| The USS Saratoga was the second of the
Lexington Class carriers. Laid down as part of six Lexington-class
battle cruisers, Saratoga and her sister Lexington were converted
to aircraft carriers as a result of the Washington Naval Treaty. The other
planned battle cruisers - Constellation, Ranger,
Constitution
and
United States - were scrapped incomplete on the building ways.
Large (they were the largest ships in the world for sometime) and fast,
the two carriers became the test bed and proving ground for US Naval Aviation
in the 1930’s.
Saratoga performed solid service during the
war - she just missed the Battle of Midway and participated in the Battle
of the Eastern Solomons - but her record was diminished in some eyes by
being torpedoed twice in 1942 and being severely damaged by kamikazes off
Iwo Jima in February, 1945. Saratoga ended World War II as
a training carrier, then met her demise as a target during the post-war
atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll, where she sank after one such test in
1946. Today, she's a popular diving attraction for visitors
to the atoll. 1 |
|
|
| HULL PARTS |
|
| As with their other 350 scale ship, this one has a full
hull or waterline option. The lower hull is molded in red plastic and the
other parts in gray. The hull is not the same as the one used in the Lexington
kit and has been modified to represent the prewar appearance. Like
that kit the molding is very good and features some nice detail. I had
suspected that Trumpeter would reuse most of the Lexington kit to make
this, but most of these parts are all new and very few are recycled from
the other kit. |
Click images
to enlarge |
 |
|
|
| FLIGHT DECK |
|
| The flight deck is molded in 3 sections with wood planking detail molded
to the surface. Safety netting is molded to the deck edges, and I wish
this was a separate part, but it looks pretty good for plastic. |
 |
|
|
| SPRUE A |
|
| Superstructure walls are very detailed with plumbing detail on the
surface and port holes molded open. |
 |
|
|
| SPRUE B |
|
| The bridge windows are molded open and have just a bit of flash to
clean up. |
 |
|
|
| SPRUE C |
|
| The massive funnel and superstructure are included on this sprue. The
watertight doors came out looking very nice. |
 |
|
|
| SPRUE D |
|
| Elevators, prop shafts, rudder, and various superstructure walls. As
with the other parts, well done. |
 |
|
|
| SPRUE E |
|
| There are two of these weapons sprues included in the kit. The detail
is remarkable on some of these parts. A definate improvement over earlier
kits and an encouraging sign for future kits. |
 |
|
|
| DISPLAY BASE |
|
| A display base and name plate are included for full hull display. |
 |
| AIRCRAFT |
|
|
| The aircraft in this kit are all new and represent the
prewar airwing. They are molded in clear plastic so you don't have to mask
off the canopies if you don't want to. These are molded with separate propellers
and landing gear. Panel lines are recessed and the lines of the aircraft
look pretty accurate for this scale. There are four of each in the kit,
but they are also available separatetly in six packs. |
BFC Bomber/Fighter Single-Engine Bi-plane (x 4)
Also available separately as #TSM-6246 |
 |
|
|
F3F Fighter Single-Engine Bi-plane (x 4)
Also available separately as #TSM-6245 |
 |
|
|
TG2 Torpedo Bomber (x 4)
Also available separately as #TSM-6248 |
 |
|
|
SBU Scout Bomber (x 4)
Also available separately as #TSM-6247 |
 |
|
|
| DECALS |
|
| The decals include deck markings and and plenty of squadron markings
for the various aircraft types. The latter are very colorful and will look
good on the yellow wings of the prewar airwing. |
 |
|
|
|
|
| INSTRUCTIONS |
|
| A 20 page instruction booklet is included to guide you through a step
by step assembly process. The parts are all called out and placement is
well illustrated throughout. Like their other kits, the instructions are
first rate.
A nice B sized color sheet is included with camouflage markings for
the ship and aircraft. Paint colors are called out as well. |
 |
|
|
| Conclusions: |
|
 Yet
another impressive kit from Trumpeter. This is kit #TSM-5607
1/350 USS Saratoga CV3 Aircraft Carrier with a suggested list price of
$129.95. This is a great price for such a large well detailed kit. It is
nice to see a prewar version of this kit made available to the plastic
modeler.
Thanks to Stevens
International for the review sample. They are the exclusive importer
for Trumpeter kits in the US. If your hobby shop does not carry Trumpeter
kits have them contact Stevens
International or try their Hobby Shop Locator to find one. |
