The Ship Model Forum

Really Tracy?? Did you Foogle that answer?? Must say, I wouldn't want to land on a Fraying deck.

Food luck on your upcoming books! Hope you Fet a decent proof reader!!



And yes, I know it was just a typo, but it's soooo much fun picking on you!!!

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Darren (Admiral Hawk)
In the not so tropical climate of the Great White North.

Fuess O Dhould ;eave ot yhere snd kust toll eith ot!

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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

Darren,

Maybe Tracy's milk has gone sour or he ate too much candy for Halloween.

You guys pick on that and let "CV-5" in 1943 slip past?

THAT one I can explain - I had just come from the CASF CV-5 thread and had 5 on the brain....

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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

Well, the name and year are correct, 2 out of 3 are passing grades for youngsters these days.

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Darren (Admiral Hawk)
In the not so tropical climate of the Great White North.

Thanks for the reply. I have a 1/350 Essex kit that I have recently purchased the Pontos upgrade kit for. I note the instructions in that upgrade kit are rather vague. I have been contemplating breaking open a side hanger door to expose the lower level of the hanger but am not sure about that move yet.

Opening the roller doors is pretty easy with either a razor saw or an Xacto blade. You can avoid dealing with the rounded top by simply scribing along one of the recessed lines between the slats and leaving it partially down. If you want to do that and not spending any time detailing and painting the hangar bay, do one of the port side ones and park a plane really close to the door so there's fun visual interest that blocks the view further in.

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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 the Dragon 1/700 USS Lexington kit and I'm aware that you can make any late war short hull Essex class from that kit. Has anyone done a rough guide to make USS Essex in 1944, when she had her Light Grey/Black camouflage scheme? It occurred to me that it might be fairly easy to work out things like her bofors and radar fit but might be a bit harder working out things like all the galleries and parts for the island etc.

thanks
Mike

I've got the kit and should be able to do that for you; however I'm traveling today and not in a good position to do it.

In the interest in keeping this thread short, if no one beats me to it before, say, tomorrow evening, I'll edit this post and then PM you the link as a notification.

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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

thanks!

I built this kit as the Lexington (and have 2 more in my stash... they are not easy to come by) and this kit would easily cover the Essex in 1944. My biggest suggestion is to get a Model Monkey island (the kit's island is good but his are a lot better and more accurate) so as to not to worry too much on the island (https://www.model-monkey.com/product-pa ... april-1944). And Steve is very good to work with; if you e-mail him, he can help you further.

The main thing is the radar rigs... they were fitted almost uniquely to each carrier. You may want to try to narrow down what month in 1944 you're wanting and then see about getting photos and plans. Raven's book is a great resource and may already have the information you need.

That is a plan, I've bought some of his stuff before

Did you get a chance at all to look at the Essex for me?

thanks
Mike

OK, I've done a survey, and none of Steve's Essex Islands is quite right for the time frame. As a potential positive, neither is the Dragon CV-9 kit (It gives the fit for "as commissioned" but shows the dazzle scheme on the box art). There are some that come close, but none has just the right combination of pilothouse, revised platform over the flag bridge, stack platforms, etc.

My copy of the kit is buried and I'm sick and not going to be able to get to it for a bit, but I looked at the instructions on Hobby Search and will give you a start on the island. Since we know the forward quad 40mm was removed and the flag bridge enclosure expanded, the big details to look at here are the shape of the platform above that level, the shape of the pilothouse, and the platforms around the stack. Radar too, I'm just sticking with structure for now. Note that in this photo on CV-9's Navsource page, the flag bridge platform has a rather continuous curve around the front and no Mk 51 tub. It's hard to tell, but the pilot house is also rounded (as opposed to the squared-off trapezoid layout of some ships like Franklin) and the platform and splinter shields around it essentially follow the curve around the front of the flag bridge enclosure and then take a straight line back - other ships had a design that followed the flag bridge enclosure more and flared out further aft. I *think* that the Pilothouse level platform on the "G" tree (can't read the exact number) should be a good match for this level. I do not see a good match for the flag bridge level.

Random comments for now looking at the steps in the instructions:

Step 1 - Ignore the hangar deck catapult flippers and twin 20mm guns; Essex never had them.

Step 5 - ignore the dual quad 40mm parts on the stern (D47 & D48) and go with the single quad 40mm. I can't tell from the instructions, but there were two configurations of open 5" / Quad 40mm galleries (piece M6) and you want the one where the quad 40mm is slightly elevated above the deck level of the 5"/38 guns (might be the corresponding piece on the "C" tree).

Step 6 - the forward island piece M6 that provides the flag plot enclosure is the one I mentioned above that flares out further aft than Essex's did - I think you want the corresponding piece on the "G" tree. M5 doesn't have the correct forward shape and I'm not sure how you want to handle it - if you're OK with building curved splinter shields in sheet styrene it should be fairly easy to whack off and reconstruct. The small 20mm galleries with the Mk52 tub P1 aren't correct - the Mk 51s there were for the quad 40mms that were mounted below in later fits. I'm not sure what the corresponding piece is in that case but I'm guessing "D" or "G" tree (running out of steam but you might look at the CV-9 kit).

Step 7 - you're going to want to stick with the radio tower aerials and not go with the whip aerials aft. 20mms...... I'm going to say "let me look at that later" but I'd start by saying only single 20mm mounts and the photos on Navsource should be a good place to start.

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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

That's some good info to start with. Luckily the Dragon Essex kit's instructions are on scalemates, so I can see where the two kits differ. I now which parts to use for the quad bofors on the stern and the 20mm galleries on the starboard side of the island. The instructions for the Essex show parts E1 and E4 for the forward bridge platforms you mention and the Lexington instructions say to use M1 and M5. The parts on the G sprue are 1 and 2. I think G2 would work best, once the tub for the Mk51 director has been removed. The platform above that, I can't make up my mind on which to use. E1 and G1 are almost identical and have a small bulge on the portside, which looks like it's there for a piece of equipment, like a searchlight, signal light or lookout's binocular's etc but M1 doesn't have that feature. I can't make it out on the photo as the Black camouflage makes it difficult to see the details.

After that, it's a case of working out the Bofors and Oerlikon fit. I know Essex had a maximum of 11 quad Bofors. For sure I know there was 1 each on the stern and bow, 3 on the island and 1 on each single 5in gallery. I think there might have been 2 more on the port side where the hangar catapult was supposed to be and 2 more on the starboard quarter, at the hangar deck level. Hopefully I'm right about that. The Essex kit instructions say 53 single Oerlikons and obviously where they were but I don't know if that changed in the 44 refit.

thanks
Mike

You are - you can make out the mounts in this portside shot and this starboard shot, again on her Navsource page, although you can't easily tell details due to the afore-mentioned black paint. However, these were a fairly standardized configuration and other ships of the class are a good example once you know what to look for. There were two main configurations of the starboard aft quad 40MMs and these are what I call the early configuration. The later confoguration had a larger sponson that stuck out further so that the guns could be moved outboard for a better overhead firing arc. I don't think that any of the Dragon kits have this earlier configuration; I did a quick sample of the CV-9, 12, and 19 kits and they either don't have it (CV-9) or appear to have the later, larger sponson (CV-12 and 19). I don't want to volunteer Steve but maybe it's something there's a market for.

The port forward emplacements in the CV-16 kit and instructions (D46 & D49) should work for your build.

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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

Has anyone else done that Pontos Advanced detail set for the Essex in WWII???

Great kit but poor instructions.

I have now constructed the island for 1943 with the quad bofor guns below the bridge but have the mast done for 1945!!!!

No clear indication in instruction what to do. Looks like some adjustments are necessary after all the hard work done.

It appears from photos that the lower catapults that were across the width of the ship in the hanger bay were removed.

I don't know what to do now. Retrofit the mast to 1943 or destruct the island and refit it to 1945.

What ship and time period?

Good news, Mike, your new 1/700 scale USS Essex CV-9 island as it appeared from May, 1944 through 1945 is ready. Link:
https://www.model-monkey.com/product-pa ... -1944-1945

References indicate that the island was in this configuration during raids on Okinawa and Formosa and during the Battle of Leyte Gulf.

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-Steve L.

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