| The USS Midway was the first of a new
class of carriers designed to address the shortcomings of the Essex class.
These 45,000 ton giants would include enough anti aircraft firepower to
discourage any aircraft from attacking and those that got past that would
have to penetrate the armored flight deck protecting the hanger deck. Laid
down in late 1942, the Midway commissioned too late to take part in World
War Two. Two other sister ships were built, the Franklin D. Roosevelt,
and the Coral Sea. These ships were to play an active role in the post
war years.
With upgrades including an angled deck these carriers served right up
into the Cold War. It is in the earlier as built condition with the straight
flight deck and heavy armament that David Angelo of Loose Cannon Models
has produced this new monster of a kit. The Revell Coral Sea was one of
the first kits I ever built. But it was a box scale kit and I am sold on
700 scale waterline kits. So this kit not only brings back memories, but
it allows me to show off it's imense size next to the smaller ships in
my collection. |
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| HULL PARTS |
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| This is one large kit, dwarfing even the battleships you
may have in your collection. The hanger deck is cast open in case you want
to do some interior detailing. The casting is pretty good, but some areas
are a little soft on the detail. There is plenty of cast on details all
around the hull, and the anchor chain is well done. |
Click images
to enlarge |
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| SUPERSTRUCTURE AND FLIGHT DECK |
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| The superstructure is cast as mostly one piece and has some pretty
good surface detail. You will have to do a little bit of sanding at the
base, but otherwise there wasn't any flash to be found on my sample. |
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| The flight deck is etched acrylic so you really can detail that hanger
deck if you like. The surface detail included tie downs, and catapult tracks.
The superstructure location is etched onto the surface, a nice touch. |
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| SMALL PARTS AND DETAIL ITEMS |
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| The platforms that surround the flight deck are cast as individual
parts. They include splinter shield bracing and support bracing underneath. |
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| The gun tubs are cast with thin externally braced splinter
shields. There are a whole bunch of 20 mm gun pedestals, as well as director
tubs and many other small parts. There is a bit of flash on these but it
is thin and easy to remove. |
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| WEAPONS |
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| The single 5" gun mounts are cast with detail on all sides, something
you wont find in those Skywave weapons sets. Some of the 40 mm gun mounts
have incompletely formed barrels. In this case I would use the Skywave
replacement parts found in Sets E6
and E9. |
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| AIRCRAFT |
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| The kit includes 10 each of the Helldiver and Corsair. At first glance
the aircraft look much like those in the Hasegawa Aircraft sets, but upon
closer inspection you will notice that they include recessed panel lines
and separate landing gear. |
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| PHOTO ETCH |
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| The kit included two brass photo etched frets. One for the ship, and
one for the airwing. The main fret is relief etched, a first for Loose
Cannon, I think. This really accents the structural framework of the various
parts giving it a 3D appearance. |
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| The second fret is also relief etched and includes the propellers and
landing gear for the aircraft. |
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| DECALS |
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| Decals are provided for the Midway and Roosevelt. Deck
striping is nicely registered in yellow. There are a number of other marking
on the sheet. A second sheet has the aircraft markings. These are all well
registered and nice enough that you wont need any aftermarket sets. |
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| INSTRUCTIONS |
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| The instructions are pretty extensive and show the ship
in several subassemblies. In addition the Midway and Roosevelt are shown
in plan and elevation with decal and painting instructions. The latter
are printed on larger sheets so you can see the detail clearly.
Photo of manufactures buildup.
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| Conclusions: |
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A huge new kit and one that will really enhance your Carrier collection.
This is kit #67 USS Midway retailing for $225.00, a bit pricely, but worth
it for this complete kit. One has to wonder if we will see a follow up
angle deck version in the future. This kit is available at well stocked
hobby shops and where ever Loose Cannon products are sold. Check the Loose
Cannon page for details on these and other kits. |
