Armory Models USS Monitor – Construction Part 1

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Some months ago, I started construction on the Armory Models 1/200 scale injection molded kit of the U.S. Civil War ironclad USS Monitor. My post that links to the review on Modelwarships.com can be found HERE.

As a short run kit without locator pins, I anticipated issues during the construction process, but it’s been pretty smooth sailing. Even without pins, there are locators, such as the hull, which has a nice shelf where the hull sides sit. Even though I’m working without a net, (instructions), after some test-fitting of the sides of the hull, it was easy enough to figure out where each part went and align everything.

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Wonderfest 2026

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This past weekend was the annual Wonderfest science fiction model show in Louisville, Kentucky. This show is always a highlight of the year, not only because of the quality of the show, but because I’ve made some great friends there, and this is a chance for us all to hang out, geek out, and eat too much good food. (Seriously, when did Louisville become such a culinary scene?).

One of the main attractions this year was a recreation of the ILM

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Dollar Store Space Ship

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Every year for Wonderfest, there’s a group build challenge. This year the task was to go to one of the dollar stores, spend $20 max on parts, then make something out of it.

On my first trip, I spotted an almost-disk-shaped clear Christmas ornament, grabbed it, then walked around until I spotted a pencil sharpener. The two together gave me Star Trek vibes, so I ran with that. It was a couple of months until I found suitable “engines”, which are some sort of travel vacuum tube/bottles for makeup. At this point I’m less than $10 spent.

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USS Keokuk’s Cannon in Charleston

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An overnight work trip took me to Charleston last week. I wasn’t left with a lot of free time, due to the short nature of the visit, but I was able to grab some local barbecue and beer, and visit one historical artifact I’ve wanted to see for decades. This is one of the 11 inch Dahlgren guns salvaged from the Union ironclad USS Keokuk during the American Civil War. After the ship sank following an attack on Fort Sumter, the Confederates salvaged both of her valuable guns and used them in the defense of Charleston for the rest of the war. This gun still sits on the battery in the south of Charleston. I wrote a piece about the salvage operation some years back, for the New York Times’ “Disunion” series that ran during the sesquicentennial of the war, which you can find linked on my WRITING page. I also built a model of Keokuk herself, which you can find HERE.

USS Monitor, Armory Models, 1/200 Scale Review

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I’ve been working, off and on, on the Armory Models’ USS Monitor kit. The kit is a first: a 1/200 scale Civil War ironclad in injection molded styrene. Armory Models is a company based in Ukraine, that uses short-run molds to make unique model kits.

I’ll start posting occasional build updates as I get to them. In the meantime, I did a full in-box review of the kit for Modelwarships.com, which you can see HERE.