I was able to borrow a couple of photos of the Enterprise during her initial sea trials in 1961.
I thought it would make an interesting challenge to attempt to render Revell’s 1/720th beehive Enterprise to match. I used Gold Medal PE, Model Master Acryl paints and a mix and match of decals.
The ship on original trials.
The model.
It was a fun project. The weathering was mostly drybrushing and some washes. The antennas are used sections of guitar string.
The model shows its age, but still goes together well and with a little effort to overcome those shortcomings can work pretty well.
Looks really nice, good job on her.[tup] One question though, in the actual pics the dash line in the center of the landing lane, the line is yellow and white, but in your build the dash line is red and white, why?
Nicely done! I have to admit, I’ve never seen Enterprise from that angle. In fact, the last time I saw Enterprise, she was doing warp 8…and I mean CVN-65, in a starboard turn, with her port side elevators kicking spray!, and the sounds of all kinds of things sliding across her hangar deck. Viewed, and heard, from the 01 level of a Fram II Sumner class DD, it was one of those things “difficult to forget”.
She did manage to change her CPA from port side frame 70, to 100 yards abeam to port. Never did find out how much that turn cost!
I don’t know why, but for a time, the US Navy finished CV flight decks with a light tan to yellow no-skid. The landing area was dark, the rest of the deck was light. I’ve seen photos of the Ranger and the America with decks in such a configuration.
The reason for the different colors in the photo and therefore the model, aren’t clear. I imagine some of the deck was getting fresh no-skid prior to trials. Other parts were still covered with the lasting effects of yard grime; from testing, office trailers, etc., being on the deck.
As to the non yellow deck stripes, that comes from using some Italeri decals. Their “yellows” are too orange. I wasn’t keen on painting the stripes, so I used some spares I had. The deck colors are a guess. The original '61 photos were color slides heavily shifted magenta from age. I did some digital color correction and then did a “best guess.”
Yeah, looking back at the pics, I can see where they started painting across an elevator and stopped…nice work…are you going to add the water to the base???
Maybe its just me, but I’m not fond of the various modeled water techniques used on display models. While many folks do them quite well, and if your model tends to be more of an action diorama, I believe water works. I’ve seen others though, that really didn’t add much to the model itself and in fact may have distracted the viewer’s attention from the model. So, in the interest of simplicity, I mount my water line models on the plain black base.
Besides, I don’t think I’d do the water very well.
Absolutely stunning to my eyes, and a very unique subject. I’m with you on the water effects for water-line models. I agree that there are those who do it very well, but just not my personal preference.
A bit of an odd-ball question, since we usually focus on the model itself, but how did you finish the base?
I didn’t finish the base at all. The model is mounted to the base of an Imex 2530 display case.
I’ve used gloss lacquer and semi-gloss lacquer on the black bases, and once painted the base with Future. This one, I just left alone. I just cleaned it with alcohol before the photos.
The black surface can reflect the hull with the right light. Its very useful with carriers, showing some hull detail with all the flight deck overhang. That overhang blocks the hull otherwise.
I’ve used more expensive plexiglas cases. They don’t scratch as easily as the Imex styrene and are more substantial, but more expensive.
I didn’t use to worry about cases, but with photo etch, I believe they are essential.
I strongly agree about the beauty and appropriateness of the black base. My purpose in ship modeling is to show off the ship; too often the modeled sea detracts from that. Either the sea is extremely well done and forces attention away from the ship, or the sea is poorly done and detracts from a well-built model.
Again I used guitar string to represent the refueling hoses. The wound string looks enough like the corrugated hose to work in this scale. The string is, of course, stiff enough to hold a shape.
I added some strip, half round rod, and channel where reference photos showed something needed to be. As I said, the Revell model is a good one. It just needs a little scratch tweaking here and there.
I agree, the ancient Revell kit is a good one with few problems - IF you want to build the Big E as she first appeared, as you did here, and if you don’t want to build the full-hull version. Doing something other than that considerably heightens the necessary scratchbuilding and frustration level (especially the upper and lower hull seam), but it is still possible to produce a fine model even from these very old molds.
After looking again, I have to say I agree…the black base is very complimentary to waterline models…I will have to remember that for my Buchanan…I think black is probably the best color…Wood, IMO, just doesn’t look right for a waterline…
