| February 2003, my 49th birthday and a gift from my loving wife of 30 years, the Revell 1/400 scale model of the USS Enterprise, CVAN 65. Having just completed for my father, the 1/350 scale USS Des Moines, CA 134, featured at Modelwarships.com, I anxiously begin this model for myself. | |||||||||||||
| The model, purchased at a now extinct hobby shop in Stuart,
Florida, is in beautiful condition, considering it was one of a kind in
the shop and had apparently been a window display for some time.
The hull is prepared with the simple assembly of the nose piece to the bow. The propeller shafts, not included in the kit, are fabricated from an old coat hanger. The props are added and the lower hull is taped and painted oxide red, the upper, pale gray. |
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| This kit comes with the hangar doors molded in the closed position,
SOOOOOO !!!!, out comes the Dremel tool and the doors are now open.
A hanger deck is fabricated out of thin plastic sheeting. A few walls are made from the same plastic, a touch of deck gray paint and the hangar deck is installed into the hull. |
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| Lighting, in the form of a 10 bulb strand of battery powered Christmas lights is carefully installed, so the lighting affect shows, but the lights don't. The kit planes lacked the detail I wanted but I found them sufficient to occupy the hangar deck with the addition of some photo etch details from White Ensign Models. I immediately ordered the Pacific Front Hobbies modern aircraft set for the flight deck. |  |
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| Freight and tank trolleys, from the same PE set are added and tow mules are fabricated from wood, using spare PE aircraft tires for the wheels. |  |
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| The photo etch safety nets around the flight deck and elevators was 1/350 scale, so a little modification was necessary. The hull is mounted to its base and the three piece flight deck is assembled, painted, decals applied and attached to the model. |  |
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| Each of the jets on the flight deck has been modified. They are the Tamiya, 1/350 modern aircraft set #1. The exhaust on each jet has been hand drilled. Photo etch parts from White Ensign Models is added to each, as are Enterprise Airwing "Hi-Viz" decals and canopy decals from Pacific Front Hobbies. Some of the aircraft are further modified by fabricating missiles and attaching them to the wings, opening canopies and nose cowls, opening doors on helos and suspending on of the helo's over the rear flight deck. Also, one of the E2C- Hawkeye's is positioned as if taking off from the bow, complete with catapult steam. White Ensign Models naval figure set, of 100 figures added the final touch and on October 18th, 2003, we'll call this model complete. |  |
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| Two days ago, my next project arrived. The Tamiya, 1/350,
USS Enterprise, CVN 65 kit, with all the extras. A little gift from me
to me, but I think I'll wait till after Christmas to start this one, my
eyes need a rest.
Robert L. McGhee II |
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