Tackling the Enterprise, CVN-65

mfsob wrote:

I went with the Revell Germany 1/720 kit because of price considerations, but man! After studying some photos, it is apparent that there are a lot of new bumps, protrusions, platforms, etc. on the 2006 BigE, some of which I am going to have to try to replicate with styrene stock and the GMM photoetch set. Any glaringly obvious construction or minor updating problems anyone has run in to?

The 1:720 Enterprise is the old beehive island.  Bert Kinsey in his Detail & Scale book on the subject described the kit as the best/most accurate version out there for that configuration.

See the build review on SMML.   Bert Legaspi rebuild the island to the post-refit configuration

http://smmlonline.com/articles/enterprisecvn65/enterprisecvn65.html

Your personal accuracy goal will drive your decision as to what additions you will need to do to make the 2006 appearance.  See current photo resources such as the Navy Newsstand (www.navy.mil) and/or navsource.org

Grand Old Lady?!!  Around here she is known as the Mobile Chernobyl !!

Hi mfsob,

I am currently building the LHA Nassau and the Revell Enterprise 1/720 is the next on the row. As mentioned above, the Detail&Scale book is a must. There are some areas that could be improved. The air wing is poor and no chopper is included in the kit. I will use some Skywave/Pitroad sets to make it better. These big carriers have a lot of deck tractor and cranes, but (again) they are missing in the Revell kit. The Skywave aircraft sets mentioned above come with four tractors, but I managed to get more, including the big cranes, from the Italeri CVN kits in the same scale. The LHA Nassau provided some additional ones. Skywave sets to upgrade modern USN/Nato ships are also a great source of things to improve the Revell kit and the cherry on top would be the Gold Medal Models photoetched set for the USN CVNs. Good luck!!!!

Best regards,

Paulo Roberto

Thanks for the tip on the Skywave set for the deck vehicles - that was something I was puzzling over. I already knew the air wing was mostly wrong for the current time frame and ordered a Fujimi set from squadron.com. Do you have an item number for the Skywave set? I'd rather not buy another carrier model just to get the bits for this one.

Hi mfsob,

Here they are:
SWS12 - USN Carrier Modern Aircraft - grey plastic.
SWS12S- same as above but with extra decals - aircraft in transparent plastic.
SWS13 - Modern Aircraft West Wings - grey plastic.

These are identical sets, the difference being the decals and the transparent plastic for SWS12S. Each one comes with 4 F-14s (2 with extended wings and 2 with closed wings), 4 F-18s, 4 A-4s, 4 A-7s, 2 Vikings, 2 Intruders, 2 Prowlers, 2 Hawkeyes, 4 tractors and not a single chopper!!! Great aircrafts, with many separate details, like wing tanks and ECM pods. They are available at Great Models Webstore and also very often at eBay.

Good luck!!!!

Best regards,

Paulo Roberto

I am thinking about starting the Tamiya 1/350 Enterprise. I have heard of the inaccuracies with this kit but all in all it appears to be a fairly nice kit and looks easy to build. However I would like to build it as it would have appeared in 1995-1996 when the Jolly Rogers were on board. I have already been looking around and found some decals for the airwing from GMM as well as several photoetch sets. What I really need is some good references. Was the "Big E" still missing the Mark29 Sea Sparrow launcher on the starboard rear quarter? How many aircraft would the air wing have consisted of in 1995-1996? Any other advice?

Hi modelbuilder,

Suggest you to get a copy of Bert Kinzey book, Enterprise in Detail & Scale, now published by Kalmbach. It will give you many photos about the ship and its aircraft, with loads of detail. There is also a section dealing with the kits available when this book was published (beginning of the 90s). As mentioned, this kit got a bad review, with too many problems, but seems that everything could be fixed. The main problem that you will find with this book is that it does not cover the period you plan to duplicate (it is an old book). It is a pity, since it covers in detail all air wings assigned to the Enterprise, but until the end of the 80s only. Anyway, I feel that the Internet could give you the information you are looking for. Another helpful thing will be the aircraft sets soon to be released by Trumpeter, for its 1/350 Nimitz. They could help you build up an impressive aircraft deck load.  Good luck!!!!

Best regards,

Paulo Roberto

paulors4 wrote:

Suggest you to get a copy of Bert Kinzey book, Enterprise in Detail & Scale, now published by Kalmbach. SNIP As mentioned, this kit got a bad review, with too many problems, but seems that everything could be fixed.  SNIP Paulo Roberto

I disagree with your assessment of Bert Kinzey's opinion of the 1:720 Revell Enterprise.   To quote from my copy of Detail & Scale  The USS Enterprise ...

QUOTE >>>

Revell 1/720^th Scale USS Enterprise Kit Number H-489

This is arguably the most accurate kit of ENTERPRISE available in any scale.  Although it can only be built in the carrier’s original configuration with the beehive ECM installation and the billboard radar panels on the superstructure, it is a very accurate representation of the ENTERPRISE in that form.  It has been released several times, the most recently [as of 1993] with box art associating it with the movie the Hunt for Red October in which ENTERPRISE appeared.  But in all releases the plastic in the box has not changed.

 

The kit can be built full hull or waterline model.  Unlike other kits of ships that have this option but have hulls which must be cut apart, the hull of this kit comes in waterline form, and if it is to be built as a full hull model the bottom of the hull must be glued to the sides.  Four braces are fitted to the two sides of the hull to provide strength.  Care must be exercised when assembling the hull because the parts are warped to an extent.  We purchese three kits over a period of time and all three had this problem with warping.  But it is not insurmountable and the parts can be twisted together until the fit properly.  This was the only assembly problem we had.  [emphasis is mine] All other parts fit together nicely and required little or no sanding. 

 

<SNIP>

 

But this is an excellent kit, and built out of the box or as a conversion it will be an accurate and attractive addition to any model collection.

<<<END QUOTE

 

 

My reading of the review is that Bert feels that this an excellent kit.   The kit received a great review  and the only problems that he had with it are warping.  These problems he says can be addressed with careful assembly.    Bert does wish that Revell would update the kit to her modern post-refit appearance, but his review describes the efforts which can be performed by the modeler to do the deed himself.  They are easily accomplished with a well stocked spares box and/or a donor carrier kit.

 

I apologize for any typos or misspellings I may have introduced in transcribing Berts review.

 

 

 

Hi EdGrune,

I fully agree with you concerning the Revell 1/720 Enterprise and I plan to build this kit soon. My advice to modelbuilder was related to the Tamiya 1/350 kit he is planning to build and not to the Revell 1/720 one. Hope the subject is clear now.

Best regards,

Paulo Roberto

Just received the Fujimi 1/700 modern US Navy aircraft set, kit No. 36, and it's pretty nice. Molded in clear polystyrene (something else new to deal with), the kit has 12 F/A-18C Hornets, 8 F-14 Tomcats (all with folded wings), 4 SH-60 Seahawks (all with folded rotors, weird) and two tractors. The molding appears crisp and little goodies like drop tanks, wheels and folded wingtips for the F-18s are included, along with an extensive decal sheet. Looks like scratchbuilding those two hanger decks I'm currently sweating over is going to pay off!

And on another note ... starting to worry about the details on my "updated" 2006 Big E - as best I can tell, she currently has three CIWS mounts, one portside forward of the catapult, one starboard at the island, and one portside aft at the stern; and only two (?) Sea Sparrow mounts, one portside aft and one starboardside forward, on a new sponson that was added at the last overhaul. Am I missing anything?

Hi mfsob,

Glad to see information about this Fujimi set and it seems to be a very nice one. One point that deserves additional mention is the F-18 folded wings. Skywave/Pitroad sets have this option for the F-14s only, meaning that a lot of  plastic surgery will be required in all those small A-7s, A-6s, E-2s, etc. Folded wings are a must, since it is hard to see an aircraft on the flight deck with extended ones. Concerning the clear plastic, I am looking forward to make some experiments, but seems that this option will make cockpits look better. Got some B-25, USN and IJNAF sets in clear plastic too, from Tamiya, and seems that we will see more of these transparent sets in the future. Regret, but I lack information about the actual Enterprise. I am sure that someone here will come with the required information.

Best regards,

Paulo Roberto