The Ship Model Forum

Ok, here's a couple of shots of my Essex in-progress:
This is the flight deck - I've taken Gordon's method of weathering the flight deck to 1/350. I used the decals for the stripes and I learned my lesson - paint them along with the numbers. In the long run it would have come out cleaner, neater, and weathered better:


A close-up of the forward 5" guns. They are not permanently attached yet as I have to do railings:


A poor shot of the island. The AA guns are under construction and it has not been attached to the deck yet:


Please feel free to pass along observations and comments!
John

Hiya JG, Essex is looking really great, that weathered deck is very impressive indeed, i look forward to seeing more as you progress, what Camouflage scheme will she be in ?

Happy modeling

John

John (Kidcurrie42)
Great tip on scribing the hangar deck openings, I broke out my 1/720 Revell Enterprise and scribbed the opennings per your instructions. Simple and effective.

John (jgrease)
Your Essex looks great. You have done a great looking job on your flight deck.

I'm looking forward to more pictures of these builds you two are doing.

Gordon Bjorklund wrote:John (Kidcurrie42)
Great tip on scribing the hangar deck openings, I broke out my 1/720 Revell Enterprise and scribbed the opennings per your instructions. Simple and effective.

Glad to have helped, My Enterprise will come out at some point, she will be as at Operation Praying Mantis 1988,

Next builds are all Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
USS Midway 1990-91 finished just got to do CVW-5
USS Ranger 1990-91 finished just completing CVW-2
USS Theodore Roosevelt 1990-91 unstarted
USS America 1990-91 10%
USS John F Kennedy 40%
USS Saratoga 40%
USS Independence 40%
USS Dwight D Eisenhower unstarted(interesting build, CIWS aft island and center of stern)

Here are three on the slipway Indy, Sara and JFK


Forrestal in the background, i am undecided yet as to what Year she will portray.

Hope to see your Enterprise progress Gordon What year will she be built to?

Happy modeling

John

Gents - thanks for the compliments! The Essex will be completed in Measure 21 (Navy Blue 5N). I have learned a lot during my build, and there's a few things I'd change as I started to mention earlier. The one thing I learned was carriers like this require a lot more patience with fit - I have had LOTS of fit problems, such as attaching the flight deck to the hull, and the fit of some PE as well. I hope when Essex is done that I can use the experience on a completely different carrier project - Admiral Kuznetsov in 1/350. And here's something I distracted myself with- Trumpeter's F9F Panther in 1/48 (well, it was on carriers, right? )

Very nice. Fortunately my work with the CCF(RAF) means I have an appreciation for those aircraft we park on our ships.

There will be a Victorious update at some point next week. Not sure when-as the momentum is with an almost finished Illustrious (finally, after a year!)

I look forward to your Victorious update, I have seen your scratchbuilt tugs, very nice, here is what you need for berthing Victorious...........


Here is a little about that class, i remember using Faithful and Forceful not ones to forget....
Seven paddle tugs built for the Royal Navy, with the main role of providing berthing assistance to aircraft carriers. The very wide beam over the paddles allowed the tugs to tuck under the protruding flightdecks of carriers without catching their funnels. Dexterous, Director, Faithful and Forceful were built by Yarrow Shipbuilders at Scotstoun in 1957. Griper and Grinder were built by William Simons & Co at Renfrew in 1958. Favourite was built by Ferguson Brothers of Port Glasgow and launched on 1st July 1958. She was scrapped in 1980.
LOA 157', breadth 60', draught 10', 473 grt.
Engines: Four 12YHAXZ per vessel, each with a 24 hour rating of 585 bhp at 1,000 rpm. The engines for Favourite were ordered in January 1956 and despatched in December 1957.
Electrical Machinery: Each engine coupled to a 340kW generator. Two 600 volt DC propulsion motors per vessel, each producing 800 bhp at 212 rpm. The electrical machinery and control gear were manufactured by British Thomson-Houston.

Happy modeling

John

OK-now that is a challenge. Mes thinks I will have to build a pair!

nice.

ASFC wrote:OK-now that is a challenge. Mes thinks I will have to build a pair!

I look forward to seeing them

Hey ASFC,
Here are a few teasers for you...........






Gets the Taste buds going doesn't it

Some more eye candy........






Now i have both kits out

Something to help them get alongside.......


John

I remember Eagle being moored there like it was yesterday, she was an Awesome sight to this young sailor, even in her decommissioned state.



John

I was never a huge fan of the Eagle-but these are some mouth watering pictures. These ships are crying out to be modeled!

As well as having the urge to model Hermes and Ark Royal V, I am lining up another project for a rainy day to add to the Fort George-how do you fancy a cross between a British CVL and an American CVA, with American aircraft??

ASFC wrote:I was never a huge fan of the Eagle-but these are some mouth watering pictures. These ships are crying out to be modeled!

Watch this Space

Work continues on JFK, i have scratched the Port fwd sponson and the aft sponsons are progressing well, i think i have the mast worked out, work is needed on the openings of the port overhang.



The shadow gives the fwd sponson a totally different shape than what it is.


Any comments or questions welcome

Happy modeling

John

Lookin' good there John The eye camdy shots are great!!

Ok, who mentioned the cross between RN & US Ships? Ya talkin' a bloody What-if? I could just see the RA-5C & A3Ds hittin' the ski ramp

Ski jumps, catapults? Mhe. Give me VLS Fighters like in Thunderbirds

Hippy Ed wrote:Lookin' good there John The eye camdy shots are great!!

Ok, who mentioned the cross between RN & US Ships? Ya talkin' a bloody What-if? I could just see the RA-5C & A3Ds hittin' the ski ramp

The Ski Ramp is actually a good idea(it enables a rolling take off thus using less fuel) but is not eye candy, the British and US have always had close links with CV's(well up until the demise of the old Ark), we still had the Harriers which i guess kept the link. it pained me during Ops like Desert Storm and really hurt us during the Falklands war that we didnt have a CV, especially seeing what had been done with the Midways.

My 2 Pennies/Cents worth

Happy modeling

John

Ed your package is on the way to ya