Calling all USS Enterprise CV-6 fans

[Tracy White]

Deck Blue was a paint and not used on the flight deck... 250N was similar in color to deck blue, however.

We discussed this earlier and I had meant to merge the posts into here but forgot.

Enterprises's stern at Pearl Harbor, 3-30-1942. This is a crop from a photo documenting California BB44's salvage so the date is solid:

[Michael Vorrasi]

Deck Blue was a paint and not used on the flight deck... 250N was similar in color to deck blue, however.

We discussed this earlier and I had meant to merge the posts into here but forgot.

Enterprises's stern at Pearl Harbor, 3-30-1942. This is a crop from a photo documenting California BB44's salvage so the date is solid:

I studied this shot blown up on my big hi-rez monitor. I definitely see a second 20MM there, hiding in the shadows. Two sailors are standing between the guns. It is facing 90 degrees to port and I can see the angled splinter shield, the gun outline and even that the mount looks to be a tripod type rather than the usual solid pedestal. It looks like each gun has a seperate lower splinter plate mounted on the deck in front of (or, more correctly, behind!) each gun. Given the same pair in this location on CV-5, it appears this was an interim arrangement for the class until the two ramp corner cut-out tubs could be installed. CV-5 never lived to receive them of course.

[Dick J]

Mike,

Those fantail mounts could be protected by only splinter mats on the lifelines. That was how they were on Yorktown - the only 20MM she had without steel screens. That might have been an interim location until the round-down could be cut out (hence no steel screens), but only Enterprise survived to that point.

[Michael Vorrasi]

Mike,

Those fantail mounts could be protected by only splinter mats on the lifelines. That was how they were on Yorktown - the only 20MM she had without steel screens. That might have been an interim location until the round-down could be cut out (hence no steel screens), but only Enterprise survived to that point.

Yes, I think you are right Dick, they are probably mats, not plates. I was thinking that the lightweight tripod mounts might be used on these two because they did not have elevation gear to allow for high angles, like the pedestal type. The deck overhang makes this a moot point, so why use the much heavier pedestal mount? My guess is that these two were to guard against any torpedo planes crawling up the wake. They obviously could not be used to defend against dive bombers! I'm sure this was interim, because they are gone in any later photos where the ramp cut-out units are installed.

[kidcurrie42]

Hi all,

I have a Question, Pre war Enterprise and Yorktown, Stbd side below the island, beneath the flightdeck overhang, there seems to be two boats suspended, possible 27ft motor whalers.

Any clarification as to what they where and how they where stowed would be great.

Happy Modeling

John

[rtwpsom2]

If you can afford it, Maryland Silvers Yorktown class book is a great reference. According to it, the two boats are a 26' motor whale boat fore and a 30' whaleboat aft. They are actually listed as being on a platform 8' above the main deck (01 level or hangar deck). The MS book has pretty detailed drawings of how the boats are stowed.

[kidcurrie42]

Thanks Rob, That is a great help

Happy Modeling

John

[starwars fan]

I am trying to build a model of the Big E but I can not find where to get miniature airplanes to go on the ship. Any suggestions on where I could find some would be greatly appreciated.

[MartinJQuinn]

I am trying to build a model of the Big E but I can not find where to get miniature airplanes to go on the ship. Any suggestions on where I could find some would be greatly appreciated.

Which model and in what scale?

[ilovecarriers]

Can anyone advise as to where i can buy ths ship in 1/350 as i cant find it anywhere.I live in Ireland.many thanks anthony

[Tracy White]

The only dedicated model of CV-6 in 1/350 scale is the Yankee ModelWorks resin kit:
http://www.yankeemodelworks.com/35054_enterprise.htm
I would not recommend it for those without a little experience under their belt. Yankee Modelworks came into being by buying up a couple of older resin companies; the CV-6 kit was originally released by Blue Water Navy and you may find some on sale from either company on the secondary market.

Otherwise your best bet is to start with the trumpeter CV-8 kit and make modifications. I'm not sure where the best (I presume you mean lowest price) place to buy in Ireland would be for either kit.

[ilovecarriers]

Thanks Traci I would like to build the 3 carriers that took part in the Battle of Midway and already have the Hornet so need to get Yorktown and Enterprise.I intend to get another Hornet to recreate the Doolittle raid.I think i can pick up a Yorktown ok it's the Enterprise thats hard to find.Like you say i don't think my limited skills would be able to manage resin,i recently bought some resin figures from L.Arsenal and to be honest i didnt really like them.Getting them of the sprues without breaking them is proving to be very difficult.As you reccommended i might have to get a CV-8 and hopefully i will have the required skills to make the converstion.I am sure i will be able to get help on here when the time comes.This site is brilliant and everyone on it is very helpfull for us novices.regards anthony

[Kenny N]

I am currently working on a Trumpeter 1/350 USS Hornet/Enterprise conversion,(1944 ms 33 4AB scheme ) I read earlier in this post that there was an alternative to the Nautilas 1942 island conversion set,I believe it was stated that L'Arsenal made this conversion set also,but I have been unable to locate it if it even exists ! I have looked on their web site & did not find it.Can anyone tell me if their is a manufactuer who makes this conversion set ? The Nautilas set wouldn't be right for 1944 & later ,or is it ? If my memory serves correctly the 1944 Island was different than the pre Bremerton 1943 fit or am I mistaken ? My grandfather served aboard the "Lucky E " when it returned to Pearl Harbor,I was very young then & he passed away in 1983,he never spoke much about it ,he said it was too painful,but not long before he passed( I was 24 when he died) he told me how terrible it was & about their planes being fired upon during all the confusion etc a stirring story that has stuck with me all these days,he had a model of the Enterprise & I don't know whatever happened to it,but My Grandfather was very proud to serve on that Ship let me tell you ! I built models as a child ,then I grew up. or did I ? Last October I heard about the new Trumpeter 1/200 Arizona so I dove in-after 35 yrs HOOKED AGAIN ! Anyway let me take this oppurtunity to thank all the people that access & maintain this sight-it has a wealth of knowledge that makes even a newbie like me have confidence in their own abilities-the wealth of knowledge gained here has been an enormous help not only in the actual building,but especially on information that would take an enormous amount of time to find out if not for sites like this ( my favorite for info on modeling ww 2 ships ) As for the 1944 Bridge,if their isn't a manufactuer for the 1944 I sland,could it still be built using the kit Island with some scratch building an be accurate ? (I got my scratch building skills updated on the Arizona ) In the end I want to build this model in honor of not only my grandfather ,but ALL who served aboard this mighty ship.ANY & ALL help would be appreciated & again thanks to all the good people here on this site,especially to the guy's that maintain it, as stated on this site-you guys do make modeling fun-thanks again Kenny

[JTninja]

As for the 1944 Bridge,if their isn't a manufactuer for the 1944 I sland,could it still be built using the kit Island with some scratch building an be accurate ? (I got my scratch building skills updated on the Arizona ) In the end I want to build this model in honor of not only my grandfather ,but ALL who served aboard this mighty ship.ANY & ALL help would be appreciated & again thanks to all the good people here on this site,especially to the guy's that maintain it, as stated on this site-you guys do make modeling fun-thanks again Kenny

Hi Kenny! Im sure your grandfather and all who served will be proud of what you will build.

Im not sure there is a island out there for the '44 period (after the '43 refit). Luckily, the Hornets bridge is decent close to what the Enterprise would have in '44 (at least compared to the earlier enterprise bridge).

Heres what it looked like in '44 (notice the enlarged side bridge that hangs over the flight deck, as its now 2-storied, compared to being a single storied room before refit. Its top is now level with the above deck. Also note the mini round bridge above the main round bridge.
http://www.navsource.org/archives/02/020646.jpg

Im working on a Trumy '44 Dazzle Enterprise as well, only in 1/700. Heres what Ive been doing to the island. I also made sure to show the modifications im planning for the island. Please note that the bottom of the 2 round bridges isnt marked, but it will need to be reshaped as well. The Hornet is completely round like the instructions show, but the '44 bridge has much different angles.

IMGP9490 by JTninja, on Flickr

Heres a big view of the bridge in early '44.

IMGP9493 by JTninja, on Flickr

To give you an idea of how the bottom bridge should be, ive included this. The island on the right is from a minihobby Big-E island. Its gives you and idea of how the lower bridge should be (though is not the right curvature, its close).

IMGP9501 by JTninja, on Flickr

Also, for further research, some dazzle's done as well
- http://hsfeatures.com/features04/enterpriserc_1.htm (lower bridge isnt correct, but notice the side gun mounts that go over the side of the hull midway down the ship, which is accurate and only on this side of the ship)

- http://www.steelnavy.com/TrumpEnterpriseRM.htm (not entirely accurate, but nice details and will give you a better paint idea)

- http://www.steelnavy.com/EnterpriseCV6NMNA.htm (Not dazzle, but its 1/72 of her '44-45 config, so you can get a lot of ideas of how things were)

- http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... index.html (incredible build, nearly everything accurate with the exception of the torpedo blisters, which arnt there)

- http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... index.html (notice the blisters present here, bridge looks great too)

[Kenny N]

WOW!!!! Thanks you so much,us newbies need all the help we can get,you know what I have seen everyone of those models & pictures ...except the one shot of the '44/'45 bridge,it looks like you found it in a book,would you mind telling me what book that is? I'd sure like to get it because once I tackle the island,which doesn't seem like to much to fix( not to mention saving me the $ 75 for the resin island ) I will move on to the AA FIT etc.I guess I just wasn't too confident the resin Island was correct even though those builds are awesome & a lot better I suppose than I could ever do ( those guy's & you too look like you really know your stuff ) I am not scared to take up this project but in the end I really want to make it as accurate as possible-I spent 5 months on my Trumpy Arizona doing research & such-heck that to me is fun in itself thanks to all the great guy's on this site especially,my scratch building modeling skills & confidence improved quite a lot in my own opinion anyway on that build even though there's not much pe on it,the detail is pretty good without the pe ( I couldn't wait on the pe ha ha )I appreciate the quick response & never imagined getting so much info so soon-thanks again !) One more thing ,I read somwhere on one of the modeling sites,maybe this one,that the island isn't wide enough & also about -THE GAP- so I will continue researching as I'm not going to hurry on this,I will need to buy all the weapons fit & such a little @ a time -there's a lot of 20 mm's & 40 mm's to add along with detailing the hangar etc. it will probably be quite a long time until I acquire all those weapons not to mention radar,planes( I have 48 so far )I have the 1/350 Tamiya Missouri that I will either build as the Missouri OR maybe a '45 New Jersey might be fun, to keep me busy.By the way ,I don't know if you have heard of Gator paint mask's,I ordered one thru those great folks @ White Ensign,it might be a help on your camo scheme,should make the painting go a little easier .Good luck with your 1/700 build,I have no doubt it will be an awesome build( post pic's please-I'm warning you though,I might have to copy some of your work ha ha ( I told u a newbie like me can & will copy others,but heh that's a compliment to you all.Thanks again ,I never in the world expected such a quick response with all that info too! must be my lucky day-thanks Kenny

[Hippy Ed]

Impressive JT!!

[JTninja]

one shot of the '44/'45 bridge,it looks like you found it in a book,would you mind telling me what book that is?

Of course. Its from "Warship Pictorial #9: Yorktown class carriers". I HIGHLY recommend getting it, lots of photos of all 3 carriers. They prop up on ebay every once in a while, I got mine in January for around $18 shipped. Cant find them anywhere right now except Amazon and they want $70 (not worth that much!). If you need any specific details of certain pictures, you can always ask. Heres a review of it http://www.modelwarships.com/reviews/bo ... wp-09.html

Ive spent over a year working on just Yorktown class carriers (in 1/480 and 1/700). Its always been my favorite ships of any time period. I currently have 4 of each scale, and all are in various stages of development. I found a place the other day called GatorMask who can produce painting mask in 1/350, 1/480 and 1/700 for the MS 33/4Ab paint scheme. Ive spent a long time learning things, and still learning even more!

In case you havent done so yet, I recommend using these plans for the "pre-war" Yorktown. While you cant use a lot of stuff you see (since the late war Enterprise had changed quite a bit), you still find a lot of the ship was the same as the late war Big E

Just scroll down to "CV-5" http://www.hnsa.org/doc/plans/index.htm


Edit: You mentioned "Skinny Island", I think that was in refernece to the 1/700 Tamiya versions of the Enterprise and Hornet. The last image of the green island shows how skinny the island is, by an inch or so in scale, but in real life that would easily be 10 feet....

[Kenny N]

JT, YOU ARE THE MAN ! In my reply to your 1st post I told you it must be my lucky day,sure enough is,your post has pic's of the 5' Lucky E @ the Naval Air Museum in Pensacola,well I was born there & live now just North of P-cola about 30 mi. or so-Guess where I went-you got it-I took about 30 pics or so & have downloaded them on my laptop,

[Kenny N]

OOPS JT sorry about that,must of hit the tab button !,anyway I took photos all aroud the model,though it proved to be difficult with the lighting & display case I got enough good pic's to post ( that is if I can fiqure out how to do it-can u say computer illiterate ) so if you would like me to e-mail you some I will certainly do so.This is an awesome model when u see it in person although the paint scheme is wrong for the late war period,I haven't had time to compare the pic's for accuracy but I read earlier in this post other than the paint scheme it was pretty much right ( to the pro's -if I am wrong please correct me -thanks )it is simply stunning-the museum has ALL the Yorktown class models the same scale plus many,many more-I spent 5 hrs there just taking it all in,what a treat. I know you have been reading this from the beginning so I know you've seen Gordan Bjorklund's awesome work in 1/700 scale( my eyes won't let me work that scale anymore ) he obviously has a wealth of knowledge as most of the other guy's that follow this site.Thanks for the book info-I will try to purchase one when I find it @ a lower price.Oh yeah I also received a book i had ordered (USS Enterprise CV6 The Most Decorated Ship of World War 2 A Pictorial History Exhibit Edition by Steve Ewing-Amazon $19 68 inc. shipping-I could've picked one up @ the museum! get it if you don't have it,lots of photo's & info in there,I also picked up US Navy Aircraft Camouflage & Markings 1940-1945 by Thomas E. Doll - 64 pages of b & w photos plus some color drawings of the various paint schemes etc!) @ the Museum & there's a wealth of info in this book for aircraft -if you would like me to pick one up for you ( I don't know what I did with the receipt but I believe I payed roughly $15 for it ,I plan on going back again maybe next week if u would like a copy let me know & I'll pick you one up when I do go back & ship it to u-u might get it cheaper( Squadron/Signal publications )I gladly paid museum price ! it's easily worth it ! just let me know !Have u posted any pic's of your work yet ? if not I'll be waiting to see some more of your work ,again if I can help u in any way as you've helped me let me know, that goes for anyone else also-that's the thing I love about this hobby & this site -people helping other people asking for nothing in return-Man if the rest of the world was like that,well let's just say the world would be a better place-Keep up the good work & thanks so much again ,ur post rattled my brain & the light turned on-what A great day-I love it when a plan comes together ! thanks Kenny :

[Kenny N]

JT, I just reveiwed some of the pic's I took @ the Museum & most of them turned out quite well-I took them with my cell phone which has a 5 mp camera set @ it's lowest size ( got that nugget on this site ) I'm pretty sure I covered every square inch of this model-when u magnify the pic's the detail is awesome so if your intereste let me know,Is it alright to post your e-mail info & other contact info ?-just don't want to break any rules-thanks Kenny