The quality of the resin casting is the kind of work we have come to expect from JAG: dead flat hull bottom, no pin holes, little or no flash, few parting lines, seams, etc.  The standout thing here is that JAG cast the entire superstructure-- the decks, platforms and supports as one single piece of resin.  Though the modeler has some pleasantly challenging tasks ahead on this kit, the basic "body" of the ship is almost ready to paint as it comes out of the tube.

The four Virginia class guided missile cruisers were equipped to fulfill multiple tasks in all warfare mission areas. The ships were equipped with two twin rail missile launchers for AAW with ASROC capability; two 5" .54 caliber gun mounts for AAW and ASUW; two three barrel torpedo launchers for ASW; and a LAMPS helicopter for ASW. Two pressurized nuclear reactors were capable of propelling the ship at speeds in excess of 30 knots, providing the endurance and capability to operate with other conventional and nuclear ships over extended periods of time and great distances. During the 1980s the ships were was outfitted with the Tomahawk Cruise Missile System, the Standard SM2 (MR) Missile  System, and the AN/SPS-49 Air Search Radar. Planned Refueling  Complex Overhauls were canceled in the early 1990s due to the expense of maintaining the nuclear propulsion components, and the ships were all decommissioned after a relatively brief period of service averaging somewhat less than two  decades. Thus the CGN-41 was commissioned in 1980 with a life expectancy of 38 years, though it was retired in 1997 after only half that period in service. 

I choose the following method.  I carefully drilled shallow holes in the bases and platforms to seat the rods, using the measure thrice, drill once plan.  I did not drill the holes all the way through the platforms but rather *almost* through so that there was material for the rods to butt up against.  I then started stacking the pieces, using thick, jelly type super glue.  The jelly type gives you a good 10 seconds or so of wiggle time, though is thick enough to hold the parts upright before drying.  I'd place a part then quickly look at it from above, the front and the side, adjusting as needed.  Once I had it in place, I used a tiny drop of super glue accelerator to freeze the part before moving on to the next level.  It is easier than it sounds, but don't start too late at night.

Because the yard arms stick out quite a bit, I left them off the masts until I had done most all of the other assembly.  Otherwise I am certain I would have snapped them off by accident while working on other parts of the ship. As it is they did pull a bit as the rigging shrunk. 

As mentioned, JAG did an amazing job of casting the entire hull and superstructure as one piece.  This can in a way complicate your painting and masking, as since the pieces are not separate, you have to mask every level and platform.  This takes some time, and demands a flexible, thin masking tape.  I used Tamiya brand orange tape, but you may prefer something else.  I don't think regular tape will work well in this role.

After spraying the ship with the chosen gray, I started with the ambition to mask the entire thing and paint the darker deck color all over in one go.  This did not work, as it was quite difficult to place the tape everywhere

without ending up places I did not want to remain the hull's gray.  I found it easier to mask a section, cover the rest of the ship with tape/paper, spray and then move on.  Obviously if you prefer brush painting this is not applicable.

JAG provides a complete decal sheet.  You get hull numbers and ship's names for the entire class, as well as a choice of "fruit salad" battle ribbons and Battle E's to add to the bridge shields as you see fit.  All the warnings circles and helo deck markings are included.  JAG also includes the warning line decals needed if you were to convert the Cold War version of the Virginia into her 1980's fit with Tomahawk launchers at the stern. Thoughtful touch.

The decals are very thin and responded well to Mr. Mark Softener.  If you are used to standard Skywave type decals, go slow at first with these, as they are very thin and need to be handled with care.  As is typical for resin kits, the decal over coating covers the entire sheet, so you will need to cut each design out and trim it carefully.  I found that the helo deck line decals tended to crack when I used scissors, which bent the paper a bit.  When I switched to a sharp knife and straight edge everything worked fine. The rest of the decals were fine and went on with no trouble.

Some may wish to substitute dry rub on transfers for some of the white helo lines.  This would cut down on some of the work needed to trim the decals. 

As is their custom, the JAG folks supply ship specific PE. This includes for the Virginia just about everything you will need except some ladders and all the railings.

One important note:  the instructions indicate the location of PE parts with letters (A, B, C) instead of the numbers used for resin parts.  The actual PE shape is not drawn on the exploded parts view, so it would be easy to leave off some part.  While the usual rule of "keep modeling until there are no parts left in the box" would apply, the actual assembly of the ship is such that it is easier to apply some of the PE at different steps in the build, as waiting until the end and gluing on whatever is left over would be more difficult. 

There have been a few questions about the figures. The figures are from Gold Medal Models. You get about one hundred per set. They are *very* small.  The way I paint them is as follows (others may have better ideas):

While every modeler will approach a kit like this is his/her own way, my rough sequence of assembly was as follows:

• Clean up of parts (wash in dish soap to degrease, trim, sand, etc);
• Drill out various access holes and portholes, and drill small holes to later receive rigging;
• Assemble vertical portions of the masts, leaving off the yard arms;
• Add PE parts that will be painted the same gray as the hull then airbrush hull, superstructure and other parts;
• After at least drying over night (with acrylics, longer with enamels), mask and airbrush no-slip deck color, touching up as needed with 000 brush;
• Paint deck details, including anchor chain by brush;
• Decal decks and bridge (leave off hull numbers for now to avoid ruining them in handling);
• Paint details on hull and superstructure such as life rings;
• Detail other parts, such as ships' boats, while the rest of the kit dries;
• Add railings and other PE (not railing), add rigging, then install railings;
• Finally, add decal hull number and crew members. 

JAG has once again stretched the envelope on what can be done in 1/700 scale, and a moderately experienced resin builder will enjoy this kit.

The kit comes to you as the Cold War variant of the ship. One person posted the following information on the Steel navy board:

Posted by Bill Oreto on October 4, 2002:

I'm planning on upgrading JAG's Virginia to a more modern era and I thought some might be interested. Thankfully not much scratch building is required. An E-1 and SW-32 weapons set will be needed. I'm using my old Sealine instructions as a guide. It seems the additional deck extension for CIWS will have to be scratch built port and starboard. Satcomm dishes, CIWS guns, Harpoon Launchers, Tomahawk Launchers, Chaff Launchers, SPS-55 radar, a couple of SLQ-32 ECM antennas, additional aerials and vert-rep square on the stern will have to be added as well.

Bill Oreto-NJ 

USS Virginia Home Page http://ng.netgate.net/~huston/cgn38/
Good selection of photos though not all useful to the modeler. Check out the "virtual tour" of the ship's interior spaces.

Global Security http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/cgn-38-gallery.htm
Another useful source of photos.

FAS (Federation for American Scientists http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ship/cgn-38.htm
Lots of data, some photos, links to other sources. Good thumbnail description of ships' systems.

USS Virginia Association A few color photos.  A close-up of the missile launcher is of real use to the modeler.

NAVSource http://www.navsource.org/archives/04/040138.htm
Good selection of mostly B&W photos; see also the Virginia's sister ships on the same site. 

Out of the tube review of this kit