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?
trumpeter ones are exactly the same as those included by merit :
if you look closely, you will see that merit ones are full clear plastic using same molds as trumpeter 3 plastic types of grey/black/clear. i suppose trumpeter had 3 molds (one for each fret color), and merit simply use now only one plastic type with same 3 mold frets (clear) clipped together.
thats good enough because you can have exactly the same planes as those provided in kit (and have clear canopies for all the collection).
they did exactly the same for recently released modern CVs.
dragon does planes (f6;tbf;sbd) one type per package, and also hasegawa (fm2/f4;sbd;tbf) but those are in the same package.
so if you need some tbd... : go for trumpeter.
Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead! - David Glasgow Farragut
Attention all Big E lovers. Commander Edward Stafford's classic book, The Big E, has been re-released in a large size fully illustrated edition. I have read it many times, and have numerous paperbacks plus the hard back Classics of Naval Literature edition from the Naval Institute Press, so when I saw this new edition, I figured they just put a few photos in it. Then I took a closer look. It is a BIG 9 x 12 book weighing 4+ pounds. It has almost 600 pages and a photo or illustration appears on nearly every other page. Mine came last night. I stayed up late because I couldn't put it down. Naval Institute Press published it. Same original classic text, but lots of photos, some I have seen, true, but equally, lots of photos I have never seen before. You don't want to miss this one guys. https://www.amazon.com/Big-Story-USS-En ... 1KKQMPTWJ2
Last edited by Michael Vorrasi on Sat Jul 16, 2016 7:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Received my copy today. This is long overdo- the Big E deserved this treatment. I'd have loved a set of prints, but that's picking a nit. Absolutely must-have volume.
In his Bibliographical Notes Stafford mentioned that he made use of "three huge volumes of photographs covering the ship's whole active life, collectively entitled "War Album USS Enterprise." I've tried to find some other reference to this work, or someone familiar with it, at various times over roughly 40 years with no luck. Hopefully the illustrations in this edition are drawn from it.
Greg Jacobson wrote:In his Bibliographical Notes Stafford mentioned that he made use of "three huge volumes of photographs covering the ship's whole active life, collectively entitled "War Album USS Enterprise." I've tried to find some other reference to this work, or someone familiar with it, at various times over roughly 40 years with no luck. Hopefully the illustrations in this edition are drawn from it.
Try contacting the USS ENTERPRISE CV-6 Association and see if you can find out who has access to the Bill Barr photo collection. E-mail Elvis and Grace Hay Neie at egneie@aol.com
The new edition was produced after Cdr. Stafford passed away. The three volume War Album he had access to may be the official photo record held by the Navy or NARA. These collections were often used to make cruise books for the crew. However, the editors who put together the photos for this new edition relied heavily on the William T. Barr collection as Rich mentioned, along with many NARA and NHHC credits. All photos are credited, but the 80-G or similar numbers are not listed.
Mike and Rich, thank you both for the info provided. I'll see what I can find out about the Barr collection. I wonder if the Big E's War Album still exists, or perhaps was shoved away in some forgotten archive or warehouse.
Jeff Sharp wrote:Hi Mike,
Can you tell me if this book talks at all about Experiment K in the summer of 1941?
Thx
Hi Jeff,
Negative. It is more of a biography of the ship and men combined. In fact, it pretty much opens the story in November 1941. It is an action packed history of ship and crew, not really much of a technical study.
Last edited by Michael Vorrasi on Wed Jul 27, 2016 7:31 pm, edited 2 times in total.
While I had the book in hand, I figured I would quote my favorite passage:
"In a few seconds both squadrons were spaced out in their dives. It was like a textbook illustration, far better than any practice attack they had ever made. In a dive bomber's dream of perfection, the clean blue Dauntlesses -with their perforated dive flaps open at the trailing edges of their wings and their big bombs tucked close and pointing home, the pilots straining forward, rudder-feet and stick-hands light and delicate, getting it just right as the yellow decks came up, left hands that would reach down and forward to release now resting on the cockpit edge, gunners lying on their backs behind the cocked twin barrels searching for the fighters that did not come - carved a moment out of eternity for man to remember forever."
Just thought I'd pass this along. I just received the CV-6 Association newsletter. It will be the last one, as the Association has moved to disestablish itself. Rather sad, but there are very few veterans left. Don't know what will happen with the CV6.org website; I hope Joel Shepherd will keep it going.
I'm new to page and I'm finding it interesting reading the comments in regards to CV-6.
I have a few questions about research and building.
1) what are the differences in the book The Big E: The Story of the USS Enterprise by Edward Peary Stafford. I've found three different versions of it and to be honest it"s confusing me. After reading the forums I'm after the illustrated copy, due to budget I'm happy with a paperback version.
2) Is it possible to build a Midway Enterprise from one kit instead of getting two kits to make one as stated.
Tamiya products
77514 USS Enterprise CV-6 (1 or 2 kits needed)
77510 USS Hornet CV-8
After some force time away from models, I want to get back into it with a build of Enterprise in her Midway Fit, from Revel's Battle of Midway Carrier kit. To that end I have gathered some after market, Gold Medal Models Yorktown, Hornet and Enterprise set, resin 5" 38 Cal open guns, TBD-1 Devastators and F4F Wildcats form Starfighter Decals. I will have to use the kits SB2U Vindicator representations as SBDs duet to budget constraints.
I need some suggestions on how to come up with landing gear for the F4Fs since they do not come with any PE or any gear molded in. I purchased the 1/450 fixed wing aircraft details set from White Ensign Models hoping I could adapt something, but I'm not sure that may work. I am open to any and all suggestions.
DavidP wrote:i'll be using his guns for my 3 Revell 1/480 scale Yorktown class carriers as I already have some of his other guns both 1/426 & 1/600 for other model ships.
DavidP wrote:i'll be using his guns for my 3 Revell 1/480 scale Yorktown class carriers as I already have some of his other guns both 1/426 & 1/600 for other model ships.
I like them. Just be very careful removing them from the little wafer them come on.
Martin
"Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learned something from yesterday." John Wayne
