USS Enterprise 1/700 Tamiya by Scottrc

Very nice!  The water is great, too.

Quite the project Scott. Lookin' good!

Max

Most excellent build. You should be proud to display it.

Thanks everyone for the nice comments.

This project was an accumulation of techniques and tips I gathered over the years from  members here on FSM and at MWS.  I guess I dived into the deep end when trying PE and aftermarket resin on a 1/700 ship.  Then trying to get at least 75% of the details on how the Enterprise looked at Midway correct.  Just painting the thing made my head swim to three months.  

But overall, I am happy with it.  I always liked the lines of the Yorktown class and also the lines tha SBD had, so I had the best of both preferences with this subject.

Scott

That is one to be proud of, very nicely done.  I have the kit in the stash, and would never attempt PE or resin in 1/700.

Still playing with sea effects, yours came out beautiful.

Beautiful finish!  Some people run this kit down, but you've shown it can be made into a great model of the Enterprise. And I like the base, too, it looks very real!

All the above and more,nice clean build,and the water effects are superb.

This is really superb.  The subject is definitely worthy of the attention you gave to it.  The deck full of planes really adds to the whole project.  Water is nicely done.  You should be really proud of this build.  

D

Thank you everyone for all the nice comments and suggestions.  I built the Trumpeter Lexington at the same time for the Coral Sea GB.  1/700 Trumpeter aircraft gave me issues on both the Enterprise and Lexington.  The wheels were huge and had to be cut down.  I just started the Akagi for the Midway GB.

Simulating water is fun when using acrylics. Its like a 3 dimensional seascape.  I paint the base with various layers and hues of blue, green, black, and white to give dimensional depth and the different colors generated by the movement of the ship.  The acrylic gel is so easy and fun to use.  It dries clear and really projects the colors underneath.  White oils build up the bow wave and heavy white caps. The smaller white caps get drybrushed with acrylic.  

Since I am limited on storage space in my display cabinet, I cannot have much for a base.  Normally I put the ship on a 1/2" thick base, but decided to try a 1/4" on these models.  I felt the 1/2" was too big in reference to the size of the ship.   

Regards,

Scott

Sweet Lex, too!

I've seen PE detail sets for the Trumpter aircraft, too, wheels and props, or those bits were included in larger detail sets for specific carriers.  They'd help fine-tune the look of the aircraft.

Scott,

     I too have the Tamiya Enterprise. And I also opted for the ModelMonkey replacement Island as well getting the correct # of 20mm guns in PE. I wanted full hull so I started to carve a nice piece of wood.... and then the Academy kit came out. Build is on hold till I see some reviews of the Academy and Trumpeter kits.

   I will take a look at your Group Build.  I am still uncertain on any .50 cal gun placements.

Thanks for the Pictures and the info.

Looks fantastic. Great paining and Seascape too.

     Nino

Hi Baron,

I have a PE set for the aircraft and boy does it take fine motor skills to intall them, but in the end, they look sweet.  I didn't install props because they still didn't look right to me.

Thanks for you comments.

Scott

Hi Nino,

Since the Tamiya kit is slightly under scale, I do not know if the hull from the Academy kit will fit.  I know the Trumpeter lower hull from their Hornet will not fit a Tamiya hull.  

I have looked at the close up pictures from the reviews on the Academy kit and my opinion is that the parts seem thick and chunky to me.  However, they also seemed to have engineered it to be somewhat a "Quick Build" format like the Lexington from Meng. 

The Tamiya kit, other than the island, had nice lines and the parts all seemed to be in scale with each other.  Add PE 20mm guns and radars and everything looks really in scale.

I think there will always be a debate on the actual placement of 20mms and the actual color the Enterprise was at Midway.  I finally threw up my hands and placed everything as per the Enterprise in the Squadron Walk Around book.  

Happy building,

Scott

  Thanks for the info Scott.

   The wood hull I'm making is only for my very inexpensive "Minihobby" Enterprise- sold as Hornet but is really a Poor Pantograph copy of you-know-whose Enterprise.

     The Academy Enterprise is on my list to buy since it is full hull.  I will be curious if the Academy lower hull can be fitted to the Trumperter 1/700 Yorktown. If the stock market keeps going up I may be able to get them both. I am hoping Trumpeter comes out with an after market Accurate lower hull that's not too expensive. Too bad they went waterline on the Yorktown.

     You have it right about the Academy Enterprise, all Hanger doors closed and look difficult to cut open (thick plastic?), and the Pictures of the kit do not show it as detailed as I thought it could be for a new mold. Not sure of accuracy yet.

     Now that we got our wish for a Midway Enterprise I guess it’s time to beg the manufacturers for a Late War Enterprise.  I wonder if the Tamiya kit might be easier to build to a late war version? Add some blisters, do the camo, and add some Night fighters....?

  None of the above matters 'cause you did a great job on your June '42 Enterprise. I think your colors are accurate, planes look great ( I agree about props on 1/700), and my count says you got the right # of Oerlikons.

  So, the only thing I am still not sure of is the color of the deck stripes. Pictures show'em a bit yellow but film and photo's are "funny".  They could be white with some weathering but I'm leaning toward a gray. You did great job on yours.

    Thanks for the terrific Thread,

      Nino 

Thanks again,

I think for a full hull kit of the early war Enterprise with the least amount of work to do modifications, the Academy kit is the best choice.  The Trumpeter Hornet kit has a hull that is shaped more like a liberty ship than the carrier, so any lower hull from another kit won't probably work.  The Tamiya Enterprise has a lot more late war features to it and was why many who wanted to do a early war version obtained the Tamiya Hornet, which had a flight deck layout more closer to the early war Enterprise, and ironically wasn't close to the Hornet.  One thing is for sure, its been great to now have Shapeways and other 3D printers to have the offerings of specific features to do a certian period.

As far as the subject of the deck markings, I found both yellow and grey in the research I did and a number of debates on the issue, so I figured maybe they were white and turned a yellowish grey due to fuel and exhaust stains, deck oils, rubber, and salt.  

Thanks for your inquiries.  Its been fun to discuss.  

Scott

Very nice build man, I was wondering what colors you used for hull, deck and bridge. I am building mine right now but the manual doesn't tell u which colors to use, would help if you have the paint code too,

thanks much help appreciated

I used the following:

Flight Deck - WEM Flight Deck Stain over Model Masters Red Oak.  I painted the flight deck with the Red Oak and then lightly sprayed the Flight Deck stain over it.  then rubbed the deck down with some steel wool to bring up the wood color look a bit, and then gave it a dusting with chalk pastels.  I sealed it with Future, applied the decals, another dusting of pastels for weathering, then a final coat of clear flat.

Horizontal Surfaces (Steel Decks) WEM 20-B Deck Blue

Vertical Surfaces - (Hull and Island,Bridge) Vallero 5-S Navy Sea Blue. I was unsure which color to use due to debates I read to either use 5N or 5S, so I chose the 5S based on a color chit from Snyder and Short.  

My paint discussion is here:

http://cs.finescale.com/fsm/modeling_subjects/f/29/t/168648.aspx?page=3

YOu have done a lovely job on the Old Girl.....Cheers Mark