Best aircraft carrier

any carrier with F-4 Phantoms would also work. So basically any American carrier

Tamiya's USS Enterprise CVN-65 1/350 would be a decent one although I believe that the year it represents might not have F-4s.

Steve

Squatch88

So my girlfriend broke my only aircraft carrier. Which is depressing because it was probably one of the best models I've done. Good news is, I get to get a new one.

Kit or girl friend?

Seriously, I have never been disappointed with a Tamiya or Trumpeter.

The original post started out by specifying a World War II carrier. All the recommendations so far have been much more modern ships.

For a 1/350 WWII American carrier, your options are the Trumpeter Essex-class ships (Essex, Yorktown [CV-10], Ticonderoga, Hancock, and Franklin), the Trumpeter Hornet (CV-8), the Trumpeter Lexington and Saratoga, the new Merit Enterprise and Yorktown (CV-5), the Hasegawa Gambier Bay (escort carrier), and the Dragon Princeton and Independence (light carriers).

Actually that's quite a selection, almost covering the full range of WWII USN carrier classes. The Trumpeter Hornet gets quite a bit of criticism for the shape of its underwater hull. All the others have gotten generally good to excellent reviews. Disclaimer: I haven't built any of them. Maybe some other Forum members can offer personal experiences.

Freetime Hobbies lists most of them as in stock.

Any of these kits would cost quite a bit of money, and be a big project. But a fun one. Good luck.

You could compromise and get the Gallery Models 1/350 USS Intrepid, an Essex class carrier from WWII but with the later Vietnam era SCB-27a angled deck appearance. Given that the Intrepid was a CVS and never operated F-4 Phantoms, you could model her as the USS Hancock (CVA 19) or USS Oriskany (CVA 34) because the kit comes very close to those ships as well. However, Essex class carriers did not operate Phantoms. You could build the Tamiya USS Enterprise or the Trumpeter USS Nimitz, both of which did operate the F-4 until 1992.  Also, Merit will soon be releasing a 1/350 USS John F. Kennedy (CVA/CV 67) and Trumpeter will release a 1/350 USS Kitty Hawk (CVA/CV 63) later this year.

Bill

Another vote for Trumpeter's Essex class. Avoid the "crazy" and very expensive,(but very VERY good PE sets) from Pontos & FLyhawks, as well as wooden decks.  If you do not have the space, Dragon has many good offerings in the 1:700 scale. you can get basic PE sets from Yankee modelworks or Toms MM (some of these are not made anymore). You can build it without planes, or get a couple boxes of birds, Trumpeter has WWII US Navy aviation sets. if you want to stick to 1:350, but want a more simple (and smaller) build, the Dragon Smartkit of the USS Princeton (Light Carrier) is an excellent kit.

Excellent suggestions. Those Gallery and Merit kits look really great. I would stay away from CV-8. I'm building it. In addition to the serious hull issue, it's fitted out for the Doolittle Raid. That appeals to me because I have several other contemporary USN carriers, but it's an odd duck.

I think a Trumpeter Essex would be dandy.

GMorrison

Excellent suggestions. Those Gallery and Merit kits look really great. I would stay away from CV-8. I'm building it. In addition to the serious hull issue, it's fitted out for the Doolittle Raid. That appeals to me because I have several other contemporary USN carriers, but it's an odd duck.

I think a Trumpeter Essex would be dandy.

If you do decide to go the 1/700 route, stick with Trumpeter and Dragon. The Tamiya Saratoga is also a nice kit. But the Tamiya Yorktown-class ships (the Yorktown, Enterprise, and Hornet) are ancient and, by modern standards, lousy. So are the Hasegawa Essex-class ships, and the Fujimi Lexington and Saratoga.

"Best" is really subjective. For 1/350th, Dragon's CVLs have the best detail, but the instructions are an adventure (full disclosure: I was the lead accuracy consultant on those two kits). Hasegawa's CVE (Gambier Bay) is in between the Dragon and Trumpeter kits. Engineering and instructions are "better" in that things snap in a bit better than the Dragon kits with less testing necessary. However, since both companies released their own PE with the kits, there's less aftermarket available for them as the aftermarket PE manufacturers saw less probable return on the time and effort to design the kits.

Merit's CV-5 is a decent kit. If you like hull plating what they did will please you, but it's overscale and heavy for most. Engineering is decent and instructions are OK. Once again, full disclosure: I provided help on this kit.

Nothing can top the Trumpeter Essex kits for presence due to size. They were the generation after their first carrier (CV-8) , and they learned a bit, but didn't push the envelope. So, there are a few accuracy issues. The hangar wall bulkheads are separate pieces that sit on top of the hangar deck, leading to more filling and sanding than the other kits. Their long-hull kits (Ticonderoga and Hancock) may have issues on the hull as they literally cut off the bow of their earlier kits and included a replacement piece that on mine had about a 16th to 32nd of an inch gap. Others I've checked with didn't have this issue, so  your mileage may vary.

The Trumpeter Lexington and Saratoga are also decent, but suffer from inaccuracies in structure on the island and lower hulls that are more often than not too narrow to fit the upper hull without a lot of bracing. Doing the pre-war Saratoga with a deck full of yellow-winged biplanes looks glorious but might drive you mad.

Poor old Wasp.

The left over numbers from the Treaty.

Hornet by Trumpeter has the land bombers. Well, half of them. So to make her up as anything is fine, but there'll be airplanes to buy.

Frankly, if someone offered me no restriction a WW2 USN Carrier, I would go Gambier Bay.

Wow thanks for all the great info. I've read a bunch of reviews of the Trumpeter Essex CV-9 and I think I am going to go with that one. That being said, just looking at after market kits, and I see a bunch on megahobby.com labeled "TSM" but there is no TSM in their list of manufacture abbreviations. They have them listed as TRP. Are TRP and TSM one in the same?

I don't know, but it could be "Tom's Model Works".

That company, Gold Medal and White Ensign all have sets.

White ensign models: PE 35036

Tom Modelwoeks:  #3530

www.modelwarships.com/.../tmm-3530.htm

Some kit reviews

www.modelwarships.com/.../essex.htm

www.steelnavy.com/trumpeter_essex.htm

A good CONUS  source of TMM & WEM is Free Time Hobbies. But I must add, I recently had a horrible experience with them, which cost me more than 100$. Maybe I rolled snake eyes with them, but I will never purchase anything from that company anymore. Those two sets should be in the $45 - 65 range each.  The sets I see at Megahobby are for the aircraft and WAAAAY too expensive. Squadron & Sprue Brothers do not carry the sets; they dont do too much "ship stuff".

My final recommendation would be Scalehobbyist; they have the TMM 3530 for 44$ and the large WEM set for 69$ . They usually have VERY good regular prices, you will do much better there than at Megahobby. Again, avoid Free Time hobbies if you do not want to deal with their costumer service and owner completely ignoring their contract with UPS and refusing to acknowledge your package was damaged due to their neglect.

www.scalehobbyist.com

www.scalehobbyist.com/.../product.php

(or enter ESSEX 3530 in the search box). Currently in stock.

Now, all we need is a Carrier group build to get all of us to build some flattops...

I agree JMart, but... a GB in ships usually involves filing next-of-kin notices.

OHHHH, a carrier group build. I've got 12 kits waiting in the yards -

1/700 Trumpeter ESSEX CV-9 with PE

1/700 Hasegawa ESSEX CV-9 (this is really a kit of the class and takes quite a bit of rework to get it right.  I've done one of them complete with a scratch built hangar deck and internal lighting. Want to re-do it sometime with a few improvements.

1/700 Dragon ESSEX CV-9 with pe

1/500 Trumpeter Nimitz class (builds one of 5 different ships from the kit)

Box scale Revell FDR CVA-42 (1954 vintage kit)

1/530 Revell Hornet CVS-12 angled deck Apollo 11

1/500 Renwal (1957) Shangri-La CVA-38 angled deck

1/350 Trumpeter CV-2 Lexington (WWII)

1/350 Trumpeter ESSEX CV-9 (WWII) with PE and aircraft

1/700 Hobby Boss Boxer LHD-4

1/350 Gallery Wasp LHD-1 - to be done as ESSEX LHD-2 Have PE and aftermarket vehicles and decals

1/540 Revell ESSEX CVA-9 (1957 vintage kit) To be modified and done as ESSEX CVS-9 1962. Have resin hull modification kit, resin aircraft correct for the period, aftermarket decals and PE sets, resin island correction. This will also be lighted. This is the kit I want done right as she is the ship I served on in the early 60's.

I've done the modified 1/700 Hasegawa ESSEX CV-9 kit lighted and the 1/700 Trumpeter Yorktown CV-10.

Got a bunch of other ship kits as well, including a few wood ships and boats. But if a carrier group build starts, I'll pick one (or two) and prioritize on those. I would really like to do a great lakes carrier, either the Wolverine or Sable. Shure wish there was a kit for one of them OR a 1/350 kit of ESSEX as a CVS with A-4's, Willy Fudd's (E-1B Tracers), Trackers, HSS-1 Sea Bats.

EJ

Asst Treasurer

USS ESSEX CV/CVA/CVS-9/LHD-2 Association

I've got four.

1/500 Shangri La unstarted.

1/400 Illustrious 75% complete.

1/350 Hornet CV-8 25% complete.

1/350 Lexington CV-2 unstarted.

If you are looking for a unique looking CV from WW2, I would suggest you try and find a model of CV-4 USS Ranger.  USS Ranger, along with USS Saratoga (CV-3), and USS Enterprise (CV-6) are the three pre-war carriers to survive the war.

There has been at least one resin Ranger kit, but I'm pretty sure there's never been a plastic one.

I wish somebody would do a nice, state-of-the-art plastic Ranger and Langley. And a Wasp (CV-7). I believe those additions, with the Kitty Hawk and John F. Kennedy kits that are on the way, would complete the roster of American carrier classes.

I think Ranger and Wasp will be resin kits at 1/700 forever. I'm ok with that. But a correct Hornet and an Enterprise would be nice in plastic, at 1/350.

Now getting down to brass tacks, an axial deck Midway at 1/350.

A Forrestal at 1/350 in plastic.

For US WWII carriers there is only one...

Enterprise!

Which does not exist as an injection molded kit in 1/350.

I heartily agree with you gentlemen, a Wasp(CV-7), Langley(CV-1) and Ranger(CV-4) in 1/350 would be welcome additions to the hobby. Having some more of the earlier angled flight deck CVs would be awesome as well.

I wouldn't mind picking up the Dragon 1/350 USS Princeton or Independence, as well as the Hasagawa USS Gambier Bay.

That is on the USN side. If I had the money I would definitely pick up the Hasagawa 1/350 IJN Akagi, Kaga, Hiryu or the Zuikaku.

If we're playing "do tell", then my roster of 1/350 carriers include:

USS Saratoga (CV-3)

USS Yorktown (CV-5)

USS Essex (CV-9)

Steve

Stick, I agree with you.

Bill, Merit International IS coming out with a 1/350 USS Enterprise (CV-6) soon. Hopefully by Christmas but I'm willing to wait.

Steve

GMorrison

Which does not exist as an injection molded kit in 1/350.

...not yet... but coming...

Oh that is good. I'll be in line.

As for CVE's, I would like the Gambier Bay too. It's just so expensive.

A Bogue, please. I think L'arsenal made one at 1/400.

J-Mart ;

Which one you want to build ? I have Trumpeter's Saratoga In 1/350 ! T.B.

Skywave made a Bogue-class escort carrier in 1/700. It came in two boxings: American and British. Tamiya now lists the same kit, with some upgraded parts.

Stik- I'll agree with you on the Big "E", always my favorite after reading the book of the same title as a youngun.  Already saving for her.  Just wondering which version is coming, before refit in '43 or after.  Hopefully they might include parts for either version...............HINT.