The Ship Model Forum

So I've had this kit in my stash (well actually, in my parents' attic) for a good long time now, and finally got it home. Since getting it I've learned loads about how U.S. Navy warships were actually painted as well as a lot of ways to modify stock kits to represent the same subject but either at a different date or make corrections etc.. Therefore, and because I know doing any sort of dazzle scheme is more hassle than I want to be bothered with, I want to build her as she steamed in 1943 before her refit and subsequent conversion from Measure 21 to Measure 32.

Maybe along the lines of this photograph:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cd/USS_Yorktown_CV-10_1943_aerial_with_F6Fs.jpg

Of course, since when ordering this kit I also ordered extra aircraft packs (including Helldivers), the deck will be quite a bit busier as well as having most of the doors along the side opened to reveal the hangar. I'm not planning to superdetail or anything, and strictly speaking this will remain an almost OOB build (though maybe someone sells frets of standard USN railings?), so to that end I will naturally have to take stock of what modifications do need to be done.

1. Fantail: Leave off the extended sponson, as only one quad Bofors was mounted here (scratchbuild gun tub, possible to scrounge spare kit gun director)

2. Leave starboard Bofors mounts off hull, seal up holes

3. Cover up one flight deck catapult (portside) or trade for foredeck from someone else's kit

4. Hangar-level catapult sponson for port side; mirror assembly from parts provided for starboard

5. Leave off port-side sponson for two quad-mount Bofors, portside catapult in its place

6. Add additional quad-mount Bofors to front of island (kit parts available) and chop back flag bridge

7. Scrounge around for some splinter shields for 20mm mounts

8. Switch around placements of radar antennae (swap positions for part E4 and E25, ditto for E27 and F3, possibly different)

Some of these seem easy enough to do, considering my skills and the availability of Evergreen stock at my LHS, with the third only slightly tricky. The fourth, on the other hand, seems to be the real challenge here and one I'm not precisely looking forward to, but them's the breaks, eh? And it goes without saying (though I'm gonna say it anyway), if there are any other differences between the stock 1944 kit and what I'm hoping to achieve that I need to know about, please please let me know.

This project is still in the pre-planning stages, but from being a part of this community it has become clear that you can never have too much prior thought invested into an effort like this before any parts leave the sprue.

_________________
Sean Nash, ACG (aircraft camo gestapo)

On the ways:
1/200 Trumpeter HMS Nelson
1/700 Tamiya USS Yorktown CV-5

In the stash:
1/35 Italiari PT-109
1/35 Tamiya "Pibber" Patrol Boat
1/350 Trumpeter USS Yorktown CV-10

Hello:

One other difference is with the quad-40 mounts at the front of the bridge. As built, the Yorktown had 2 quad-40 mounts at the front of the bridge structure. Later, the front quad-40 was removed to extend the flag bridge. The kit has the bridge with the one quad-40 at the front of the bridge structure, so you'd need to modify the bridge to cut back the front and add the quad-40.

Cheers
Mike

Yes! Will be watching this Sean - gotta love an Essex. Tracy White is an incredible source of knowledge on these ships, so if you're in a jam try to holler at him and/or the CASF thread on Essex's.

viewtopic.php?f=46&t=4802

I can help you a little myself as far as the mods, I built the same kit as you remember in her early '45 fit. Even still I had to hack up stuff as well to post date, much as you will have to predate the kit. Off the bat, your four big things are about all that pop in my head.

She did only have one quad 40mm on her fantail, sitting offset to port. You nailed it too with the 3 missing 40mms under the bridge. For catapults, it was actually the starboard one that came first - the port one was added in September of '44. I know that some of the Trumpeter kits (Essex I believe) have the forward third of the deck piece with just the starboard cat in place. Of course, getting ahold of just that piece could be difficult...

The kit already has the starboard athwartships catapult off the hangarbay, but has a 40mm gallery on the port. That shouldn't be hard to fix though.

I'm sure some other little stuff will differ from the kit, I.E. SC/SK radar gun director placements, etc.

Kyle

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Shipmodels Gallery \/

http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... index.html

Kyle and Mike, thanks for the replies!

Well, I put in a question at the appropriate CASF thread asking about when Yorktown had her camo redone and/or when it was changed from MS 32/10a to something else.

As it stands, with my extra investment in Helldivers, it looks like I'm going to be making up a crowded aft deck in preparation for flight ops during her shakedown cruise as it was after this inauspicious debut for the "Son of a B*tch Second Class" that Captain "Jocko" Clark had them removed and replaced with Dauntlesses. In early tinkering I managed to melt one of the four SBDs that come with the kit into a blob (par for the course for me at that time, heh), so even them I'm in the hole for spotting a deck for the ship's first offensive operations against the Marcus and Gilbert Islands.

As per this photograph:

http://www.navsource.org/archives/02/021070.jpg

However, this image illustrates the extra quad Bofors mount on the island, though I wonder about the white markings at this stage (it's pretty clear from photographs that the black line drawn down the center of the flight deck was unique to Yorktown in MS 21) I have to admit here to having something of a liking for Helldivers in the mid-war tri-color scheme, as it emphasizes just how beastly this aircraft really was, as well as the tri-color scheme in general.

Either way, I'm going to be waterlining this kit, because someday I will manage to make a seascape for something...

_________________
Sean Nash, ACG (aircraft camo gestapo)

On the ways:
1/200 Trumpeter HMS Nelson
1/700 Tamiya USS Yorktown CV-5

In the stash:
1/35 Italiari PT-109
1/35 Tamiya "Pibber" Patrol Boat
1/350 Trumpeter USS Yorktown CV-10

Added a few more items to the To-do list as well as altering ones up thus far. It seems like a relatively straightforward backdate on the surface, but I suspect that just doing those steps isn't going to win one any prizes at a model show (even with the benefit of copious amounts of photo-etch).

So, still planning, looking about, getting answers from folks. Apparently Yorktwon went back to MS 21 around mid-May of '45 (thanks, Tracy!), so there's always that option as a fallback. But right now I want to at least give a good go at pushing my skills as a modeller.

_________________
Sean Nash, ACG (aircraft camo gestapo)

On the ways:
1/200 Trumpeter HMS Nelson
1/700 Tamiya USS Yorktown CV-5

In the stash:
1/35 Italiari PT-109
1/35 Tamiya "Pibber" Patrol Boat
1/350 Trumpeter USS Yorktown CV-10

Actually, Mark provided you with the correct date - my initial response was incorrect.

_________________
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 to be fair, you did suggest that timeframe initially, but also thought it might've been earlier. Mark nailed the date, though.

So Tracy, what do you think of my list? Any other suggestions (I'm thinking the yardarm on the stack mast could be scratchbuilt)?

_________________
Sean Nash, ACG (aircraft camo gestapo)

On the ways:
1/200 Trumpeter HMS Nelson
1/700 Tamiya USS Yorktown CV-5

In the stash:
1/35 Italiari PT-109
1/35 Tamiya "Pibber" Patrol Boat
1/350 Trumpeter USS Yorktown CV-10

I didn't pay much attention to it, honestly. I'd have to sit down and look over my notes to be accurate (you can see what shooting from the hip with quick glances does!) and tend not to do that unless directly asked (got too many other projects going on that I'm not spending enough time on to regularly dive in on others projects). That said, you want to do fall of 1943 / winter '44 with the CV-10 kit? Just wanting to make sure I have details right before I look.

_________________
Tracy White -Researcher@Large

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

Actually I was looking to do either shakedown cruise or summer of '45 (both in MS 21, but with too many Helldivers and not enough Dauntlesses), but at this point any further information-gathering can wait. I wouldn't want to pull you off of more important projects, because there are others that I myself need to get moving on as well (my entry in the Just Cruisin' group build, for one). You said in the Essex thread that it would be far easier to modify the Trumpeter kit for summer of '45, but I do like tricolor fighters.

So while I definitely welcome your help, Tracy, I don't want to add to your current workload.

_________________
Sean Nash, ACG (aircraft camo gestapo)

On the ways:
1/200 Trumpeter HMS Nelson
1/700 Tamiya USS Yorktown CV-5

In the stash:
1/35 Italiari PT-109
1/35 Tamiya "Pibber" Patrol Boat
1/350 Trumpeter USS Yorktown CV-10

If you can trade someone for the CV-9 kit, that makes for a much easier conversion for early early CV-10. I haven't really clarified all of the changes that happened to CV-10 early on as Captain Clark was a hard charger and pushing for a lot of changes and there is a point where there's weekly changes to details. It's just been a big enough PITA that I left that for "later"

That said, I've got some down time coming up this weekend where I'll be sitting out in BFE with less to distract me, so I'll bring my references and research and see if I can't get that all settled for you.

_________________
Tracy White -Researcher@Large

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