Anyone know if there’s a Modernized (SCB-125A) Essex class carrier in 1/350 scale on the horizon (Oriskany, Intrepid, Tico, Bonnie Dick)?
I’ve heard talk of one, but I can’t remember from who or when.
I just read over at modelwarships.com that Panda is talking about a angle deck Lexington in 1/350 scale. However, it’s status will depend on how it sells in 1/700 first.
This has been an interesting hunt for myself. A friend asked me to build the U.S.S. Intrepid, as she looked in the early 60’s. I’ve been hunting & hunting for a carrier of that time, & can’t seem to find one. Could anyone suggest a similiar ship I could get, with that kind of flight deck & hull???[B)]
What scale are you looking for? If 1/350 I think Trumpeter is the only one producing Essex class carriers. It doesn’t sound like any conversion kits are available at this time or at least that’s what I was told over at modelwarships.com by some pretty helpful guys.
There might be something in 1/700 scale but your probably best to ask over at that site for specifics.
Thanx for that heads up. I guess Panda’s the only game in town. No telling when we can look for it, since their site hasnt been updated in 2 years…it’s not mentioned there.
If you’re in a hurry and sufficiently desperate, you might try finding one of the old Revell kits.
Revell originally issued its Essex in 1958. The scale was 1/538. (My source for all this is the bible on the subject, Thomas Graham’s Remembering Revell Model Kits.) For its day it was an outstanding product. This was the beginning of a second generation of ship kits for Revell - a large step forward from the primitive kits that came out in the early fifties.
It depicted the ship in her then-current state, with the hurricane bow and angled deck. Features included a sliding and folding deck-edge elevator, antennas made of wire (you got a length of it, pre-notched so it would snap off at the proper lengths), a couple of tow tractors, a “Tilly” crane (not, alas, named after me or any of my relations), and an air wing including Skyhawks, Crusaders, Cougars, and a pair of helicopters (with separate rotors, no less). The decal sheet, with its elaborate, colorful deck markings, was a little beyond my capacity (I think I was nine years old when I tackled it the first time), but I got a big bang out of building it. I remember swapping the planes from it with those that came with my Revell Forrestal, which had been issued a year earlier.
The kit does have its down sides. The details are no longer state of the art, and I believe there are some problems with the shape of the hull. (There’s a Detail in Scale book about the Lexington that reviews this kit in some detail.) The prominent housing for the escalator that runs from the hangar deck to the flight deck, for instance, is supposed to be flush with the outside of the island - and isn’t. Depending on what your friend intends to do with it, and how high his standards are (most people who look at finished plastic models don’t see the stuff we do), it might be acceptable for your purposes. I believe Gold Medal Models makes a set of photo-etched parts for it; that would help a great deal.
Revell re-issued the kit many times. Mr. Graham lists reincarnations under the names Bonhomme Richard, Lexington, Oriskany (oops, Revell - she never got the angled deck), Wasp, and Hornet (complete with Sea Kings and a just-recovered Apollo 11 space capsule - about 1/8" long). Several of those names appeared more than once. I can’t claim to have seen them all, but I have the impression that nothing changed except the aircraft complement. (One of the Lexington reissues, for instance, showed her - sort of - in her training carrier configuration, and included some trainer aircraft.)
Renwall also did an angled-deck Essex as part of its 1/500 series. My recollection of that one is extremely vague, but I think it was a bit simpler and cruder than the Revell version. I suspect it’s a real collector’s item these days. Renwall also issued a small series of 1/1200 warships; there was an Essex that group as well. There also used to be two kits from Lindberg. I don’t remember the scales, but one was about a foot long and the other was considerably smaller.
Those are the plastic versions I can remember. I know there have been several excellent resin ones, but they’re pretty pricey.
Beautiful, important ships. A friend and I were musing over this subject the other night. We agreed that these are among the very few warships that looked at least as handsome - and maybe more so - after they got modified than they did originally.
I remember those Revell kits well JTilley, they were pretty good for their time. I got the BHR re-box for my birthday 1 year, that sliding/folding starboard elevator was pretty cool.
I do have the Jim Shirley resin kit of Oriskany, beautiful model with hangar deck. I was going to do Lexington from that kit, but JSP folded like overnight it seems. Trying to find 1 now is almost impossible and if you do, be prepared to take out a 2nd on the mortgage to get it. What other resin kits of her were out there? That’s the only 1 I know of in any scale.
Any scale would do. But I’ve bought the 1/720 Intrepid reissue from Revell. So I’ve been searching that scale, but 1/350 would be nice. I’d like to get something that really stands out for this guy. If you know what I mean.
Until Dragon/Panda decides to re-institiute their post SCB125 project. Our only other relief is by taking a Trumpeter hull and scratchbuilding the rest of the ship.
Be advised that no two ships of this class were identical. The Oriskany was sometimes called the “Oriskany” class because she lacked almost all of the features that the Essex class ships had during WW2. Also, the Oriskany and Intrepid have bowlines that are much different than the Lexington. IMO, the only way to build a accurate model of a certian class is to break out the sheet styrene and resin and start kitbashing.
I feel that with the prices that the old Revell kits are fetching, which although are great nostalgia kits, cannot come close to being accurate to the ship that are portraying, plus all the inquiries, plus that fact that each ship had a difference in appearance to details, the post war Essex class carriers could provide a wealth of opportunities for both the main plastic manufacturer and the aftermarket PE / resin makers. If I was Panda, I would make two basic hulls, one for both the short hull and long hull conversions, and let the modelers purchase all the aftermarket goodies to fit out what ship they want to build.
I just ordered a Trumpeter “Franklin” in to see how much of this kit can be used in either a SCB27 or SCB125 conversion. I have been wanting to work in 1/350 scale for a while now and thought it might be a fun project. I have been converting the old Hasagawa 1/700 kits for a few years and need a break from the small stuff.
Scott
I’m currently working on an Essex class carrier that I am converting into CV-31 Bonnehomme Richard. Unfortunately, I’ve had to put the brakes on the project because I’m about to move…[:(]
I got reference from SteelNavy website and any pictures I could find on the web. She wasn’t the most famous of those carriers so there’s little to go on.