Has anyone built Italeri’s 1/720 USS Roosevelt? I bought it a while back and I just opened it and saw the scale to the planes and the main tower is not right. It is I heard a 1/700 scale which is 3% smaller then 1/720 which is what it is supposed to be. Does anyone know if I can return it to the company and get my money back? The planes and the deck were horribly made, F-18’s rear wings are straight up instead of diagnal, also too small, main deck radar tower and main tower is too small. It seems like the only thing put to scale was the hull. It really makes me mad when companys like this mess things up.
I won this kit in a raffle and thought I’d done well till I opened ithe box. I’ll never build it. Confirms my low opinion of Italeri.
i’m trying to give it away but no takers! Word must be out.
MJH
I built the Italeri Ranger about 10 yrs ago. The planes were the same as you described. Also, much of the flightdeck detail was out of scale. I also looked at building their Midway but later decided I didn’t want to deal with “toy” scale anymore.
I haven’t seen this particular kit; I have no reason to disagree with any of the above negative comments on it. I would, however, disagree with any blanket dismissal of Italeri ship kits. The two I’ve built, the Graf Spee and H.M.S. Hood, are among the best 1/700-1/720 kits I’ve encountered. Sounds like different people were responsible for the modern carriers.
I agree, I too have built the Graf Spee and it is a very good kit and would highly recommend it. Even the Ranger wasn’t bad, the fit was excellent, it was just some details were just so large it would make the ship look like a bathtub toy.
Scott
why not rebuild the ship & planes to what it should look like in real life
I am currently building this kit, but as the George Washington CVN 73.
I’m using Fujimi and Sky Wave a/c and Gold Medal Models PE set.
With a little scratch building, with sheet and rod, to add antenna domes and some work around the island it is coming together well.
The PE set corrects the radar mast problem whether you build it as the TR or any Nimitz-class ship. I opened the elevator and the other areas along the sponsons. With PE railings in place and a good weathered flight deck, this kit builds up just fine.
There are plenty of photos of the carriers at www.news.navy.mil to make research easy.
Maybe it is just me, but the smaller kit scales are more of a challenge, and it isn’t how many I build, but how well I can build the one I’m building.
And as for smaller scales, try a Google search on Donald McNarry. His stuff is built in very small scales. No toys in the bunch.
Mike
The difference in size between 1/720 and 1/700 is 2.8%. 1/720 is smaller than 1/700.