After more than fifteen years without building any model, I saw the USS Enterprise 1/350 scale in a mall. I thought “I must have one of these”. So ten years ago, I began again to assemble plastic models, many ships and planes. Recently, my Big-E had an unrecoverable accident and again I have the opportunity to build it.
I’ve been searching and found many pictures and information, and manufacturers provide many extras like photoetchs, details in resin and decals. I would like people who are interested in sharing information about the assembly, step-by-step, other images, post in this thread.
The Enterprise is a fun build. I built one while station at MCAS Futema Okinawa during the 80’s and it won best of show at the Annual model contest on Kadena. I used the GMM Enterprise set which does enhance the ship but I had problems with the GMM Airwing decals for the planes, they kept splintering on me, think I had to go through several decal sets due to the problem. It is a big sucker for the dispay shelf but she does look beautiful when completed.
Because she has eight 1950s era reactor plants for one thing, and she has been a thorn in my side since 1972 for another. But since we share so much in common, I have learned to grow a teensy bit ( I mean a teensy bit) fond of her over the last few years and will probably be a little sad when she is decommissioned. But what a can of worms to do maintenance on!
My nephew is an engineer who did refits on the Navy’s reactors for several years. Hated the hours, liked the pay moved on to Westinghouse several years ago. His opinion of the Big “E” is about the same as yours.
Y’know, sometimes when I’m onboard the “Prize”, I find myself thinking that very thing, no kidding. And, she is still the fastest ship in the USN with a few weird exceptions.
There was a really big scale model i got back around 1968 or so, after much groveling. Like an Aurora. it was about 3 feet long. I need to find that info.
Burt Kinzey, in his Detail & Scale series on the Enterprise, called it the best large-scale model of the ship. He judged it better than the Tamiya 1:350 kit and much more so than the Aurora/Monogram/Revell/RevellAG kit in the same scale.
The Detail & Scale book is probably the best single source reference on the available kits. While some of it is dated, there haven’t been any new kits produced – the molds have just changed hands and been released under different labels. His best small scale kit? The Revell 1:720 scale offering.
I’m currently working on the same model for a friend who serverd on her in the 1990s. Just recently started on her. Working on the seam where the bow attaches. Also got the GMM detail set and a couple of Trumpeter’s 1/350 aircraft for the flight deck and my scratch built hanger bay.
Second issue dated 1961 with John Steel box artwork. Aurora pulled out all the stops on this model, and it had a very large tooling cost to match. The result is a nicely detailed model that is well-designed for actual operation in water. As a bonus, the first issue only had the flight deck pre-painted with black background and white lines (as per the box art) and is in excellent shape. The kit is over 33 inches long when assembled and is intended to be motorized. Very easy conversion to RC (remote control). Aurora sold a separate motorizing kit that contained the electric motors and other needed parts. This kit features four (5 bladed) props, stuffing boxes, dual operational rudders, color decals, waterline striping tape, moving elevators, twin Sea Sparrow launchers, deck tugs, plated display stand, detailed island structure with clear windows, large airwing with 40 aircraft including F-4 Phantom, F-8 Crusader, A-4 Skyhawk and two Hup Helicopters and more. The kit has never been started. Internal factory sealed bag or inventoried 100% complete including decals and instructions.
Ahhh, found it. This was a wild kit. The bridge windows were molded in clear green plastic and the little F-4s weren’t so little.
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