The Ship Model Forum

An in-box review of Aoshima's 1/700 USS Wasp CV-7 has been posted.

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Timothy Dike
Owner & Administrator
ModelWarships.com

This review does not tell us if the Wasp is still underscore.

But I suspect since the earlier version was, that this version is as well (since the review says the older version and this one are basically identical).

I suppose that I am stuck with having to get a Resin Wasp if I want one that is actually 1/700 scale.

MB

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OMG LOOK! A signature

Working on:


1/700 (All Fall 1942):
HIJMS Nagara
HIJMS Aoba & Kinugasa
USS San Francisco
USS Helena
USS St. Louis
USS Laffey & Farenholt
HIJMS Sub-Chasers No. 4 - 7
HIJMS Sub-Chasers No. 13 - 16

Taking dimensions from the kit parts (while still in the clear plastic bags) suggests the kit is closer to 735 scale! Comparison was made to dimensions from Friedman's book. The flight deck was easiest to measure and calculates to only 707' vs 741'.

Not wishing to open a can of worms here but I'm curious why people are making such a huge deal about the kit being underscale. I'm all for kits being as accurate as possible and it's good to know the actual scale. But surely if everything is still in proportion, the hull is correct in shape, and items and details are in the right place, it being exactly to 1:700 is a minor issue. This is out by 4.5%. That's about the edge of acceptable tolerance, I'll give you that, but it's certainly not something I would consider worth investing in a resin kit over 4x the price to fix.

The error is 13mm over the length of the kit and yes you would be able to tell it if you put a "true" 1:700 side by side. But are you really telling me that if this was on your shelf (amongst other classes that are different sizes anyway) that you would notice this with your Mk.1 eyeball and that it would actually bother you?

If that's the case that's fine, I know each of us has our quirks regarding what we look for in a model, but this is one I don't really share I'm afraid. When it comes to fittings e.g. AA guns or even aircraft the difference is down to a couple of tenths of a millimetre. I just filled the deck of a Tamiya 1:719 Yorktown with Trumpeter 1:700 planes and I can't see anything looking "off".

I'm just trying to understand

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Vlad

For some of us, the Scale is an issue because our ships are for more than just display.

I, and at least two other members of the forum use 1/700 Ships for Naval War-games, and then having all of your ships as close in scale as possible is pretty important (even more-so for WWI and earlier ships).

If it were just for display, there would be no problem.

But given that it will be for a Naval War-game, I need the ships to all be as close as possible to 1/700.

MB

_________________
OMG LOOK! A signature

Working on:


1/700 (All Fall 1942):
HIJMS Nagara
HIJMS Aoba & Kinugasa
USS San Francisco
USS Helena
USS St. Louis
USS Laffey & Farenholt
HIJMS Sub-Chasers No. 4 - 7
HIJMS Sub-Chasers No. 13 - 16

The one real miss in the Wasp reviews is calling the Vindicators "folding wing" Dauntless's. The shape of the plane as a Vindicator is quite apparent. The Atlantic fleets CV's, the Wasp and the Ranger were still using Vindicators and Dauntless's until right before operation Torch and the Wasp's at San Diego after her transfer to the PTO

USS Ranger (CV-4) while en route to Africa, 18 July 1942
http://www.navsource.org/archives/02/020452.jpg

See the CASF Wasp thread for nice views of SB2U Vindicators on her decks in March of 1942

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Our CO prior to flying to the boomer: “Our goals on this patrol is to shoot missiles and torpedoes.”
Junior Nuke Officer (me) : “Captain, don’t we really want to be like Monty Python and ‘Not be seen’?”
CO “You seem to be missing the big picture”
“Oh”

Scale problems aside, I would much prefer it if Aoshima had manufactured a full hull kit, or, at least, a kit that provides we the builders with the option for full hull or waterline. I hate waterline kits!

Bill

Will you lose a battle if one of your ships is slightly over- or under-scale? Do you have judges who carefully measure your ships and penalize for discrepancies?

Yes and No...

But it being under-scale hurts my eyes.

MB

_________________
OMG LOOK! A signature

Working on:


1/700 (All Fall 1942):
HIJMS Nagara
HIJMS Aoba & Kinugasa
USS San Francisco
USS Helena
USS St. Louis
USS Laffey & Farenholt
HIJMS Sub-Chasers No. 4 - 7
HIJMS Sub-Chasers No. 13 - 16