USS Enterprise, CV-6, 1/350, Merit Kit#65302, OOB Review and Build

Jeff Head

...

My building of the USS Enterprise, CV-6, and the four ship grouping from the Doolittle raid was done as a token of gratitude to them...then and now.

I also have a USS Ronald Reagan CSG, based around CVN-76, and another based on the now decommissioned USS Enterprise, CVN-65.

As soon as a 1/350 scale Ford class carrier comes out, I will build it as CVN-80, USS Enterprise.

So I made my own.

Here's my build of CVN-80, USS Enterprise.

I took a Trumpeter Nimitz model and rebuilt her to be a Ford, and made her (of course) the Enterprise.

I also got with some of my 3D printer friends at Shapeways and made an airwing using 5th gen F-35Cs and the coming 6th Gen Grumman and Boeing aircraft.

If you get a chance, take a look!

USS Enterprise, CVN-80 in 1/350 Scale Build Thread

http://cs.finescale.com/fsm/modeling_subjects/f/7/t/177251.aspx

...and here is a video of the same:

USS Enterprise, CVN-80 in 1/350 Scale Video

goldhammer

Yamamoto told them he could run wild for 6 months after Pearl, and then they better sue for peace......of course, they all underestimated that we would agree to peace on those terms. 

Then comes Midway, virtually 6 months to the day, and Japan's fortunes started the slide.

The men and women that serve, even today, are a throwback to those days, and I am proud of each and everyone of them.  Then and now.

 

My building of the USS Enterprise, CV-6, and the four ship groupng from the Doolittle raid was done as a token of gratitude to them...then and now.

I also have a USS ROnald Reagan CSG, based around CVN-76, and another based on the now decommissioned USS Enterprise, CVN-65.

As soon as a 1/350 scale Ford class carrier comes out, I will build it as CVN-80, USS Enterprise.

warshipguy

First, I love the research being done to arrive at a consensus about the paint scheme.  Second, good point, GM, about Japanese leadership and bravery.  Lest we forget, though, Pearl Harbor occurred precisely because of Japanese underestimation of the American character.  Many believed that Americans would become demoralized following the destruction of the Pacific Fleet.  I fear that we are losing that "never again" mindset as a nation.

Bill

Yes, these thread are great sources of information about those types of things.  There are some very smart and dedicated people on these forums that I am happy to gelan info from.

As to the other, yes, as I say, I share some of those fear, but also know, having worked with many of these oung people serving, that the spirit that took us to victory then, is still alive out there.

Yamamoto told them he could run wild for 6 months after Pearl, and then they better sue for peace......of course, they all underestimated that we would agree to peace on those terms. 

Then comes Midway, virtually 6 months to the day, and Japan's fortunes started the slide.

The men and women that serve, even today, are a throwback to those days, and I am proud of each and everyone of them.  Then and now.

First, I love the research being done to arrive at a consensus about the paint scheme.  Second, good point, GM, about Japanese leadership and bravery.  Lest we forget, though, Pearl Harbor occurred precisely because of Japanese underestimation of the American character.  Many believed that Americans would become demoralized following the destruction of the Pacific Fleet.  I fear that we are losing that "never again" mindset as a nation.

Bill

So Jeff, thanks for that but kind of outside the bounds here.

Thousands of fearsome Japanese sailors went to their deaths having full faith in their leadership.

And it was great leadership.

Theres no one great take away from why the Pacific War went the way it did except that we won.

Bill

goldhammer

Thank you gentlemen, 5N and 20 it shall be, slightly toned down and lightened up.

 

Fair winds and a following sea!

Mike F6F

There's always a bit of fudging when it comes to how CV 6 appeared at Midway. And the question has everything to do as to when Measure 11 changed to Measure 21.  5-S Sea Blue was a lighter color, but weathered poorly.  ADM King called for all ships painted with 5-S paint be repainted in 5-N blue in late '41-early '42.

When I did my Yorktown, research indicated that her three-tone measure 12 camo was applied at Norfolk, prior to her returning to the Pacific, the 5-S paint wasn't used.  She was painted in 5-N on the lower hull below the hanger deck.

The few photos of CV 6 taken in and around Spring 1942, show her in a dark paint, so most researchers agree that while she was listed as painted in Measure 11, she would have been painted in 5-N Navy Blue.  She was in 5-N during the Solomons and would have stayed (although weathered alot) in that scheme until her Spring-Summer '43 refit. She came out of the yard in Measure 21 then.

She wore a splinter paint scheme briefly, then returned to Measure 21 to end the war.

Added to the paint scheme questions, there are the installation of the 40MM Bofors guns and the change from the .50 cal machine guns to 20MM cannons time frame mixed in there.

As Scott said earlier, the Ark might be easier.

 

They really shifted the painting around a ot throughout the PAcific War...but in the end, the men and equipment, and particularly the training, damage control, and ensuring that the new recruits came up to speed as quickly as possible saved a lot of life.

In addition, the absolute underestimation of the Japanese as to the grit and will power that was within those young Americans was pivotal.  They thought he US youth would cave and would not be able to stand up to the conditions.  They thought, particularly in jungle warfare, but also in carrier operations out in the blue water that they were superior.

They found out differently.  They found out that somehow, the American way of life, produced 

something internal to those people...and it oes to this day.  Today we fight enemies who think all Americans are soft and that their anger, and ferocity will subdue Americans.  but they are finding out, as I see American youth re-up four and five times to go back and giht this enemy in order to put them down, despite all the political BS they have to endure from our own leaders...they find out that the same conditions hold today.  That there are Americans who can not only meet them...but best them, just as they did in WW II.

When I visit with some of these warriors, I well up with pride as I realize that we have plenty of young Americans who still have the grit and determination to do what has to be done to defeat such enemies.

Anyhow...your message some how set me off.

I apologize for getting off track...but what I said is true, and it is a good thing to see.

In the mean time, I am going to work on a few 1/72 scale WW II aircraft.

I have a 1/350 scale Russian Admiral Gorshkov FFG coming in that I want to get ready for so I can add it to my Russian CSG.

GOd's speed!

Impressive. An important piece of history. 

Jorge

What a brilliant post, thank you so much. 

Thank you gentlemen, 5N and 20 it shall be, slightly toned down and lightened up.

There's always a bit of fudging when it comes to how CV 6 appeared at Midway. And the question has everything to do as to when Measure 11 changed to Measure 21.  5-S Sea Blue was a lighter color, but weathered poorly.  ADM King called for all ships painted with 5-S paint be repainted in 5-N blue in late '41-early '42.

When I did my Yorktown, research indicated that her three-tone measure 12 camo was applied at Norfolk, prior to her returning to the Pacific, the 5-S paint wasn't used.  She was painted in 5-N on the lower hull below the hanger deck.

The few photos of CV 6 taken in and around Spring 1942, show her in a dark paint, so most researchers agree that while she was listed as painted in Measure 11, she would have been painted in 5-N Navy Blue.  She was in 5-N during the Solomons and would have stayed (although weathered alot) in that scheme until her Spring-Summer '43 refit. She came out of the yard in Measure 21 then.

She wore a splinter paint scheme briefly, then returned to Measure 21 to end the war.

Added to the paint scheme questions, there are the installation of the 40MM Bofors guns and the change from the .50 cal machine guns to 20MM cannons time frame mixed in there.

As Scott said earlier, the Ark might be easier.

GMorrison

This is neat model.

Thanks for all the attention to detail, Jeff.

Lexington was painted blue in April 1942.

 

 

World War II and the paint schemes are hard to nail down.

In the end, I went with what I wanted and had on hand to make her at least apper Wolrld War II 'ish.

Current, modern naval warships are much easier to nail down...and I have done a LOT of them.

Just the same, I really enjoyed the build and am happy to have those four ships together that were on the Doolittle raid.  Two that made it through the war, and two that did not.

Again, thanks for the inout and advise...it is all well taken and deserved.

Also thanks for replying here on my thread and for the links...both to the builds and the information.

There are some amazing craftsmen here on FS that I really admire and look up to.

The deck was blue, she was M11, in fact for the Doolittle raid it had a unique stripe camouflage scheme. But when she went into Pearl Harbor she was made blue.

So according to the link, Measure 21 was adopted in June '42, so she would have been in Measure 11 at the Battle of Midway.....5S sea blue on vertical surfaces, 20B deck blue on all horizontal surfaces except the flightdeck (sea/sun faded teak I would assume).

Hoping that is correct from my understanding.

This is neat model.

Thanks for all the attention to detail, Jeff.

Lexington was painted blue in April 1942.

Hammer,

Nope, The carriers were painted differently.

http://www.shipcamouflage.com/warship_camouflage.htm

Here's a wonderful site to aid your research.

Enjoy.

I understand both Mike and what Jeff experienced.  I just am completing the Enterprise in 1/700 scale as it appeared at Midway.  Trying to pinpoint colors and details for the ship for a three month period was almost like trying to find what color Noahs Ark was.  

I had read somewhere that all the Pacific carriers were painted in 5N and 20 Deck Blue before the war broke out, and the Sara might have been the only one not in that scheme, but that was "iffy".  Planning on toning down those on mine when I get there.

The Lexington and Saratoga were originally begun as a new class of battlecruisers.  The Lex was the lead ship of the class and was designated CC 1.  After the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922 all the battlecrusier construction was scrapped.  Lex and Sara were converted to carriers and since Langley was CV 1, Lex became CV 2 and continued as the "lead" ship of the class.

I built this model as the Yorktown and posted my build here.

http://cs.finescale.com/fsm/modeling_subjects/f/7/t/164687.aspx

The hull really must be sanded, but not smooth.  The plates are visible but in no way as obvious as Merit molded them. Plus, I don't know why Merit includes the white number "6" in the decals. (They included a white "5" in the Yorktown too.) The ship didn't display any numbers on the flight deck until after her involved 1943 refit. The ship came out of Bremerton with considerable differences to her appearance and with black numbers on the deck.

Jeff, I'm sorry you followed Merit's color call outs for the model. They are incorrect for  Enterprise in the time period the model represents.  While she was in a gray color just prior to the war, by Midway and the Solomons she was painted in overall navy-blue.

Carriers are always challenging subjects since they rarely stay in one configuration for very long and can drive you batty trying to pin down appearances to a given period.

But then, that makes 'em fun.

mawright20

Great model and discussion you provided. The Guest Speaker at my Air Force Navigator course graduation was Gen Doolittle's navigator from the Tokyo raid, Col. Hank Potter. I have an autographed picture of their B-25.

 

I firured shipping based on his calculator from IL to me in western OR, and was around $22, so not bad.  still a couple of days to go though.

Yes, though the Saratoga was started (as a battle cruiser) 1st, was launched first, and was commissioned first...since they both started as battle cruisers, they actuallly named the Lexington to become a carrier before the Saratoga (on the same day) in 1922 and so it became the Lexington class.  It should have been, by all rights, the Saratoga class, and Saratoga should have been CV-2 and Lexington CV-3.

But it was just one of those quirks I suppose.

goldhammer

Several on ebay right now, with one at 5 bids and around $70.  Most are about $30 over list + shipping, and from all over the world.

 

It's a GREAT kit and has everything youy need.  It only came however with fifteen aicraft, five each Wildcats, Dautless and TBDs.  I purchased fifteen additional airfraft and had a totl of 30.

But the phioto etch is great and plenty of it.  And the plastic is well one, lots and los of parts and very detailed too.

In order of commissioning date:

CV-1 Langley

CV-3 Saratoga

CV-2 Lexington

CV-4 Ranger

CV-5 Yorktown

CV-6 Enterprise

CV-7 Wasp

CV-8 Hornet

CV-9 Essex

Plus all of the various CVLs, CVEs, and sidewheel steamers.

Jeff,

I had heard that they were affiliated with Trumpeter "to a point."  Who knows just what that means.

Bill

Several on ebay right now, with one at 5 bids and around $70.  Most are about $30 over list + shipping, and from all over the world.

warshipguy

Gentlemen,

Does anyone know anything about the problems Merit International is experiencing?  The owner of my LHS tells me that he cannot get their products anymore because of some vague talk of their problems.  I have had the Enterprise on order with him for months.  I have tried emailing them with no response.  Are they out of business?

Bill Morrison

 

I have not heard of any issues.  Aren't they somehow affiliated with Trumpeter?