This weekends update:
Hanger deck painting is underway. Painted base coat white to go under the 5N on the vertical surfaces. I find it gives a faded hue to the 5N. Also base coated the flightdeck with Mahogany. I debated on using a wood flight deck, but the Dragon deck is molded very well and I would enjoy the build more not having to prep and deal with the wood deck.
Building up 20mm guns. Eleven down, forty more to go!
I have been dying to give an update. I had been working on the MK37 Fire Control Radar PE from Toms and its been quite a workout for my eyes. But everthing has stopped as of last night when my town got hit with a series of thunderstorms that dumped 5" of rain in an hour. My workshop is in the basement, I lost power, my generator blew a fuel line gasket, and well, you get the picture.
I had to move all my equipement and supplies upstairs, in the dark, and within minutes. Everything got moved, generator got repaired, and my sump pumps within the hour had the 4" of accumlated water pumped out of my basement.
So hopefully, in a few days, I will have my workbench back in order. I was really getting into making 1/700 radars out of PE.
Scott
Looking Good! Yes, I had to buy two frets of the CVE PE because I lost an SC radar.
Try as I might, I couldn’t scratch up one that looked like anything other than what it was, a section of railing. And it is in a prominent location.
Fun stuff!
Looks sharp, Scott. Sorry to hear about the weather issues. Seems lots of rain has been quite an issue this spring in different parts of the country. Locally here, we’ve had a couple of county roads collapse.
Sorry to hear about the rough time you had. Hope everything turns out well.
I’m pretty new to posting on here but I just started with this build today also. Going to be a OOB Build. While working 2 weeks ago I met a radio operator that served aboard the Lex from her commissioning in 1943 until he was discharged from active duty in 1946. He’s 93 years old and I thought it would make a nice gift and be a small token of appreciation for the man. I look forward to keeping track of your work and gleaning some wisdom from your posts.
I’m following this thread eagerly, as I will be starting a 1:700 Sara as the next thing on my bench. Love both Lex and Sara! Never built a 1:700 carrier before. I have the Eduards PE package ( for some reason I cannot seem to place an order with Tom’s).
I think that Paypal works for Tom’s.
I don’t have a paypal account. Tom’s site seemed to say I could still pay with a credit card, but it did not seem to work.
That is neat that you know someone who was a crew member on the Lex during WW2. My dad was a plank owner on her second commissioning after the modernization. I hope to see some of your build here.
Scott
Hi Don,
I have set up a Paypal account with just my credit card, that way when a merchant only uses Paypal, I just click the Paypal; pay with Credit Card option.
I hope to see your Lex and Sara builds.
Scott
Hi!
Even though it’s from a different Company and smaller scale ,It reminds me of a Lindberg kit I built years and years ago .They had a open hull and hangar like that .You weren’t even given something to close up the hangar deck with .
Luckily I was an inventive kid .I had a box from an Easter shirt My cousin gave me .It was that slick type where the cardboard was wrapped in smooth white Paper . After I succeded in making a pattern I chopped up pieces of sprue and put them in the right spots .Then I glued the deck to that !
Viola! a Hangar Deck deck. Still have that old thing somewhere in another box of hulls . T.B.
Neatstory TB. I built a few of those Lindberg kits as a kid. Remember the “TableTop Navy”?
Lindberg re-released those about a year ago, but not at the $0.99 prices I used to get them at.
Well, I have some updated photos. Got the MK37s to look somewhat presentable. Now onto assembling all the aircraft. I usually paint them a primer because I REALLY HATE these clear parts. Its a real bear to find the tiny hole or slot that the landing gear fits into. Yet if I pre-paint, then the glue and paint reacts and I have a mess. But still, nothing is more satisfying than finishing up a detailed assembly in 1/700.
TB,
I remember when the Table Top Navy was made by, first, Eagle or Eagle Wall, then Pyro. The Eagle line was very expansive; Pyro limited their line to only a few ships.
Unfortunately for me, I do not recall any of the carriers coming with hangar decks or open roller doors. I have them all, even the Lindberg releases. I bought up the entire Eagle collection over the many years I have been on eBay. They might be crude by today’s standards, but they inspired a very young boy to run down to the local drug store every week with his 50 cent allowance and add to his ship collection. They cost anywhere from 38 cents to 50 cents when I was a kid!
Bill
Looking good, Scott. I like the look of the radar!
Thanks Check,
Got all the wheels on those clear SBDs and extra Hellcats from Trumpeter. Anyone have a better way to put these little buggars on? In know some folks like the idea of molding these in clear for the canopy, but really, in 1/700, whose going to notice a clear canopy? Needed the Optivisor and a lot of concentration of not squeezing the tweezer too hard to have the little landing gear go shooting off into space. I have about three planes that are going to be wheelless and probably stored hanging off the roof of the hangar deck, never to be seen.
The folded wings on the Dragon planes went on well. Dragon also had molded both landing gear into one piece that made it a lot easier to install. Dragon molded the tail wheel right into the fuselage where as Trumpeter adds to the insane fun of trying to glue an very oversized, clear, tailwheel onto the area the size of a flea. I thought I had learned my lesson about Trumpter 1/700 aircraft from building the Enterprise and CV2 Lexington, but they do look really good when complete.
Next up is finishing details on the hull, applying PE on the hull and island, and then deciding how I am going to paint the tri-color scheme on the planes. I done it in 1/32, 1/48, 1/72, and even 1/144, but never in 1/700.
Scott
Tell us where to send the flowers. I use a brush. Not great results, but it’s hard unless you are Fermis. I use a black 0.5 ink pen for the canopies.
No flowers, maybe chocolates[:D]
I am wanting to channel my inner Fermis and airbrush the planes. First coat is easy, the last one is what I need to build confidence, and a steady hand for.
Ink pen works good.
Scott
For what it’s worth, US Flight decks were made of douglas fir with the exception of the plank right before each tie-down strips, which was teak. Mahogany was a stain used until 1941 and then discontinued.
Probably decent for a wood tone underneath flight deck stain for weathering, but not accurate for war time or post-war renditions of the Essex class.
Hi Tracy,
Its a base coat. I just applied the layer of blue stain last night. There is a lot of work to do with washes, light sanding, and then some pastels before this will look like a flight deck.
Test fitting.
Next, start applying PE and other details, then more painting.