Trumpeter 1/350 USS Hornet CV-8 Doolittle Raid

Waterline or full hull. The hull has some serious errors in its lines that are easy to discover with a good set of drawings. I scratchbuilt everything from the hangar deck down.

Bill

GMorrison

Waterline or full hull. The hull has some serious errors in its lines that are easy to discover with a good set of drawings. I scratchbuilt everything from the hangar deck down.

 

Bill

 

Yes the hull from frame K to forward is way off. At the waterline around deck 3 the hull is a lot closer to the drawings. Still wider and mis-shaped but not as serious as below waterline. The fantail is not correctly shaped as well. I have the shipyard drawing for the Yorktown class carriers.

Suggestion... Go easy on any weathering.  She had been in commission for just 6 months, and barely off the shakedown, working up, and any subsequent repairs.

goldhammer

Go easy on any weathering.

Amen.  She was just out of dockside at Pearl.  And had a couple hundred guys available every day to maintain paint & repairs.

Some salt, some grime on the hull.  Probably more scuffs on the hanger deck than the flight deck, since the deck was "foul" with bombers for half the trip.

For that matter, the hanger desk ought be crammed full with as much of the Air Wing as would fit, to protect the ship on the trip back.

Wow what a project!  I'll be following along.  My friends grandfather - Griffith Williams - was the co-pilot with crew 15 on TNT #40-2267.

After a test launch of a pair of B25's in February, she left Norfolk for Alameda and loaded the strike planes.  Met up with Enterprise group off Midway and headed for Japan.  A week later they made Pearl.

Knowing how long MC took on his Akagi build, you have your work more than cut out on that time frame.

Will be watching, as I have the Enterprise kit on the shelf.

There's two SBD-3s back in the mix, starboard side. 

And five F4F-4s up at the bow.

Both photos coutesy NavSource.

Bill

this is going to be a build I will follow with keen interest .

Great project.  Have popcorn, ready for the show.

GMorrison

There's two SBD-3s back in the mix, starboard side. 

And five F4F-4s up at the bow.

Both photos coutesy NavSource.

 

Bill

 

There are many cofigurations. The B-25's were staged so they could run the engines every other day. The reason in some photos you see other aircraft on deck is because they were moving things around during the 17 day trek. Then on the morning of the 18th all the B-25's were squeezed on the aft with their tails hanging over the deck edge to give them the most runway for take-off. In the Doolittle Raid book I reference in my original post has numerous photos of the flight deck and there are about 6 different set-ups on the flight deck. One photo has two B-25's on the bow. I have not decided on my arrangement yet. Thinking about doing it the day before the raid when they were tying medals onto the bomb fins or in launch arrangement where they are all bunched up aft.

Wolfman_63

I have not decided on my arrangement yet. Thinking about doing it the day before the raid when they were tying medals onto the bomb fins or in launch arrangement where they are all bunched up aft.

Always good to consider options.  There is something to be said about modeling the F4F on the bow configuration, especially for the visual interst having the dropped elevator conveys.

(Other than modeling the railing around the elevator, which would be fiddly.)

CapnMac82

Other than modeling the railing around the elevator, which would be fiddly.

Yes the elevator has PE railing if it is in the lowered position.

As for the other aircraft, The hangar bay will be loaded with all the aircraft that was aboard for the mission. The hangar will also be illuminated to see all the details.

David,

Having had quite a bit of experience with LED and F.O. lighting, I have a few tips or suggestions.  In picture 3, you show the girder structure for the flight deck, which has little "lights" hanging under them.  I assume you will be cutting these all off and will attempt to hang your own lights (nice job by the way) at those locations.  In order to get 160 fiber optic lines back to the LEDs, you will most likely have to run them along the "ceiling" of the flight deck.  To facilitate this and keep things neat, consider running the fiber through hollow brass tubing which could simulate ventilation ducts, water pipes, etc. up between the grids of the girders.  This way you can run everything to the voids along the sides and into the hull, where you can easily hide the LEDs and any other wiring.  This also offers the advantage of being able to completely construct the flight deck "ceiling" including the lights without having the actual flight deck in place.

PM me if you want me to explain further or send you a sketch of what I am trying to describe.  You can also use Styrene tubing, but it typically has thicker walls, and may have light leaks or "glow" unless you paint the tubing black (preferably inside and out).  Brass tubing has thin walls but is light resistent (except at the joints).  You can even step down to smaller and smaller diameters as you get farther away from the center.

Bob

Thank you for the idea. I may need to do that and the front and back. So far it looks like I can run the lines to mid-ship and then over to the section where the island is and then down to the hull. Similar to how I did my USS Carl Vinson model.

The Vinson build is what I used and referenced when I authored/wrote the  Flagship Models "How to light ship models" CD

I had no idea I was talking to the Jedi Master of ship lighting.  Carry on.

Respectfully,

Padawan Apprentice

Looking great.

I used the Gator mask set for the camouflage and the results were good. I'm not sure if they are still in business though.

Bill

Wolfman_63

I took a 0.5mm fiber optic strand and used a lighter to melt the end slightly to make it the propeller hub cap. The propeller hub then blades were slid on and painted.

Bill

Wolfman_63

I then took the other 17 aircraft and created an assembly line. I am building them up until the point of adding the photo-etch. As soon and all 17 are at this point I will add the photo-etch details and then paint them. After they are built up I will use the individual aircraft decals that are part of the Starfighter Decals Hornet set.

It's passing staggering to me that a/c are multi-part micro-kits at 1/350 now-a-days.

I'm not sure a 10x optivisor would be enough for my old eyes; let alone having tools smaller than the a/c parts . . .

Outstanding stuff!

I bought extra b-25s to round out the squadron, but no way was I going to put on actual tail numbers. The decals are all sadly out of register.

Bill

CapnMac82

 

 

Wolfman_63

I then took the other 17 aircraft and created an assembly line. I am building them up until the point of adding the photo-etch. As soon and all 17 are at this point I will add the photo-etch details and then paint them. After they are built up I will use the individual aircraft decals that are part of the Starfighter Decals Hornet set.

 

 

It's passing staggering to me that a/c are multi-part micro-kits at 1/350 now-a-days.

I'm not sure a 10x optivisor would be enough for my old eyes; let alone having tools smaller than the a/c parts . . .

Outstanding stuff!

 

Can't wait to see these built up. Maybe the hangar deck cat got used on this cruise?

Bill

Wolfman, I am very interested in your build. One reason is because I am starting a very similar project; though not the same level of detail! I will not light up the hanger deck, so the deck and air craft will not be as detailed (can't see most of it), and the flight deck will be kit plastic. I am impressed with your hanger walls where you cut out adjacent doors without destroying the frame between them. Would you please share with me how you did that. I have been considering scraping through with a #11 blade, sawing, cutting it out with the doors and replacing it from scrap, or maybe there is a better idea.

Shipwreck

Wolfman, I am very interested in your build. One reason is because I am starting a very similar project; though not the same level of detail! I will not light up the hanger deck, so the deck and air craft will not be as detailed (can't see most of it), and the flight deck will be kit plastic. I am impressed with your hanger walls where you cut out adjacent doors without destroying the frame between them. Would you please share with me how you did that. I have been considering scraping through with a #11 blade, sawing, cutting it out with the doors and replacing it from scrap, or maybe there is a better idea.

Incredible work Wolfman63!  I'm late to this build but you can bet that I'll be closely watching your progress on it for now on!  Your attention to the fine details is truly inspiring and when you're done you are going to have a museum quality build.  Can't wait to see your next posting.

TJS