Done with my USS Oriskany

[Doc]

I could give you a long list of things that coulda, shoulda been done to my Oriskany model to make it more authentic but considering my experience...and skills, I'm pleased with how it turned out.

Perhaps for my next attempt, I'll be able to do all the things I wish I could have done to this one. Thanks to everyone here that's given me advice and encouragement. And a special thanks to Bill Willis who was good enough to send me a Willy Fudd.

Doc

[NukeMM]

CONGRATULATIONS, DOC!

Very nice job and what a wonderful keepsake and piece of memorabilia for your "I love me!" wall by your bar.

[Mark McKinnis]

Nice Job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[gtb -red]

Nice Job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Nektarios]

Really nice job there

[kidcurrie42]

Nice Job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nice Job Indeed lets see some more of her Doc.

Happy modeling

John

[Doc]

Thanks all for the very kind words. Fortunately for me, my camera doesn't take the sharpest images. This image was taken with the ship on the display case base. The display case is next to my favorite room in the house.

Doc

[Cadman]

The display case is next to my favorite room in the house.

Very cool room, I need to come over and discuss models with you sometime!!!

[mmaresm]

Hey, DOC! That is a great Oriskany!! Curious, what kit/company did you use?? It looks familiar, especially the stand. I especially like that tremendous "display case" . Getting back to your ship...nice work on the antennae on your masts, did you use GMM PE??

Thanks for your time.

M. Mares

[Doc]

THANKS!! The kit is the Revell angle deck 1:540 model of the USS Oriskany.



The antenna on the mast is from the GMM Midway/Forrestal/Essex photo etch fret. I also used two identical yardarms from that fret, bent them at a 90� angle to create the "X" shaped yardarms at the top. The thicker yardarm you see in the inset below has since been replaced with a photo etch yardarm too.

The SPS-30 radar is from another ship model. The only scratch building I did is the mount for the SPS-43 radar.

The decals are either from Starfighter Decals or custom decals I made. The model came with F-8's & A-4's and Tracers. I got the Skyraider from Starfighter, the A3 Skywarrior from another kit and of course, the Willy Fudd from Bill Willis.

I remember shortly after I got out of the Navy, I bought a Revell "Oriskany" model but it was the straight deck version like she looked in the movie "Bridges of Toko Ri". Wish I could find that kit again.

Oh, on the wall to the right of my "tremendous display case" is a wall mounted 40" HD tv.

Doc

[G. Shoda]

Great looking bar! And the model looks real good also. I built a Revel Shangri-la long ago (which is probably the same kit, reboxed) as a boy. I was impressed with the quality of the kit. I remember the stand, too. I guess the old Revel kits can be made into great looking models. Congratulations.

[Hippy Ed]

Bravo Zulu there Doc!! Big O looks great!! I have the 1/542 Forrestal in the works with the GMM pe set. I hope to do as good a job as you did here.

Eddie

[Mark McKinnis]

Hi Doc,

I had a question about the Revell Oriskany Kit. Is the flight deck molded correctly to represent the steam cats or is it the Essex/Yorktown/Wasp/Lexington kit re-boxed?

[Doc]

Mark,

All of the Revell Essex class angled deck carrier models are identical except for the box art, decals, aircraft and text on the instructions. If you look closely at the first pic I posted at the beginning of this topic, you'll notice the blast deflectors are small, staggered and vertical. I was going to grind them off and replace them (lined up as they should) with photo etch parts but I had already added the decals and was afraid I'd mess them up and have to redo them. That's one of the things I plan on doing differently for my next build.

The good news I suppose is the other Revell Essex class models usually go for much less on ebay for example.

Doc

[Mark McKinnis]

OK, that is what I thought. You are correct about the other carriers being cheaper. The Oriskany kit is also a lot harder to find. I think that the aircraft that come with the kit are different though. My Wasp has ASW aircraft and the Lex has training command aircraft. I think the the Oriskany and Shangri La have the mix of F-8's and A-4's. Mark at Starfighter Decal fixed that little problem for us.

I think that the only real improvement would be in technical details. As far as I can tell, the only big difference is the catapults and the enlarged bow elevator, correct? It looks like the Oriskanny had the same Port Elevator position and shape as the Essex and essentially the same port gun sponsons.

I like your build though. The craftsmanship is top notch!

I am looking forward to seeing the next work of art.

MM

[Doc]

Mark,

Here are the items on the angle deck Oriskany model that are incorrect that I'm aware of:

Stern gun tubs- were present on the straight deck version...need to be removed on the angle deck version.
Starboard amidship gun sponson- needs to be removed on the angle deck version
Starboard sponson- needs to be added to the angle deck version.
5" guns- should only be one on each quarter of the ship for the angle deck version.
Jet exhaust blast deflectors- need to be on the same plane and larger for the angled deck version.
Island- main changes are the added radars but the pri-fly bridge needs to be changed on the angle deck version.

Attached is a shot of the starboard side of Oriskany. This photo was taken right after the fire in 1966. That's why you see water still pouring out of the hanger deck. But, you can see what the starboard sponson should look like. It was here that I helped attend to some of the fire victims.

[Mark McKinnis]

That is a good pic!

Most of the changes you quoted are pretty simple compared with moving catapults or changing the position of the portside elevator. I am looking forward to geting the Ships&Co Intrepid but it would be a hard model to mod into the other SCB-125 ships because the port side elevator is located much further aft than the other Essex Class SCB-125's. I will wait for awhile to do something crazy like chopping up an expensive kit like that and see if some other vendors come forward with a kit.

Are you looking to do another 1/540 "O"? I started do some deck mods to a revell 1/540 Lexington to make it an Oriskany but set it aside for my 1/700 projects.

I may have to drag that one back out.

[Doc]

Mark,

Yes, I do plan on making a second Oriskany. This time I hope to make as many adjustments as I can to make her look more authentic. Heck, even removing the plastic railing and replacing with photo etch seems beyond my reach but I'll give it a go anyway.

I already have another model...this one happens to be the Bonne Homme Richard. I'm just not sure when I will start my O2.

I'm glad to read that the changes I mention you said are "pretty simple". Now I know who to bug about "how do I do...?"

Doc

[Hippy Ed]

Hey Doc, I've been removing the molded on railingss & such from my 1/542 Forrestal and wwill be replacing them with the GMM PE set. I've not done it before but, what the heck, Go for it! They'll add a great deal of improvement to the kit

[Mark McKinnis]

I am removing the plastic rail on a 1/700 Fujimi Kittyhawk and replacing them with PE as well.

Adding gun tubs or removing things that are attached really is not that hard. Sanding off all of the deck detail, filling the cat tracks with putty and scribing the correct "Steam" cats at the proper angle in a nice, crisp, straight line is what I consider hard. It is hard to make that look right. It also takes some tools, ie.. a dremel tool and some good jewelry files and things like that.

I got most of my experience taking a 1/800 Midway and chopping it up into three pieces, stretching it, and filling in the gaps to make it into a 1/720-ish kit. I did Midway, Coral Sea, and F.D.R. F.D.R. was a big project in that I had to chop off a lot of the deck and rework it. I think that they came out pretty good so I use those as references when I am looking at getting the blade out on a kit.

When you get ready to go, we will all be here to lend our two cents worth. And sometimes, you even get more than two cents worth !!

Good Luck,

Mark