I got inspired by the Arii 1/800 USS Midway thread a few weeks ago to super detail a carrier in this scale. Granted, there are no PE sets so I will have to do a lot of scratch building. That will be enough of a challenge.
However, I have a question about those apparent hull openings on the hull sides. I am not asking about the hangar deck openings to the elevators but rather the much smaller openings from bow to stern. I have always seen them as black or dark gray painted ovals, rectangles and squares in this small scale, which looks very flat to me. I am tempted to start drilling and carving, but I first want to make sure that they are in fact openings. I have yet to find a clear photo.
The Midway is a museum ship in San Diego. Although she has undergone numerous renovations, perhaps someone there can shed some light on the “windows” you wondering about.
Windows? Reminds me of one of Quint’s lines from Jaws:
“Left, port! Right, stahb’rd! Ya git it wrong, I’ll throw your a$$ out the little round winder on the side!”
I believe Mike is right, they’re vents. On older kits, they’re often molded with way-out-of-scale grating (eg, Hasegawa Essexes)
At what stage in her career does your model depict the Midway? I’ve been getting nostalgic to track down the old Revell kit depicting her in her early days.
Thanks for the information! Baron, the Midway model I referenced is the Arii 1/800 scale kit depicting her in the late 1970’s/early 1980’s. The builder used the GMM PE for 1/720 modern carriers. Although the PE was slightly overscale, the built model looked good. The model I am attempting to super detail is the USS Eisenhower and I needed clarification on those hull details. I will not use 1/720 scale PE; I am attempting to scratchbuild the pieces I need.