Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2007 4:15 pm
Thank you, EJ!
Improving the Gallery Deck bulkheads:
The real ship's Gallery Deck was a busy place with lots of interesting fittings, openings, devices, etc. all begging to be added to your kit. One significant method of access to the
Gallery Deck was through many openings in the bulkhead just below the flight deck. These openings were conspicuous on the real ships and by including them in your model the kit's appearance can be improved.
To do so on my model, I studied photographs of several ships of the class, many provided by Tracy White, of USS Lexington and USS Franklin (ships whose structural appearance was nearly identical to Yorktown), in order to locate the openings and determine their size.
In the photos below, the flight deck is not yet fixed to the hull and a light coat of deck blue has been sprayed on the flight deck to help identify any seam problems that need fixing. Also note that Yorktown had the two flight deck cutouts for the port Bofors (nearest the 5-inch guns) filled in during her August-October, 1944 refit.
IMHO, Trumpter did a great job on the flight deck planking and tie-down strip detail for their 1/350 scale Essex class kits.
There are many techniques you can use to add Gallery Deck bulkhead openings to your model. The technique I chose to replicate the openings shown in the photos above was to create new openings using thin, 0.010" (0.25mm) thick styrene strips overlaying the kit parts.
According to photos and AOTS drawings, the gallery deck bulkhead height should be about 0.24" (6.0mm). Instead of using one strip 0.24" wide, build up to 0.24" by using three Evergreen .010" x .080" (0.25mm x 2.0mm) strips laid side by side. The square openings should be .080" x .080" (2.0mm x 2.0mm). By leaving 0.080" wide gaps in the center strip, you will create the square openings. Step-by-step:
1. Mark the location and type of opening (rectangular, square, oval, etc.) on the kit parts. If you are using a PE set with perforated gallery deck catwalks, be sure to check bulkhead opening locations against the PE catwalk parts to ensure your openings are in logical locations with respect to the catwalks. This is especially important starboard side aft. The catwalk above the starboard aft crane area is positioned on the bulkhead higher than other catwalks. A bit of care here will save you from having finding out an inclined ladder to that raised area lays across an opening.
2. Grind out a cavity for the openings in the kit parts using a Dremel tool (or equivalent) slightly larger than the opening. You can achieve a more realistically thin edge for the openings if you grind out a cavity in the kit parts before applying the styrene strip.
3. Lay down the first (top) strip even with the top edge of the flight deck.
4. Lay the second (middle) strip onto the bulkhead leaving gaps 0.080 wide for the square openings over the cavities you ground out in the earlier step. Using a 0.080" wide scrap styrene piece as a spacer will help you make perfectly uniform gaps.
5. Lay down the last (bottom) strip.
6. After the glue has set, sand smooth.
7. Add the 20mm Oerlikon platforms and other details of your choosing.
Improving the Gallery Deck bulkheads:
The real ship's Gallery Deck was a busy place with lots of interesting fittings, openings, devices, etc. all begging to be added to your kit. One significant method of access to the
Gallery Deck was through many openings in the bulkhead just below the flight deck. These openings were conspicuous on the real ships and by including them in your model the kit's appearance can be improved.
To do so on my model, I studied photographs of several ships of the class, many provided by Tracy White, of USS Lexington and USS Franklin (ships whose structural appearance was nearly identical to Yorktown), in order to locate the openings and determine their size.
In the photos below, the flight deck is not yet fixed to the hull and a light coat of deck blue has been sprayed on the flight deck to help identify any seam problems that need fixing. Also note that Yorktown had the two flight deck cutouts for the port Bofors (nearest the 5-inch guns) filled in during her August-October, 1944 refit.
IMHO, Trumpter did a great job on the flight deck planking and tie-down strip detail for their 1/350 scale Essex class kits.
There are many techniques you can use to add Gallery Deck bulkhead openings to your model. The technique I chose to replicate the openings shown in the photos above was to create new openings using thin, 0.010" (0.25mm) thick styrene strips overlaying the kit parts.
According to photos and AOTS drawings, the gallery deck bulkhead height should be about 0.24" (6.0mm). Instead of using one strip 0.24" wide, build up to 0.24" by using three Evergreen .010" x .080" (0.25mm x 2.0mm) strips laid side by side. The square openings should be .080" x .080" (2.0mm x 2.0mm). By leaving 0.080" wide gaps in the center strip, you will create the square openings. Step-by-step:
1. Mark the location and type of opening (rectangular, square, oval, etc.) on the kit parts. If you are using a PE set with perforated gallery deck catwalks, be sure to check bulkhead opening locations against the PE catwalk parts to ensure your openings are in logical locations with respect to the catwalks. This is especially important starboard side aft. The catwalk above the starboard aft crane area is positioned on the bulkhead higher than other catwalks. A bit of care here will save you from having finding out an inclined ladder to that raised area lays across an opening.
2. Grind out a cavity for the openings in the kit parts using a Dremel tool (or equivalent) slightly larger than the opening. You can achieve a more realistically thin edge for the openings if you grind out a cavity in the kit parts before applying the styrene strip.
3. Lay down the first (top) strip even with the top edge of the flight deck.
4. Lay the second (middle) strip onto the bulkhead leaving gaps 0.080 wide for the square openings over the cavities you ground out in the earlier step. Using a 0.080" wide scrap styrene piece as a spacer will help you make perfectly uniform gaps.
5. Lay down the last (bottom) strip.
6. After the glue has set, sand smooth.
7. Add the 20mm Oerlikon platforms and other details of your choosing.
.
