Calling all USS Lexington CV-2 fans

[falcon04]

Thanks, Dick J.

Some slight amplification and changes:

I "think" I may want to do the LEX after the widening of the flight deck forward, but still with the 8 " turrets and in the pre-war colors - say 1939. This will allow a nice contrast in my display case between the SARA and her 30's air wing (as kitted by Trump) and LEX with hers with the later aircraft, but still retain the great pre-war schemes.

There are a number of pics in the "Warship Pictorial" showing the LEX at that stage - the searchlights are gone, the .50 caliber galleries have been added to the stack, deck is wide, 8" still in place, pre-war colors. I "think" I may be able to work out the other differences through examination of photos.

Is it possible to bash the SARA and LEX kits - using the LEX kits wide deck on the SARA kit, for example, plus combining the bits from each kit to get the proper island and stack configs ?

Has anyone attempted this kit bash, and if so, your recommendations.

I'm working my way thru the old posts and the ones on the SARA and Essex - just so much great info on this site !

Any advice or help would be appreciated.

[Dick J]

Much of what you are suggesting is "do-able", but there are a few cautions. The Sara kit bridge would probably be the keeper in this bash. Use the Lex funnel, but use the Sara funnel top and pri-fly on the front face. She carried 28 .50 cal mg's - 12 on the funnel galleries (along with the 4 searchlights) and 4 on each of the flightdeck "corner" platforms. The 2 rounded cutouts (for the after 1.1's) were not present at that time, so the flightdeck will have to be filled in at those points. Of course, the pre-war boat stowage outboard of the stack will have to come from the Sara kit.

[falcon04]

Thanks again.

It looks like all 4 of the .50 cal. hull sponsons need simplification from those supplied in the LEX kit, and there are other easily fixable shape differences on the island structure.

I'm waiting for a copy of the Stern book to supplement the Warship Pictorial, but your bits will help as I study photos and make notes.

What I do know is that as soon as I get well into the conversion, Trump. will go ahead and release an "early" LEX - it's the law.

[drdoom1337]

I may just be imagining it, but there was an excellent bow on photograph of the Lexington showing the additional wing platforms added under the flight deck. Does anybody have this photo? I'm working on my 1/350 Lexington at an extremely slow pace and I've gotten to adding the wings. I'd like to see if they were smoothly attached or are rough sheet metal.

[Dick J]

"Wings?" Are you talking about the widened flightdeck or the .50 cal platforms?

[kidcurrie42]

Hello Guys,
Has anyone got any pics/drawing of Lexingtons crane, or a link to any info on it, i have the 1/700 Lion Roar WW2 US Navy Cranes and Landing set, there are 6 parts to the Lexington crane and the instructions are vague to say the least, any help is appreciated.

[drdoom1337]

"Wings?" Are you talking about the widened flightdeck or the .50 cal platforms?

The widened flightdeck. I'm almost positive there was an excellent photo somewhere of it.

[MartinJQuinn]

I may just be imagining it, but there was an excellent bow on photograph of the Lexington showing the additional wing platforms added under the flight deck. Does anybody have this photo? I'm working on my 1/350 Lexington at an extremely slow pace and I've gotten to adding the wings. I'd like to see if they were smoothly attached or are rough sheet metal.

There is a bow on view from the waterline looking up in Wipers book - that may be what you are referring to.

[Elvis965]

I may just be imagining it, but there was an excellent bow on photograph of the Lexington showing the additional wing platforms added under the flight deck. Does anybody have this photo? I'm working on my 1/350 Lexington at an extremely slow pace and I've gotten to adding the wings. I'd like to see if they were smoothly attached or are rough sheet metal.

Scroll about halfway down the page on this link. There is a pic that I think is the view Martin is referencing.....is that what you are looking for?

viewtopic.php?f=59&t=40911&start=75

Bob

[drdoom1337]

I may just be imagining it, but there was an excellent bow on photograph of the Lexington showing the additional wing platforms added under the flight deck. Does anybody have this photo? I'm working on my 1/350 Lexington at an extremely slow pace and I've gotten to adding the wings. I'd like to see if they were smoothly attached or are rough sheet metal.

Scroll about halfway down the page on this link. There is a pic that I think is the view Martin is referencing.....is that what you are looking for?

viewtopic.php?f=59&t=40911&start=75

Bob

Thats exactly it! HOwever I'm not able to enlarge the image. That's strange, I can enlarge all of the other photos in that build.

[MartinJQuinn]

Beautiful shot of Lex, pre-war:

[Michael Vorrasi]

Lexington's 1941 Booklet of General Plans is available in pdf here:
http://www.hnsa.org/doc/plans/index.htm

[Elvis965]

I just discovered on the Classic Warships web site that Steve Wiper has done another book on the Lex specifically:

http://www.freetimehobbies.com/CWP033.aspx

That's awesome news, since the only copy of #11 I can find is going for $281....

Bob

[Jerry Phillips]

Hey guys....just got my new Classic Warships Pictorial #33 USS Lexington in the mail today (fast service! Thanks Steve). 72 pages that covers CV-2's later career, including many photos that I have never seen in print before, as well as some familiar shots, all in typical great CW quality. Also included are 2 sets of plans, as of May 1941, and May 1942. Finally we can see the plan of modifications that were completed in her final refit. The flag bridge modifications, installation of the "mystery" radar on her former 8"director platform, 20mm/1.1" installation's, etc....its all there. Needless to say, Trumpeter got it wrong. A side note to the plans, is that these are the proposed changes, and the actual mods. in some specifics differed. A cool bonus for me, is a very nice photo of CA-29 Chicago, Dec. 1941 (a rare find!). Anyway, this is a must have for us Lexington fans.... Dont pass this one up!

Jerry Phillips

[Jon C Ryckert]

Jerry,
Does the book cover the degaussing cables layout on the fore part of the ship?

[Jerry Phillips]

Jon,
No, there isnt, but...........there are enough photos to figure out the degaussing cable pattern up to the fwd 5" AA galleries. I assume that port=stbd, and that Saratoga's degaussing layout was similar, if not identical, to Lexington's. There is that one head on photo of Sara. launching TBD's, circa Summer 1941, that you can just make out (roughly) the fwd layout of degaussing. It seems to angle up at about a 45 degree angle at the bow (not wrapping around the bow). At least thats what Im going to do!

Jerry Phillips

[Tracy White]

It seems to angle up at about a 45 degree angle at the bow (not wrapping around the bow).

That's similar to what Yorktown and Enterprise did.

[Dick J]

It seems to angle up at about a 45 degree angle at the bow (not wrapping around the bow).

That's similar to what Yorktown and Enterprise did.

Enterprise, yes. Yorktown, no. Yorktown's DG cable turned sharply upward to the forecastle level just forward of the hangar-catapult openings, and stayed at that level until just short of the bow. Enterprise's curved up gently somewhat closer to the anchors, similar to that on Lexington. The best depiction I have seen of Lexington's is the MS-12 photo in Steve Wiper's previous Lexington class book. As for Sara, I am having trouble seeing a DG cable in the bow-on (or any other) photo. Can anyone point me to a better photo for Sara?

[MartinJQuinn]

My copy arrived the other day (thanks Randy Short!). I like the book, but am a little disappointed. When I think of Steve Wiper, I think first and foremost of a model maker and model builder. He reads this board and the SN board (and often posts). Surely he knows the questions modelers had about Lex's final fit. While there is additional information in the form of the plans for Lex's 3/42 refit, I would have liked to have seen a few things clarified. While the centerfold plans say that Lex's flag bridge was to be rebuilt "similar to Saratoga's", here is what I previously posted in the Calling all Lexington Class Fans thread:

Okay, here is what Robert Stern has to say about the bridge configuration for the Lexington. This is from page 53 of his excellent (IMO) book, "The Lexington Class Carriers"...

With Saratoga out of the war for the immeadiate future, Lexington had no opportunity to schedule her own long-overdue reconstruction. The best that she could do was a short visit to the yard at Pearl Harbor in late March 1942, when it was planned to extend her flag bridge structures to resemble Saratoga's (as they looked prior to her 1942 rebuild). Lexington did not like the fact Saratoga's flag bridge walkway was exposed to the weather; Lexington wanted the entire structure enclosed by STS and shatterproof glass. BuShips only comment was that the work was to proceed on a 'not to delay' basis.

That proves nothing, but if the work proceeded as requested, then that's part of reason Trumpeter molded the bridge the way they did.

So the drawing Steve has in his book resolves nothing in this regard. There is a picture on page 63 of Lex on fire - I would have liked to have seen that picture enlarged and lightened - the angle seems to be one that may clarify if the flag bridge was enclosed with STS & shatterproof glass.

Additionally, I would have liked to have seen Steve make an attempt to decipher the route of the degaussing cable near the bow. Again, there are photos that look like they may hold clues, if only they had been cropped and enlarged.

In regards to Jerry's comment that "Trumpeter got it wrong", I think we all know the warts with that kit. However, looking at the plans Steve provided, outside of the flag plot, the seemed to have gotten a lot RIGHT.

Overall, I like the book, and am always glad to have more info on one of my favorite ships in my possession, but as I said, I'm slightly disappointed. But, that's just my opinion.

[Dick J]

I finally got my copy. There is a lot of info there, but as Martin says, it doesn't answer all of the questions. Some of the previous "knowledge" will have to be corrected, but it will take time to sort it all out. I had previously expressed the possibility that the "mystery radar" could be an FC set, but couldn't prove it either way. (The other likely candidate was an early SG, but the size and shape didn't quite match.) The AA fit on the former boat deck appears different from the "conventional wisdom" and I will have to rethink that one, too. All in all, we now have more to work with!