Tracy White wrote:
Despite being labelled "1945" the CV-12 kit is essentially her "as launched" configuration as Hornet didn't leave the front line from her entry in the Pacific Fleet in March of 1944 to the point that Typhoon damage forced her to the states in June of 1945. It's the best kit to do an early Essex.
I hesitate to question the SME, and correct me if I am wrong, but I believe that the Dragon 1/700 CV-12 Hornet kit has two fligh deck catapults. Photographs show that in reality she had only one flight deck catapult during her entire WWII career. I believe she had a hangar deck catrapult also. It is interesting that you can not easily build a Hornet from the Hornet kit nor an Essex from the Essix kit, but it is quite simple to build a Hornet using the Essex kit. Just add a largert radar platform and use the correct radar outfit, add the tripod braces with the slotted lightening holes. You also need to add the two 40mm mounts on the starboard rear side at the hangar deck, inboard, near the rear crane. That seems easier than trying to remove a catapult from the flight deck.
Speaking of those two 40mm mounts, that is what has been holding up my CV-12 build since I last posted here in October, 2014. I have been waiting for the Tracy White Essex book. I have searched far and wide, but have never found a photograph of this area from any of the Essex sisters, with the inboard mounting of these mounts, that show enough detail to scratch build them. If anyone can provide a detailed photo of these I would be forever indebted to you.
If Tracy sees this, I figure you earned my money for a book before I was half way through this thread. You still have a guaranteed sale here, assuming I am still around