The photos are of my build of the Combrig 1/700 scale U.S.S. Minneapolis.  When my wife and I moved to the Minneapolis area a few years ago, building this kit from my stash was a no brainer.  It is displayed in our living room and is a frequent conversation piece with visitors. This is a very nice kit which represents the ship as she emerged from her mid-1943 reconstruction.  The build is pretty much out of the box, although I did use some Gold Medal Models photo-etch, particularly the ultrafine rails.  I particularly liked the 40mm Bofors mounts the kit provided. The ship was painted in a modified Measure 8 scheme, which was designed to make her look like a Benson class destroyer.  Prominent features of this scheme were the false sheer line, and the false life rafts and doors painted on the aft superstructure.  False windows were also painted on the bridge.  I made my own decals for the life rafts.  The aft portion of the funnels and forward superstructure were painted darker to make them appear smaller.

Jim Kloek

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