Calling all USS Lexington CV-2 fans

Thomas E. Johnson · Post by **Thomas E. Johnson** » Sat Jun 30, 2007 10:06 pm

I always thought a bare mahogany flight deck looked sharp! I can't wait to see it after you have all the yellow winged planes on it!

Ron Smith · Post by **Ron Smith** » Sun Jul 01, 2007 10:27 am

Dick J wrote:
MartinJQuinn wrote: What I meant to say was I think there is something on the roof of the spotting top...maybe that's what you are referring to?
Hi Martin,

The "blurry object" on the former 8" control station (spotting top) is what Michael Vorrasi and I have been trying to ID for some time. With the newly discovered antenna on Yorktown's stack (see Yorktown thread), we are wondering if the mysterious Lex object could be something similar. In the book "The Lexington Goes Down", by A. A. Hoeling, he talks about the "new secret radar room two levels above the bridge" which they had not yet gotten to work. It is interresting that they kept the forward control position, but removed the after one when the guns were unshipped.

Another question I would like answered is about the MK-19 directors. Friedman indicates that the RF and control position were combined, leaving the "former" RF positions free for .50 cal mg's. I would disagree. The combined MK-19 units can be seen on the Pensacola and Northampton classes (as a fairly large "box") and on the Pearl Harbor battleline. Lex never carried the combined units, even if they were planned. If you look at the RF positions, the supposed "gun barrel" is never in any position other than straight vertical. The RF had a vertical periscope attached (see pg 99 of the Stern book), and I believe that is what can be seen, even in the "burning and sinking" photos. (And enough locations for the correct number of .50's can be found elsewhere.) I would like to see a better photo showing what the non-RF component of the system looked like. Also, few people notice that on both Lex and Sara, the center section of the foretop, where those directors were located, was extended forward, probably during 1941.

The 1942 drawings show a Mk.19Mod.2 out in the field of the drawing but the note says Mk.16Mod.2, there is no Mk.16Mod.2 but there is a Lex & Sara specific set of controls for a Mk.19Mod.2. I can hazard a guess as to what's there via email.

Elvis965 · Post by **Elvis965** » Sun Jul 01, 2007 9:49 pm

I always thought a bare mahogany flight deck looked sharp! I can't wait to see it after you have all the yellow winged planes on it!

Thomas: Sorry, no yellow winged planes. USN Blue gray on top and light gray underneath. She's ca. October, 1941. The yellow wings were gone!

And the flight deck is actually wrong. It should be blue with light gray stripes. But I already had it painted when I found that out, and I didn't have the nerve to try and strip it. But I think it looks cool, too.

Thanks for the kind words, guys!

It won't be done by 7/4, but hopefully by sunday. I'm on vacation this week!

Bob

Thomas E. Johnson · Post by **Thomas E. Johnson** » Mon Jul 02, 2007 4:29 am

Elvis965 wrote:
I always thought a bare mahogany flight deck looked sharp! I can't wait to see it after you have all the yellow winged planes on it!
Thomas: Sorry, no yellow winged planes. USN Blue gray on top and light gray underneath. She's ca. October, 1941. The yellow wings were gone!

And the flight deck is actually wrong. It should be blue with light gray stripes. But I already had it painted when I found that out, and I didn't have the nerve to try and strip it. But I think it looks cool, too.

Thanks for the kind words, guys!

It won't be done by 7/4, but hopefully by sunday. I'm on vacation this week!

Bob

Now I'll have nightmares!

Ship Model Gallery · Post by **MartinJQuinn** » Mon Jul 02, 2007 11:06 am

Ron Smith wrote:The 1942 drawings show a Mk.19Mod.2 out in the field of the drawing but the note says Mk.16Mod.2, there is no Mk.16Mod.2 but there is a Lex & Sara specific set of controls for a Mk.19Mod.2. I can hazard a guess as to what's there via email.

The Mk19 was the director for the 1.1 inch guns?

Dick J · Post by **Dick J** » Tue Jul 03, 2007 1:52 am

MartinJQuinn wrote:The Mk19 was the director for the 1.1 inch guns?

The MK-19 was for the 5" guns. The combined set is the one on the Pensacola's and Northampton's mounted above the bridge and on the after tripod (some had it just aft of the second stack) before it was replaced by the MK-33's. Lex had 4 sets of the "uncombined" version. The central positions on the fore-top and the forward ones aft of the stack were the main "director" parts of the system. The rangefinders were in the wing positions on the fore-top and the after positons aft of the stack. I don't think Lex had any directors for her 1.1's, the things provided in the kit not withstanding.

Jeremy Dominique · Post by **Jeremy Dominique** » Tue Aug 07, 2007 6:44 pm

Anyone know what planes the Lex carried in 38? I'm back dating mine to 1938 and I'm getting ready to order the planes. I'm having a lot of trouble finding any information on the air group. The warship pictorial book has the air group for 1937 and then jumps to 1939. Mike Sills posted a few pages back that she carried TBDs, SBUs, SB2Us, and F2Fs, anyone know if this information is correct of how many of each was carried? Any help would be appreciated.

Heres a couple of progress pics of what I got done so far. It has a planked deck, It still needs a couple more coats of stain to darken it up a little.

Jeremy

Ship Model Gallery · Post by **MartinJQuinn** » Wed Aug 08, 2007 9:15 am

Jeremy,

That is really nice - well done! If you go back to Page 11 of this thread, Mike Sills posted some information on Lex's airgroup through the years. Here is what he put for 1938:

Mike Sills wrote:1938
Mar-Apr Deployed to Hawaii with Battle Fleet for FLEET PROBLEM XIX.
VT-2 (Douglas TBD-1)
VS-2 (Vought SBU-1)
VB-2 (Vought SB2U-1)
VF-2 (Grumman F2F-1)

IIRC, Trumpeter makes all these planes.

HTH

TennReb · Post by **TennReb** » Wed Aug 08, 2007 11:11 am

.......................

youngb · Post by **youngb** » Thu Aug 09, 2007 4:32 pm

CAn the Trumpy 1/700 Saratoga be made into a pre-war (mid-1930's) Lex?

i presume it can, but not sure of the major differences between the two ships during the mid 1930's.

Can anyone help?

Dick J · Post by **Dick J** » Thu Aug 09, 2007 10:00 pm

youngb wrote:Can the Trumpy 1/700 Saratoga be made into a pre-war (mid-1930's) Lex?

It depends on what you mean by "mid-thirty's". The Lex added 28 .50cal mg's in 1935 - 12 on the funnel gallery and 16 equally divided between the 4 corner sponsons. The forward flightdeck was widened in 1936. Prior to 1935, Lex had at least two distinguishing features, both on the funnel. First, the catwalk on the inboard side was not present on Lex. (The catwalk at the level of the lower aft platform.) Second, the searchlights on the outboard side were one level higher on Lex. (Prior to receiving the .50 cal mg gallery.)

There were other differences, like Sara having her flagbridge enlarged (not shown on the kit), and the wind baffles on the bridge-face. But those are the majors.

Elvis965 · Post by **Elvis965** » Mon Aug 13, 2007 5:18 pm

Martin, you're not going to believe this but...

Here are some pics of a FINISHED Lex!

Minus the airwing, of course...I'm working on that now.

These aren't the greatest pics, mostly because I'm not the greatest photographer. Once I get the planes finished and on deck, I'll ask the GF to take some pics and I'll send them to Sean for the gallery.

She's a much better photographer than I....

Bob

Ship Model Gallery · Post by **MartinJQuinn** » Mon Aug 13, 2007 9:15 pm

Elvis965 wrote:Martin, you're not going to believe this but...

Here are some pics of a FINISHED Lex!

Minus the airwing, of course...I'm working on that now.

Be still my heart, Elvis has left the building!! Great work Bob, I really like her! Can't wait to see more pics!

Funny, I was just wondering how this was coming along. And I'm glad I'm not the only one with an incomplete air wing!!

Elvis965 · Post by **Elvis965** » Tue Aug 14, 2007 5:25 pm

Elvis has left the building!!

You've been dying to say that, haven't you Martin?????

You're just happy I'll quit bugging you in this thread and start bugging Tracy in the Arizona thread!!!!

Have you built any planes yet? I've got 4 SBD's together (not painted though), and they look awful big on the flight deck.....

Only 10 more SBD's to go!

And 13 TBD's.....and 10 F2A's....

Bob

Dick J · Post by **Dick J** » Tue Aug 14, 2007 7:09 pm

Congrats, Bob! Looking good! At least YOU have been able to beat the AMS monster into the corner for a bit. What's next? Sara?

Elvis965 · Post by **Elvis965** » Wed Aug 15, 2007 8:06 am

Thanks, Dick!

Nope, Arizona is next. I have a 1/350 MHM version that I'm going to use WEM's 5"/51 to open the casemates, and I'm going to take a crack at planking the deck as well...

Bob

johndon · Post by **johndon** » Wed Aug 15, 2007 8:15 am

That's a great looking Lex Bob

John

Guido · Post by **Guido** » Wed Aug 15, 2007 8:31 am

Super!

I am really not a carrier guy at all, but this is one clean build. Even the hazy photos can't hide that!
Bravo Zulu!
Guido

Elvis965 · Post by **Elvis965** » Wed Aug 15, 2007 7:36 pm

Thanks John and Guido!

I promise no hazy photos when she gets to the gallery, because I won't be taking them!

Bob

Post by **ModelMonkey** » Wed Aug 15, 2007 8:29 pm

Superb!