The Ship Model Forum

Hi Tracy,

Actually, its not an extra Pri-Fly. It is Secondary Flight Control (Sec-Fly), and while CV-6 had hers enclosed some time around 1940, the other two sisters had Sec-Fly stations in the same location (note the wider catwalk). It is just that it was an open position on the three sisters as originally built. Only CV-6 got hers enclosed.

In case anyone was wondering, CV-5 and CV-6 were built side by side from the same set of plans and as completed, were virtually identical, to the point that their skippers had trouble telling them apart. (Hence the big Y on the stack to identify Yorktown.) Not just typical class member sisters, which always have small differences, but true identical twin sister ships.

Gradually, small modifications like CV-6's Sec-Fly enclosure, and CV-5's big bridge walk around (with aerodynamic wind deflector built in) began to distinguish them, but from a modeling point of view, CV-5 and CV-6 at Midway were just a matter of specific AA positions and the two features mentioned, along with radar and antenna and minor equipment rig differences. They were a lot closer than most think, even then. CV-8 had many improvements on the original plan, but again, the basic structures were still remarkably close or identical. I'd say the Essexes exhibit far more ship to ship differences than the Yorktowns, even accounting for CV-8 and CV-6's post 10/43 major refit.

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Mike

OK, my Merit CV-6 kit just arrived. I did a very quick scan of the parts. The plating is unchanged from the CV-5 kit. The rest looks very good indeed. The armament looks accurate except for one single missing 20mm gun tub on the port midships battery. There should be a group of six and then two amidships in the port catwalk directly opposite the island. We got five and two instead. The bow tub is the correctly extended clover leaf tub for the 1.1" quad. The crane notch on the aft starboard corner of the island has been added, it was missed on the CV-5 kit. So far, so good. A pile of sandpaper and a bit of sheet plastic to make one missing 20mm tub is all she seems to need so far. I'll study it more later.

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Mike

I read a post over on SN that indicated problems with the hangar deck bulkheads. According to this post, the fit is off and once you do get them fitted the flight deck does not want to fit properly on the hangar deck bulkheads.

I asked the guy that placed the post if he was aware of any fixes for these problems. If he responds, I'll pass it on.

Bob

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Give me a fast ship, for I would like to get out of harm's way!

OK so to answer my own question that started the "Great Hull Hand-Wringing Debate" on the Main Forum Pre-order Merit Enterprise Thread...which was whether you would use the CV-5 kit or the new CV-6 kit to build a Battle of Midway Enterprise; the answer is most definitely: THE NEW ENTERPRISE KIT.

I finally got my Merit Enterprise from Free Time and did a complete inventory (AFTER I did a moment of hand-wringing after inspecting the hull...sorry couldn't resist) ;

There are only a couple Enterprise specific sprues that change from the Yorktown release and those have all of the Santa Cruz revisions, and the new island w/ crane cut-out. One of the PE sheets have changed for CV-6, it looks like the degaussing cables went from plastic to brass (OK so you may argue only ONE sprue changed...LOL).

All of the parts to build an early or Midway Enterprise are still in the kit and only minor rework would be necessary (removing the 40mm gun tub from the AFT STBD catwalks would be a piece of cake).

I'm really excited because now I still have a use for those TBDs!!!!

Won't worry about pictures because there are some great builds underway on this forum.

Thanks!!!

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-Rob <><

Can any one help me out On the Merit kit? The forward part of the island where the bridge is, are parts S18 and A11. S18 shows the windows to be square. A11 shows round portholes and the shape is more squared. All of the pictures I have seen show all of the windows in this are to be round and the A11 part to be rounded. I have a Blue Water Navy CV6 that shows this area with round ports and rounded Bridge area as well. Can anyone guide me to the correct shape?

The BWN kit represents CV-6 after her October 1943 rebuild. Her entire pilot house was rebuilt to a new style. The Merit kit represents the original pilot house. Merit's kit is correct for the time frame modeled, 1942.

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Mike

Just got my Merit CV6. I've heard there are problems with the hull, but I'm not really sure what it means in practice. A post above suggested (unless I've got it wrong - always a possibility) that a half hull ship sheds the problem with a razor saw. Is that correct? I've always seen this as a half-hull on an emulated water base. Really looking forward to cutting a $170 model in half but it is necessary.

Advice welcome.

Eric

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A model boat is much cheaper than a real one and will not sink with you in it.

There is no problem with the hull shape. It is the exaggerated plating that needs to be sanded off.

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Mike

Can anyone help me? I have the Merit and blue water navy kits of Enterprise CV6. Both are reported to represent her in 1942 around the battle of Santa Cruz. The problem is the area of the forward island of the bridge flag bridge and above as well as the pri-fly deck. Can any one lead me to accurate photos of this area.

I have a problem I hope can answered here. I am preparing to paint my early war Enterprise and cannot find the height(thickness) of the boot topping. The scale drawings measure 2.0 feet, but I have seen a picture of a prewar paint where the boot topping is 7.0 feet according to the markings on the bow. One seems to large and the other to small. Any help will be appreciated.

It is definitely not just 2 feet. Based on photos of Hornet in drydock, I would estimate bow boot topping at around 4 feet. It is shorter than the bluejackets standing on scaffolds next to it. Now the stern actual width may increase as the hull curves under to the bottom. It would be the same width if viewed horizontally, but actually wider due to the hull curvature as it tucks under. That is not to say that seven feet is not possible or even probable for some repaints. Given the difference in draft between light loads and deep draft full load, seven would actually be closer to the actual change in draft. Were it me, I'd go with seven.

This looks to be around 4 feet, but some marine growth may be obscuring some of the bottom of the boot:


However, her light load commissioning photos look to be closer to the seven foot figure. I have blown up a shot in her commissioning series to see the draft marks and there is a clear six feet of boot topping above water in this photo:

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Mike

Thank you Mike, that helps a lot. The drydock photo shows a definite color change below the boot.

Greetings
Does anyone have an update to the Merit/Trumpeter 1/200 Enterprise? Is it still in the works and too be released anytime soon?
Also is there a way to make an updated Enterprise CV-6 to represent her after the 1943 update? Are there conversion sets out there?

I have both the Yorktown and Enterprise from Merit. I intend to build the Enterprise at Midway. I was poking around to see what would need to be done to backdate the 20mm galleries to June.

I believe this is posted earlier in the thread.

I looked at the painting guide included in each box. You can essentially see that the major changse in the kit for Santa Cruz are the 20mm portside gallery opposite the island and the additional 20mm mounts at the aft end of the flight deck. Yorktown didn't have that port gallery, so I intended to simply grab that part from the Yorktown box.

Low and behold, it's already in the Enterprise kit. It's on the G sprue (I believe, I'm not in front of my kit right now). The replacement part for Santa Cruz Enterprise is on the T sprue. The G part is a direct fit replacement. Easy peasy. If people need part numbers I can dig them up.

The 20mm tub for the bow is also in Santa Cruz E kit. Direct swap.

The only surgery is incredibly minor- a quick modification of the aft end of the flight deck for the additional 50 cal mounts Enterprise carried. There are plenty of places these can be stolen from across the unused Yorktown parts.

In summary, essentially everything needed for a Midway Enterprise is in the CV-6 box. No scratch building required.

Correctamundo! One thing to remember. CV-6 had her flag bridge walk around removed when the 40mm's were installed. Have to check the kit, but CV-6 at Midway would need the full walk around. CV-5's was cut away on the port and forward sides to allow for the big raised up one that was hung in front of the armored battle bridge. (A key recognition feature for 1940 on.)

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Mike

So this may be a dumb question, but I figured this would be the place to ask. I acquired a Tamiya 1/700 USS Yorktown and was curious what would need to be done to build her as Enterprise in 1941? Thanks

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-Abram

Does anyone know how the addition of the 20mm tubs in early '42 would have affected the layout of CV-6's outrigger set up? I know from the CV-5 thread that there were two taken out in Yorktown and Hornet's set up was different to her two sisters.

Also, concerning outriggers; were the securing wires attached to the catwalk or the flight deck edge?

Many thanks...

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USS WASP CV-7 VIDEO SERIES

Episode 05: Builder's Trials
Guided Tour1: Hangar Deck

ESSEX CLASS TIMELINE
USS Ticonderoga CV-14 Operational History
USS Shangri La, 1945 in Color

This would help:
http://www.shapeways.com/product/D6XRWS ... d=59576760

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G'day all

I have received my Merit USS Enterprise kit and have a couple of things (and that does not include the hull plating issue) on which I would appreciate help/advice.

As I understand it the armament at the time CV6 is modelled was:

8 x 5"/3.8 cal
4 x quad 40mm Bofors
1 x 1.1"/75 cal
44 x 20mm Oerlikons

Thanks to Mike Voirasi for identifying the missing 20mm tub on the port side. I just wish I had checked this whole thread earlier before spending ages trying to find the 44th gun position.

Where should the extra tub be added in the battery? At the bow end or closer to the 2 gun battery?

Step 5 in the instructions has you attaching splinter shields (?) to 23 of the 20mm only.

Should that be 43 (given that they have left off the 44th 20mm)?

Also in the same step you build 4 of parts P17, P18 and P19. Initially I thought these were poorly designed Bofors but these are built in Step 18. Or does this represent the quad 1.1", in which case you only need to build 1? If not the 1.1" does anyone have an idea what these are meant to represent? (One good thing about Tamiya instructions, they usually named a lot of the guns/structures/equipment you were building)

I am considering having a couple of the hanger/bay doors open in the build and populating the hanger with planes and figures:

a) What colour would the walls and floor of the hanger be painted
b) What other 'equipment' would be in the hanger eg fuel lines?
c) How would the doors be opened; sliding back along the internal wall?

Where would I find a schematic/plan or photos showing the ships rigging?

In an earlier post I think Mike V suggested the ship's boats hull be painted the same camouflage colour as the ship. Would the inside of the boat be painted the same or white or some other colour instead? ( Another plus for Tamiya instructions, they give painting tips on small/eventually covered pieces as you construct them)

I am not going going to build the Enterprise's full Air Wing but want to add more planes than supplied in the kit. I know Trumpeter has extra plane kits but are there other/better alternates around?

Thanks in advance for any/all responses

Rod

A: after Coral Sea and the way the Lex went out they started stripping paint out of the hangars to reduce flammability. As a result it is hard to say because there is some ambiguity around that. From the few photos I have found, non were colorized or the right time period for the class. I chose Vallejo off white for my Hornet.

For C the were roller doors that went up.

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Gabriel