. All
parts are sealed in plastic baggies and were undamaged upon arrival. I'm not
even going to attempt to count all the pieces beyond saying that there are
a lot of them. All are well cast and very crisp in their detailing. 
The
hull is warp free, and has nice surface detail with many of the 20mm tubs
molded in place. Superstructure levels are nicely done with very thin shields
to the various gunmounts and bridge levels, and have various doors and ladders
cast in situ. A nice addition are the two OS2U Kingfisher aircraft.
Other assorted pieces include: Searchlights, boats, 40mm Bofors mounts and guns, rangefinders, carley floats and 12" gun barrels. There are no barrels supplied for the 5" mounts, so these will need to be fashioned from HSP or wire.
A fret of photo-etch is supplied, although no rails are included, the fret does provide: 20mm Oerlikons and shields, radar antennae, catapult, anchors and cranes. WEM or Tom's Modelworks both have excellent rails that are highly recommended for those wishing to add them.
The
instructions comprise one page showing an exploded view of all the parts,
another of details, and a third showing the camouflage pattern worn.Conclusion
The Alaska looks to be a straightforward build with no surprises, and anyone with any experience building resin ships will have no problem building this kit. For those interested in larger warships, the Samek Alaska is a unique model of an equally unique ship and will build into a handsome model that will find a prized place in any collection. In addition to Alaska, Samek also make a kit of her sister ship Guam.
Copyright © SMML 2004