Airfix 1/72 Golden Hind

Amen to the 1/700. At age 75, I think I'm done with that.

I think the Trumeter #05602, 1/350 ESSEX CV-9 WWII is fine. A lot of extras are available for it, but it builds up to a very nice model, and I think pretty accurate. The aircraft are available for it so you can populate it with a full deckload. Even without a load of exras, it still comes out pretty good.

The Gallery kit, #64001, is the LHD-1. I'm going to build it up as ESSEX, LHD-2. I found the decals for it. The kit has all the aircraft and Marine landing assult vehicles in it. I think it's a very nice kit, but lots of parts. This one I work on in spurts, then let it rest. Very nice kit though.

I would like to take them both to the USS ESSEX reunion next year. Hope I get them done.

EJ

PS - Nice Connie!

I've not done a big sailing ship. I stick to small boats and such. Cheasapeak Bay Flattie, East coast utility skiffs, inland lake rowboats of the 1940's / 60's era, sailboats, the kind of stuff I knew growing up in the 100'ds of Michigan lakes. I find the big one's, like the Connie, rather intimidating, mainly because of the rigging.

EJ, thanks a lot for the great answer. Which of the 1/350 that you have do you think is best, the Essex, Trumpy, or the Wasp? Or any other that you have seen? I am not that picky about loittle things. 

 I haven't built 1/700 in a long time. I do have about 5 battleships left I built in 1/700. I built the Indiana & the Yamato because my brother on the Inddiana & the South Dakota were sent after the Yamota to sink it. They were not to happy about putting their 16 guns against Yamato's 18" guns. When they got there , the Navy planes had just sunk it & he said there were parts & japs all over the sea.

   I am not about to build a wood ship again, I did a bunch of wood sailing ships & riverboats in the past along with 7 train layouts, but at 86 . I figure by the way I am going at 90 I will still be building, if I'm here.

 My big Constitution from 35 years ago. It is still here.

                 Gene

gene1

ejhammer, Who makes a good or best 1/350th WW2 Essex class carrier. I was thinking of building one I would like to finish my Indianapolis, because I have everything for it including PE. I also have the Missouri I built in 1988 & gave to my best friend, who had a landing craft blown out from under him on the first wave into Omaha Beach.

   I will post another thread on the Imai Mayflower next week. I have the hull nearly done & it really looks good. That big one is a beautiful kit, I think the nicest plastic kit I have built. I have done several big Imai kits & this is the best.

 

I'm just getting in to 1/350 scale. I have done - 

1/700 Essex CV-9 WWII from Hasegawa, Dragon and Trumpeter.

1/700 Yorktown CV-10 WWII Trumpeter

1/700 Hornet CVS-12, 1960's Revell

1/500 ish FDR CVA-42 Midway class, Revell

I'm working on a vintage 1/530 Revell ESSEX CVA-9 1958 era angle deck. Lots of mods on this one. This one I want done right as I served aboard her 1960 to 1964.

Also have on the bench, a Trumpeter 1/350 CV-9 WWII Essex and a 1/350 Gallery Wasp LHD-1.

On the shelf in the build que, a Renwal 1/500 Shang Ri La CVA-38 angle deck, Trumpy 1/350 Lexington CV-2 andTrumpy 1/500 Nimitz class that supposedly can be done as CVN-68, 69, 70, 73, 74.

And a couple oilers, liberty ships, destroyers, landing craft, pretty much anything that floats. Been working on a couple commission builds, sailing craft, both wood kits, plus a Naval oiler that was supposed to be for a customer's fathers day gift but I won't make the deadline for that. When these are done it will be back to the carriers. 

All of these kits have their issues, some more than others. Do an old Renwal re-pop, it will drive you nuts. They all have errors, although only people that have a thorough knowledge of them and a sharp eye will ever notice, at least the minor issues. I have a tendency to get bogged down in the details sometimes. They all have fit issues as well. If you do wood kits (they are really a box of materials, not parts) These issues should not bother you, as you should be patient enough to make any necessary alterations and fixes. If you are used to putting together nearly perfectly fitting parts, thats another story. The 1/700 Hasegawa ESSEX is an example. It's not really the Essex at all, so requires a bunch of rework. The 1/700 Trumpeter ESSEX had major fit issues of the hull and flight deck. It wound up on the "set aside" shelf several times.

All in all though, if you have the patience for a big build, you can develop the skills as you go, necessary to produce a really impressive build. Start a build thread on this site, ask questions as you go, you will get a lot of great advice and assistance from the guys here. Carriers take quite a long time to build. And above all, remember, it is your build. Be as picky or not picky as you want, as long as it suites your fancy. Have fun.

EJ

ejhammer, Who makes a good or best 1/350th WW2 Essex class carrier. I was thinking of building one I would like to finish my Indianapolis, because I have everything for it including PE. I also have the Missouri I built in 1988 & gave to my best friend, who had a landing craft blown out from under him on the first wave into Omaha Beach.

   I will post another thread on the Imai Mayflower next week. I have the hull nearly done & it really looks good. That big one is a beautiful kit, I think the nicest plastic kit I have built. I have done several big Imai kits & this is the best.

Well, you've got 11 years on me. I was aboard USS ESSEX, 1961-64 as a machinist's mate in the boiler division. I'm now the Assistant Treasurer for the USS ESSEX CV/CVA/CVS-9/LHD-2 Association. I do love building aircraft carriers and have built several versions of ESSEX herself at various time periods and a few other ships of the class, plus other U S Navy ships - oilers, tin cans, etc. I also like building wooden boats of various types, and the history of them. Never built a wooden or plastic ship though. I'm afraid, at the rate I build, it would never get off the bench. The real fun for me is modeling with my grandson. He likes unusual armor and aircraft, although I did give him a 1/350 CV-2 kit that I won in a raffle (I already had one in my stash), in an attempt to get him interested in building carriers and ships. I'm amazed at the prolific pace that you build. Must be I get too bogged down in the details or something.

ej, I am 86 now, but I built about 11 last year. All of those except the Golden Hind. I did have some smaller sailing ships in that 11, the revell Nina, Pinta & Santa Maria. If you like WW2 carriers, you would have loved to talk to my brother. He was on the BB Indiana thru 7 major Pacific battles & was with 3 of the carriers when they got hit. He was with the Missouri at the surrender & saw it all. He was a signalman, so had a long glass to use.

 I just mounted the Golden Hind on it's oak base & had to take some finish pictures, although I still have a little to do. It really did make a pretty model & I am very happy with it.

  Well that ought to put you all to sleep. It's not David K, but it was one of the real fun ones. Idrilled all the windows out & put brass diamond mesh in. It is the easiest way to do that. I've had the brass mesh for ages. 

Oh Boy !

 Now you're extra special on two counts . I miss my days in the San Francisco bay area .I got at least three rides on the Scow Schooner " ALMA " . The Bounty or another would've been nice .

     Can you imagine cargo piled so high they built a pulpit on a tower for the Pilot/Helmsman ? The only other sail ship I've been near is the " Cutty Sark " before the fire at the Museum .

 " G " Does the IMAI  model of the Steam Schooner that was in the civil war show up much ?  T.B.

There's a Bounty Museum where I live.

I won't hijack Gene's thread. Look up Pitcairn Island Study Center at Pacific Union College.

Tanker - Builder

" G "

 Yeah , and you were the Bosun on the Santa Maria , right " LOL.LOL.LOL. You know someone said I was the Plankowner type on the Ark . Was that you ?

  T.B.

 

Krill, Thanks a lot, but I know you will do a whole lot better job. Your work is beautiful. This is a really nice kit to build. It is just the right size & that does make it easy, but then I am ancient & size helps. 

Good day gene1,

Thanks for posting pictures of your model,- nice job!

I'm planning to assemble this kit in future,so it was very interesting for me to look at assembled model...thanks!

All the best!

Kirill

Hey " G " !.

   Was it possible that the plates were an early form of " Muntz " Metal ? That stuff turned white in contact with seawater . I really don't recall the Bounty being plated , but I am so old that would've been new technology to me .  LOL LOL

 It's amazing at that . I have heard the " Furniture " thing too .Who really knows ? T.B.

" G "

 Yeah , and you were the Bosun on the Santa Maria , right " LOL.LOL.LOL. You know someone said I was the Plankowner type on the Ark . Was that you ?

  T.B.

LOL, I meant Tanks. It's a thing between us.

You really could build a carrier out of popsicle strips if the mood struck you. Excellent models.

GM, Thanks for the Hind info. No, I am not a Mary Rose plank owner. Since I retired 26 years ago I was into Riverboats & my big train layout & fighter planes. I hadn't built any sailing ships in years until I got started a year & a half ago on plastic ships. Earlier I had built mostly wood ships except for all the first Revell big ones.

Tanker - Builder

 For instance , the Bounty .The bottom was white lead ( protection against Toredoes or " Drillin Worms " ) And the rest was the black brown slush again .  T.B.

 

Once Bounty was bought by the Crown, her bottom was copper, if not before.

Some plates were found at Pitcairn Island.

According to Wiki, the Hind was around until about 1650, 70 years after the voyage.

Some timber was made into furniture that by reputation is still around. Her lantern was destroyed in the Blitz.

Hey !

 That's a nice little ship too . I am so glad to see folks add a little spice to them . Tis , true though . Ships back then were as ugly and weathered as sin . No coloration to speak of ( It got the Seawater  Treatment ).

And the smell of tar was everywhere . Remember all lines except working lines , were covered with a slush of white lead and tar .to preserve them from the salt environment.

    For instance , the Bounty .The bottom was white lead ( protection against Toredoes or " Drillin Worms " ) And the rest was the black brown slush again .  T.B.

GM, let us know if you find anything about the Hind being on display, even tho it's been hundreds of years ago. I stoped ship building for a few months to sell my train things on ebay. I had to start small when I got back in so I built this little Imai 1/225 Santa Maria.

Yes you can see it in that one stern view, on the transom. For some reason the Revell kit has the Royal Coat of Arms, probably because a replica did at some point.

The ship of course has a local history here in Northern California, although a little mysterious. I always thought a nice little dio would be her careened on the beach at Point Reyes.

I'll have to look it up but memory suggests that a little ship purported to be the " real thing" lasted on display for a long time.

Hi ;

 I like your ship . She certainly is colorful . By the way . Do you know what a " Hind " is ?

 According to my research , it was a type of deer found in the " Kings " forest . Very Fleet and hard to bring down as Game .

 Very apt name for a ship that was probably faster then most . Nice job .  T.B.     P.S. Nice to see that you did NOT make a mistake some artists make .Your flags and pennants are flying in the right direction , instead of aft !

CapnMac, I just painted it off the box colors. I knew they weren't right, but they looked pretty, like you said. I put it next to some of my others & it sure does show up pretty. 

PFJN

how colorful some of the old sailing ships were.

Wich is largely conjecture, some old tapestries, the occasional painting and the like--all often from well after te fact.

Drake's ship was probably called Pelican during its operational time; only being labeld the golden stag after coming home to considerable fame (and with considerable fortune).

Drake pobably had a rather plain, perhaps even drab, appearance, all the better to sneak up on Spanish ships.  So, Drake's ship might have been black and silver-faded wood with nothing but some whitewash and perhaps blue and green and orange highlights.

None of which is a good reason to not to go with all the pretty colors so well executed.

Hi,

That looks great.  It's really interesting to see how colorful some of the old sailing ships were.

Pat

  Hi Steve, I just took sheet decal & a divders & I cut the decal with a scapel on a piece of glass. I cut the angles & used one for each side. The white was some very opaque printing decal & it covered the green real good. The blue was some Microscale sheet & it worked fine over the red.

    I made the width the same as the ht. & didn't pay any attention to the marking on the kit sides. I remember now, I cut the decals into little squares & just cut them into the triangles. Use a new razor blade to cut the decals. You get a cleaner cut.

Great work Gene! 

Jim  

as alway's a beautiful build gene , could you tell me where you got the decals for the hull , or did you make them yourself .

steve