The Ship Model Forum

Thanks for the coments guys!

I definatley agree with you Tracy with regards to under the over-hang. Looking at it now it seems rediculous, however at the time it seemed like a great idea!

I hadnt noticed the build up on the armour belt until I looked at in the photo. Its quite effective at a distance though, but yeah, next time I will be a little less heavy handed.

Again thanks for the comments!

Cheers
Steve

Taking pictures of your model is one of the best way to see what you missed... I know that every time I've done so and submitted them I've always noticed things I missed after they were posted

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Tracy White -Researcher@Large

"Let the evidence guide the research. Do not have a preconceived agenda which will only distort the result."
-Barbara Tuchman

I have come across a conflict on Lex's 5" gun configuration...I think I know which way to go, but I thought I'd ask here first before I move forward....

I just got the Terzibaschitsch book, since a lot of people in the forums have mentioned it. And in a caption of the Oct 1941 pic of Lex in MS5, he says: "The number of .5 inch guns has already been reduced to eight...."

This is the first time I've heard that mentioned, so I checked Stern's book and he quite clearly states on page 98 that Lex's 5" configuration never changed during her time in service.

Has anyone else ever come across that bit of info in another source besides Terzibaschitsch? I'm guessing Stern is right, but thought I'd ask before I install the 5" guns.

Thanks in advance!

Bob

.5 inch means .50 cal machine guns

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De quoi s'agit-il?

These were the ones installed on the top of the stack.

And if you want a little tweak to do on your model to accurize it, scrape off the doorrs on the small platform underneath the one the guns are on... these platforms had a hatch above and ladder down to it and was where the reservoirs for the water-cooled .50 cals were kept. I haven't found any good photos yet but it's a cylander about the same height as the doors Trumpeter molded there.

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Tracy White -Researcher@Large

"Let the evidence guide the research. Do not have a preconceived agenda which will only distort the result."
-Barbara Tuchman

You are asking about the correct guns. The caption actually reads "The number of 5in guns has already been reduced to eight," (not ".5in") However, Terzibaschitsch is still wrong. Lex never had any 5" guns removed. (Only Sara was reduced to 8 singles, but the 4 twins that she added at the same time more than made up for it.) In the Oct '41 photo, the port forward group has two light colored guns (canvas covered?) and one dark one, leading to his mistake. It wouldn't be his first one.

As for the number of .5in guns, 28 were added in 1935/36. Twelve were on the platform around the stack and 4 (not the 3 in Terzibaschitsch's drawing) were on each of the "corner" platforms. When Lex got her first 5 1.1" guns, one displaced 2 .50's on each of the corner platforms. Two .50's remained in each location. (The fifth 1.1 was at the forward end of the stack.) The 8 displaced guns were relocated, with 2 on each 8" turret. When the 8" turrets were removed, 4 .50's were relocated to the forward end of the former boat stowage platform outboard of the stack, with 6 20MM aft of them on the platform. This reduced the number of .50's to 24 for her final battle.

Trumpeter has the layout of guns on the platform outboard of the stack wrong on the kit (what a shock). I altered the layout of the .5 and 20mm guns on that platform so they'd jive with what Dick mentions above. One thing I could never figure out is if the director that sits between the .5 inch guns on the corners of the flight deck should have stayed - I left it since I wasn't sure.

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Martin

"Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learned something from yesterday." John Wayne

Ship Model Gallery

When I finally get around to building mine, I am leaving those 1.1" directors off.

Gents,

Thanks for ALL the info! I really appreciate it!

Tracy: What do you think the diameter of that cylinder would be? The smallest styrene rod I have is 1/16", and I'd guess that would be too big. I'm glad you mentioned that, because I haven't glued the top of the funnel on yet.

All this talk about the .50 cals has made me realize something...I built the gallery for the top of the stack, and I also added the .50s to the gun tubs on he turrets....that only leaves me with 2 more .50s on the sprue, and I need eight......UGH!

Anyone know where I can get some 1/350 .50 cals? I looked on L'arsenal, White Ensign, & YKM and no one makes .50 cals that I can see....

I hope to post some in progress pics after the weekend....it's been slow going the last couple months....

Bob

Let me look tonight at the diameter.

There are some PE .50s out there.

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Tracy White -Researcher@Large

"Let the evidence guide the research. Do not have a preconceived agenda which will only distort the result."
-Barbara Tuchman

I'm in the planning stages of doing a 1/700 lexington and looking to find out if this is correct. I want to do the Lexington in pre-war #5 Standard grey with the black ID funnel horizontal stripe and wood flight deck (no blue stain) with yellow markings. AA would be the 12 5/25 guns and 5 3/50 guns (4 at the corners and 1 between the stack and bridge). Also 2 .50 cal MGs on top of each of the 8 inch gun turrets and 2 .50 cal Mgs at each corner with the 3/50's and 6 .50 cal Mgs on each side of the funnel platform. this would be late 1940 early 1941. Does this sound right or do I have something wrong! I will use both the trumpeter Lex and Sara kits. Thanks

Saratoga had a VERTICAL ID stripe but I've never seen one on Lex......

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Tracy White -Researcher@Large

"Let the evidence guide the research. Do not have a preconceived agenda which will only distort the result."
-Barbara Tuchman

You can see the stripe in this picture here, which is on the Navsource Lex page.

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Martin

"Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learned something from yesterday." John Wayne

Ship Model Gallery

The whole top of the funnel was painted gloss black, check Steve Wipers Warship Pictorial 11 page 1. Hey Tracy any comment on my question also should Lexington have the funnel cap the cxam Radar?

AH OK. I see what you guys mean. I never really considered that an ID stripe before because BOTH ships had it for a while.

Could you rephrase your last question? It's a little incomplete and I can't find you asking it before....

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Tracy White -Researcher@Large

"Let the evidence guide the research. Do not have a preconceived agenda which will only distort the result."
-Barbara Tuchman

Did Lexington have the funnel cap and CXAM rader installed when in Standard grey in the late 1940 early 1941 time frame? I'm trying to build USN ships as close to 1941 but still in #5 Standard navy grey. (I hate that 5D and the blues used after.)

I can't answer that question; I just don't have the sources to.

You might try researching the history of the CXAM instead of the ship and see what you find.

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Tracy White -Researcher@Large

"Let the evidence guide the research. Do not have a preconceived agenda which will only distort the result."
-Barbara Tuchman

Hey Everyone... Dig the above picture and some of the recent Relevations Ron gave us. He talks about Modified Measure 2.

So here's a question.
5-D on the hull up to the flight deck. Dark paint on the island and lower level of the stack. There is a definate demarkation line between the bottom level of the stack and the rest of it, which is much lighter. It's far to even to be chalked 5-D like the hull; so could we be looking at a weird graded scheme with a 5-S or 5-O stack?

Measure 2 Measure 5?

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Tracy White -Researcher@Large

"Let the evidence guide the research. Do not have a preconceived agenda which will only distort the result."
-Barbara Tuchman

Tracy,

I've always thought the stack looked lighter than the rest of the ship in that pic as well, but since I have NO idea what it might be, I think I'm going to keep it 5-D. It's definitely lighter than the island, as are the gun tubs on the turrets. And it looks like the 8" fire control room and above could be lighter as well, but it's hard to tell.

I already know my flight deck is wrong. It's mahogany with yellow stripes, but at this point in the build it would be a huge effort to change it, since I've already got the deck details painted in as well.

Brian K: The CXAM radar was added in June of 1941, so if you're building her before that, leave it off.

Bob

No problem, Brian.

Yep, I've been to the new AB Charles. The place looks great. I was there a couple weeks ago and he told me he was still digging stuff out of boxes. I was glad he reopened there because it's only 10 minutes from my house!

I've got Stern's "Lexington Class Carriers", it's a great resource, so if you have any other questions, let me know and I can look them up.

Tracy: You've really got me thinking about these other colors on the stack & island. When I got home from work friday, I dug out the Snyder & Short paint chips, to check out the Ocean Gray and Sea Blue.

I'm thinking that must be Ocean Gray, because the Sea Blue is darker and shows up extremely dark in B&W photos....

By the way, Testor's Modelmaster Marine 5-O and 5-S are dead on the S&S paint chips. The 5-S matches the Sea Blue B chip. It's a shame Testor's is going to stop making them.

Bob