Dragon 1/700 USS Lexington CV16 Build Log -"COMPLETED"

The unboxing and planning stage. I did not purchase a PE set since I have aquired quite a collection of WW2 Essex PE parts when I built the Oriskany that I never used, so hopefully I have everything. 

Taking inventory and started to plan the build process.  I will start marking up the instructions as to how I plan to build the assemblies in conjuction with painting.  

And as of today, doing trims and pre-fits and deciding how to go about the sub-assembly of the hull and when to paint.

Having not built a carrier since I was a boy, I look forward to following this and thank you for including us.

Its going to be a slow start and build.  I got some other commitments this month that are keeping me from working on the Lexington.  I did get a little done last night.

Thats very cool. It wasn't so long ago that a pre-SCB125 Essex was just not available, at least not more than 25 years ago.

The 1/700 Hasagawa Essex was about it for anything scale. Revell and Lindberg versions of WW2 Essex carriers were great to slap together on a Saturday afternoon when you couldn't go outside and play.

The Dragon kit is a really well engineered and molded kit.  

This is my Hasegawa ESSEX from a few years ago. I served on ESSEX in the early 60's. The kit is kinda a generic Essex class, so to make it CV-9,

Scratchbuilt hangar deck, reworked stern gun and director tubs, Lighted the hangar deck, cut out many of the roller curtain doors (thats how I remember them most of the time), and a few other details.

The picks of it with the HB lights on don't show up well in a lighted room, nor do they do so well with the room lights off. Oh well.

EJ

ejhammer

This is my Hasegawa ESSEX from a few years ago. I served on ESSEX in the early 60's. The kit is kinda a generic Essex class, so to make it CV-9,

Scratchbuilt hangar deck, reworked stern gun and director tubs, Lighted the hangar deck, cut out many of the roller curtain doors (thats how I remember them most of the time), and a few other details...

That looks beautiful, EJ!  Though, that doesn't look like standard blackout discipline

I have the same project on my bench, too.  Well, it's moved really more to the Shelf of Doom.  I've got the hangar deck roughed in, and I have frozen at the step of redoing the stern.  I'm finishing her as the Essex, recovering aircraft on her very first deployment.  The kit aircraft will go in the hangar, and Trumpeter replacements on the flight deck.

You're off to a good start, Scott.  That kit looks sweet!  It looks like it's engineered to let you show some good hangar detail as well as external detail.

scottrc

I have this strange addiction to 1/700 aircraft carriers.  Over the past year and a half, I have built three of them and now am about to embark on my fourth...

I know what you mean.  I am working towards building our first nine carriers in 1/700.  When Aoshima brought out its Wasp kit a couple of years ago, it fulfilled a wish of many years.  Now if someone would bring out the Ranger in 1/700 injection-molded plastic, I'd be all set.

the Baron

That looks beautiful, EJ!  Though, that doesn't look like standard blackout discipline

I have the same project on my bench, too.  Well, it's moved really more to the Shelf of Doom.  I've got the hangar deck roughed in, and I have frozen at the step of redoing the stern.  I'm finishing her as the Essex, recovering aircraft on her very first deployment.  The kit aircraft will go in the hangar, and Trumpeter replacements on the flight deck.

 

I don't want to hijack this thread - PM me your e-mail address if you wish and I'll dig up some photos of the stern conversion and a few other bits I did.

EJ

scottrc

"...My father served on the Lexington from 1955 thru 1957, so I have built it a number of times from the old Revell and Renwall kits, and back in 1991, scratchbuilt it in 1/700, but I never built the Lex in its WW2 configuration. I decided to try my hand at doing a build log, please bear with me, I work full time and have many other hobbies, so I may not be posting for days, but here we go..........

 

  I am Subscribed to this build and you're added to my Favorites!

I've got Dragon's Lexington and I am overjoyed that I'll have a WIP to WATCH!

 Thanks.

      Nino

P.S. I like Dragons armament sprues for the Essex class kits. PE and Resin are always an option but the L sprue has pretty good 5 inch twin mounts. 

ejhammer

I don't want to hijack this thread - PM me your e-mail address if you wish and I'll dig up some photos of the stern conversion and a few other bits I did.

EJ

Quite right.  Thanks, EJ, PM inbound...

Wow EJ,

You done wonders to that old kit.  It really like it.

Thanks guys for the input. For the moment I will be taking a short break from the Lex build to concentrate on the Warspite I am working on for the British Ships GB.  I want to get it done before November 11th and the 100th aniversary of WW1.

Scott

I thought I'd show that the Dragon kit has a complete hanger deck.  I have a number of PE sets I have collected from other projects to detail this kit with.

scottrc

Wow EJ,

You done wonders to that old kit.  It really like it.

Scott

 

Thanks. It was a fun build. Being an old USS ESSEX CVS-9 crewman, serving on "The Oldest and The Boldest", I love those ships. I've done the Hasegawa, Dragon and Trumpeter ESSEX in 1/700, and the Trumpy in 1/350. Working on a vintage Revell 1/540 angle deck ESSEX with major changes and improvements to it. That was MY ship, and I want to do that one RIGHT. Did a Trumpy Yorktown in 1/700 also.

Keep up the good work. I'll be following with intrest. Those ships of the ESSEX class were great looking in my opinion, not to mention the historical significance. 

EJ

Well, I'm back to working on my Lex.  I had been missing working on a 1/700 ship.  Not much progress yet.  Putting in all the roll up doors and other details in the hanger.

I also am still trying to decide if I want to make it a full hull or waterline.  I can't make up my mind.

Scott

Looking to be a great project, Scott.  Good job!

Will be watching with interest, I built this Kit about 10 Years ago and have another 4 of the Dragon Essex Kits in post war guises. Very nice work so far.....Cheers mark

Hi Check, glad to have you aboard.  I have this build assigned to both your 1943 and 1944 GBs.  Not much changed on the Lex other then some armament and the change from the SBD to the SB2C.

You too Surf.  I am glad you are familiar with this kit. This is the second Dragon 1/700 carrier I am doing and I think these kits are fantastic.

I hope to fire up the airbrush tonight and start painting the hangar bay and doing base coats on the flightdeck.

I did get all those roll up doors installed.

Cheers,

Scott

This weekends update:

Hanger deck painting is underway. Painted base coat white to go under the 5N on the vertical surfaces. I find it gives a faded hue to the 5N.  Also base coated the flightdeck with Mahogany. I debated on using a wood flight deck, but the Dragon deck is molded very well and I would enjoy the build more not having to prep and deal with the wood deck.

Building up 20mm guns. Eleven down, forty more to go!

I have been dying to give an update.  I had been working on the MK37 Fire Control Radar PE from Toms and its been quite a workout for my eyes.  But everthing has stopped as of last night when my town got hit with a series of thunderstorms that dumped 5" of rain in an hour.  My workshop is in the basement, I lost power, my generator blew a fuel line gasket, and well, you get the picture.

I had to move all my equipement and supplies upstairs, in the dark, and within minutes.  Everything got moved, generator got repaired, and my sump pumps within the hour had the 4" of accumlated water pumped out of my basement.

So hopefully, in a few days, I will have my workbench back in order. I was really getting into making 1/700 radars out of PE.

Scott

Looking Good! Yes, I had to buy two frets of the CVE PE because I lost an SC radar. 

Try as I might, I couldn't scratch up one that looked like anything other than what it was, a section of railing. And it is in a prominent location.

Fun stuff!

Looks sharp, Scott.  Sorry to hear about the weather issues.  Seems lots of rain has been quite an issue this spring in different parts of the country.  Locally here, we've had a couple of county roads collapse.

I'm following this thread eagerly, as I will be starting a 1:700 Sara as the next thing on my bench.  Love both Lex and Sara!  Never built a 1:700 carrier before.  I have the Eduards PE package ( for some reason I cannot seem to place an order with Tom's). 

I think that Paypal works for Tom's.

GMorrison

I think that Paypal works for Tom's.

 

I don't have a paypal account.  Tom's site seemed to say I could still pay with a credit card, but it did not seem to work.

DutchLQ7

 

Sorry to hear about the rough time you had. Hope everything turns out well.

 I’m pretty new to posting on here but I just started with this build today also. Going to be a OOB Build. While working 2 weeks ago I met a radio operator that served aboard the Lex from her commissioning in 1943 until he was discharged from active duty in 1946. He’s 93 years old and I thought it would make a nice gift and be a small token of appreciation for the man. I look forward to keeping track of your work and gleaning some wisdom from your posts. 

 

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That is neat that you know someone who was a crew member on the Lex during WW2.  My dad was a plank owner on her second commissioning after the modernization.  I hope to see some of your build here.

Scott

Don Stauffer

 

 

GMorrison

I think that Paypal works for Tom's.

 

 

 

 

I don't have a paypal account.  Tom's site seemed to say I could still pay with a credit card, but it did not seem to work.

 

 

Hi Don,

I have set up a Paypal account with just my credit card, that way when a merchant only uses Paypal, I just click the Paypal; pay with Credit Card option.

I hope to see your Lex and Sara builds.

Scott