Vietnam Era Essex Carrier

USS Hancock served off the coast of Vietnam in the sixties.  My brother Ron served on her at that time I believe it was in 1964-65 on a six month deployment.  Hasegawa make the Hancock in 1/700 scale and still for sale on the internet.

Dear Mr. McBean ;

 It would please me greatly if we could meet at my home and go over the picture and photo thing again . Only this time it will be just me and thee . Oh ! and the Birds and Dogs .

 If you have allergies to any of the above , other arrangements can be made . I definitely need to be able to write the stuff down while you show and explain it to me . I may even have to create new passwords etc .  ( I forget a lot at 75 if I don't write it down .)

 Help ! G.J.Geracci - Doc - T.B.

Souda99

I'm looking to build a few of the Essex class carriers that served off the coast of Vietnam, wondering if anyone knows of a 1/700 scale kit that is either still in production or if not were I can find a kit that is close to the time frame and if my research is correct if there is a SCB-125 conversion kit available for a 1/700 Essex.

Thank You 

 

Doc,

Glad to help.  No allergies that I know of.  How about August 4th you pick the time.

Marcus

Hello!

 Yes that'll be fine .Where would you be coming from .? San Antonio I guess . Take I-35 to the Exit for 46 ,Turn right and proceed through three lights . You'll start down a hill with blinking yellow lights at the intersection . That is Saengerhalle Drive . Turn left there . Go to Wendover Farms entrance , turn left . Go to the stop sign and turn right . Look for the two KIA Souls in the drive .That's home for me . The White one is my Landlady's car . Mine's the mean looking black one .LOL.LOL.

 How about say noon or one O'Clock ? Call me at 830 214 3123 for confirmation . Thank You---- Doc 

Ok Doc I will call you later, Noon sounds good to me.  I hope your photos are in one location.  You remember your Flickr account name and password?

Marcus

EdGrune

 

 

Souda99

I'm looking to build a few of the Essex class carriers that served off the coast of Vietnam, wondering if anyone knows of a 1/700 scale kit that is either still in production or if not were I can find a kit that is close to the time frame and if my research is correct if there is a SCB-125 conversion kit available for a 1/700 Essex.

Thank You 

 

 

 

 

The Hasegawa Hancock which refernce is made is in WWII configuration.  Hasegawa released their Essex kit several times under various names.  It is also rated as only fair in the Modeler Joe review of ship kits.   But, according to the review, Bert Kinsey's detail in scale title does offer suggestions on updating it to SCB-125 configuration.

 

The other usual suspects in the 1:700 scale injected ship market have not made a SCB-125 version.  There have been complaints abouts its absence.

 

Ships & Company out of Italy did make a resin SCB-125 Essex class in 1:700  http://www.steelnavy.com/S&CTiconderoga.htm

 

It is out of production.   

 

The old Lindberg ShangriLa is 1:900-ish scale.

 

Another bet may be the Revell box-scale Essex SCB-125 kits (Essex, Hornet +3, Wasp, etc.).  They are something like 1:532 scale.  These kits are too rated as fair in the Modeler Joe list.  Aircraft & decals are available from Starfighter decals.

 

A better bet may be the Renwal 1:500 scale SCB-125 Essex.   Modeler Joe lists it as GOOD, and best represents the ShangriLa,  Bonny ***, and Lexington.

 

Modeler Joe list is at 

 

http://www.modelerjoe.net/shipmodellist.html

 

 

 

In a previous thread Rex explained it well

http://cs.finescale.com/fsm/modeling_subjects/f/7/t/138031.aspx

There's a Lindberg in there somewhere too.

Oops, double post. 

Pat

Hi,

Something to keep in mind about the Renwal kit is that it isn't really very accurate below the waterline.

Overall the kit is molded neither as a full hull model nor a waterline model, but rather something in between.  In general in the kit the hull extends down to about the height of the propeller shafts, and then curve in to a flat bottom, as shown below.

However, if you look at drawings of the actual ship, or full hull model kits of the non-angled deck versions of the ship (as shown in the image from Navsource.org below), you will see that the hull extends a bit further down below the prop shafts, and isn't as flat on the bottom as shown in the kit.

As such, if you build the Renwal kit straight out of the box, it will not give an accurate profile for a full hull build.  But, due to the way the model hull "curves" in at the bottom, it also does not give an accurate representation of what the ship would look like if it were floating at that "relatively shallow" waterline either.

As such, if you were to build this model and wanted it to look reasonably accurate, the best approach might be to cut the hull at a location near its actual operational waterline, and display it as a normal "waterline" build instead.

Pat