Meng 1/700 USS Missouri - Inbox Review

[Dave Ward]

The USS Missouri was the last battledhip comissioned in the USN ( 1944) After WWII service, she continued to operate , being laid up & recommsioned as needed - she took part in 'Desert Storm'. Finally retired in 1995, and now a museum ship in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. She was famous for the site of the Japanese signing of surrender in 1945.
Meng are one of the major Chinese players in the model market, although they seem to be aiming more to the Gundam market of late
The Meng 1/700 USS Missouri is a model designed by the same teams that design Gundam Models. They are sophisticated models that need no glue for assembly & are generally self coloured.
Large sturdy box with sprues carefully sealed in their own bags

Sprues & Parts

Waterline plate & upper deck


Upper hull, forecastle & quarterdeck

Lower Hull

The parts are clean and well moulded - detail is much on a par with any modern mouldings, within the limitations of needing no glue for assembly
The instructions? nicely printed & look clear - but the format? 2 sheets, one with history and profiles, the other with assembly. Each is a concertina fold 900mm long double sided sheet, very awkward to handle!
To complete the self-coloured nature there are 'stickers' - decals I think ( I haven't opened the packet ).

All US Navy warships in WWII had their decks painted blue - so wood decks are out!
Part Two will show some details and the assembly method
Dave

[Dave Ward]

Missing are the two sprues with the propellor shafts, rudders & propellors - I seem to have mislaid them ( they were there! )
A few detail shots

20mm guns nounted on one 'plug'


This is where things go in a different direction - the assembly
The Hull - upper hull, waterline & lower hull - all lock together, no glue ( I haven't pressed them together - I don't know if they'll come apart )

You can miss out the lower hull for a waterline model
The main deck is a delicate moulding
The forecastle & quartedeck are separate pieces that fit underneath the main deck, detail poking through the cut outs


Assembly is snap-fit, and can be left unpainted, the self colourd parts look reasonable, although I will reserve judgement until I see it assembled.
The priceing of this is VERY odd - I bought this for £12.16 off Ebay - the price elsewhere can be £30+ I have to say that I would not pay that for this model. OK, it doesn't need glue or paint, but that's more in the Gundam style - more toy-like.
If you want a 1/700 Missouri, you have a wide choice, Academy, Fujimi, PitRoad, Tamiya, Trumpeter & VeryFire. I haven't seen the Trumpeter Missouri, but I have the North Carolina ( very similar to Missouri ) in the stash, and the detail is as good, if not better than the Meng offering. You do have to paint other models, but most of the alternatives are at least £10 less than the Meng.
I'd looked at this when it was introduced in 2017, but the price was too much for my taste - when II saw it at £12.16 I had my chance - I'm still not sure it was worth it.
These are all just my opinions & impressions, someone else may take a different view
Thanks for looking in
Dave