USS Texas? Does that model depict her WWII appearance?
I have a H. G. Watkins USS New York (sister ship) in 1938 fit, published in 1976. The pages have deteriorated, so I also scanned them in hopes of building one slightly upgraded "interpretation" of what H.G. Watkins MIGHT have originally envisioned if he had access to state-of-the-art drafting and printing resources thirty years ago. Thus, I'm not aiming for a total updating of H.G. Watkins' original artwork, just a "historically sensitive restoration/reconstruction", taking visual clues from Wilhelmshaven kits of the same vintage. (You can easily detect this influence on his work, besides the fact that H. G. Watkins modeled in 1:250 waterline scale.)
I've already made a hasty "test build" to find any major "issues' with this model, and to my delight the flared bow, complicated hull casements and anti-torpedo bulges fit perfectly. Amazing paper engineering considering he hand-drafted these parts without the assistance of computer aided design. However, there's only seven bulkhead frames amidships with no central spine, so I'd like to add more internal supports. The superstructure deck also needs bracing, else the bridge will sag. I'll also have to check my resources since the forward tripod legs seem spread a bit too wide, but otherwise the basic design is VERY accurate.
However, recoloring the deck has been a problem. Testing, I first digitally tinted the scan, but the closely-spaced inkwork representing the planking detail made it too dark and muddled. I then erased ALL plankwork and substituted another deck texture, but the results seem too "artificial" -- the precise computer-generated parallel lines artistically clash with the rest of the hand-drawn model. I need to experiment more on this. What did you do for your USS Tennesee?
Great progress report, by the way. I hope this leads to a better appreciation for H. G. Watkin's warships. There are subjects he published three decades ago which have not been released by other designers since. I still recall an USS Colorado with cage masts (printed on manilla cardstock) at a long-gone model shop many, MANY years ago -- besides the color, it looked very convincing. And he also had an USS Utah, which has never been modeled except perhaps from independent 1:700 scale resin manufacturers. A pity that nobody bothered to continue publishing the line after Mr. Watkin's death in the 1980s. While at first glance the printed sheets may appear primitive compared to today's offerings from Poland (and even Wilhemshaven), with a little extra effort one can create a truly unique and eye-catching model.