Plans have become a staple amongst modelers and enthusiasts over the last decade or so. Kagero has been on company that has embraced this trend with a now rather extensive catalog of books that focus on this aspect of the hobby.

This particular book is part of their Top Drawings series that has become very popular with modelers. The subject this time around is the USS California. This ship was started in 1916 and completed in 1921, spending the majority of its time in the Pacific. The ship was in Pearl Harbor in 1941 and one of those sunk. Thanks to the shallow bottom of the lagoon, she was raised, sent to the west coast and modernized. What entered the fleet in 1944 was a ship that would not have been recognized as the original.

She engaged in most major operations of 1944/45 as part of the floating artillery brigade along with other older US battleships. When the war ended, she soldiered on for another year before being put in reserve in late 1946. She never re-entered the fleet and was sold for scrap in 1959, this task being completed in 1960.

Typical of the series the majority of overall drawings are in 1/400 scale. This includes the two huge four page fold outs that are provided with the book. One side of these foldouts is in full color to show the camouflage scheme you see on the cover. Other parts are various scales to show detail parts. There are two aircraft plans within for the Kingfisher and SeaHawk.

If you are a fan of USN ships, or are considering building one, this would be a very useful set for you.

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