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CV-9 USS Essex, 1943 - 1:350


Rob 1

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Here's a quick photo, progress so far (with tripod mast added).

 

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New main yardarm to add next, as mentioned this needs completely scratch building, then p.e. radar sets to add, which should be more straight forward.

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If it was easy everyone would be at it ;) Or as the other say: no pain no gain. I'm waiting for next batch of pics.

Why rattle can primer? No control over the flow could be deadly to nice PE work....

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Spray can primer could go a bit wrong if applied too heavily, but I've used this method for years and with careful thin application it always gives a very fine finish (even on the finest p.e. parts), and the paint grain in this primer is very fine.

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I have considered airbrushing primer, will probably get some and give it a go some time, but haven't yet as the can method is so quick and easy and reliable.

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I too prime everything, using Tamiya aerosol fine surface primer. Seems to really key in to the plastic. Not sure if it's an acrylic or lacquer product. On larger plastic and all wood models, I use aerosol automotive primer. There is one specifically made for priming plastic auto parts and it works well on model plastic too. 

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Superb detail work. This will be a very busy looking carrier.

US Navy radar systhems looks like a challenge in scale.

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  • 2 weeks later...

More progress has been made :smile: - the island area is nearing completion of assembly now, with the p.e. and a fair few minor scratch made extras added.

 

The twin 5"/38 turrets needed a bit of work, as the main turret, the side plates and rear curved plate come as separate pieces - this has allowed better detail to be moulded on the face of them, but the edges don't come together very sharply, so needed a bit of filling and sanding to produce reasonably clean edges without any gap showing.

 

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The main island, deck houses and turrets are all still detached (as you can see the gaps), I will need to decide whether to keep them off for painting or attempt painting with them after they have been fixed down (and gaps filled).

Edited by Rob 1
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I'd keep them off and glue them on with PVA after. Glue and matt coat afterwards will 'hide' the gap. Looks nice and busy, are you planing to put on some crew? If you do I recommend the North Star ones 3D printed, used them on that little U-boot of mine, they're really cool ;) 

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Thats really fine work with all these well applied pe parts. The open doors to the flight deck are a nice touch.

Will you paint her in Measure 36 or in this dark scheme ?

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Thanks All.

 

I will be doing her in Measure 21, as she's being modelled for mid-1943. There will be plenty of crew and activity on the decks, I've normally used L'Arsenal figures previously as they are pretty good, although tested using some Northstar figures on my last ship and they are very fine indeed, so will be using more on this build. I bought the U.S.Navy set 3 from Starling Models at the recent Northern Model Show - they will all be drafted to CV-9 following final commissioning :).

 

Having read up on plenty of research, USS Essex had acquired Jeeps on the deck by this stage, so also have some of L'Arsenal's excellent little 1:350 Jeeps to add (it would appear the 'Moto-Tug' tractors and utility deck cranes didn't arrive until later in the war, which is a shame as I had splashed out on a set of 3D printed tractors, and they are gorgeous).

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  • 2 weeks later...

Here's a few picks of those jeeps, plus a couple of "Tilley" tossed in. There is a story about the jeeps told by the old timers that were there. If you would like to hear it, I'll post it here for you.

 

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Gene Schmidt

Assistant Treasurer

USS ESSEX CV/CVA/CVS-9/LHD-2 Association

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Wow, those are brilliant photos EJS, thanks for posting. These sort of pictures are an inspiration as well as good references.

 

Also, any stories recounted would be more the welcome, the more these tales are put out there and told, the more they will not be lost.

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OK, here's the story. I have been told by certain "historians" that this never happened, but the photo's don't lie. I copied some of the pictures from the Archives/memorabilia room at the ESSEX reunions and from a book I have, published by the Association in 1999 by taking pictures of the pictures with my digital camera. Not everything that happens in the military makes it into the "official" records. Very often, some enterprising sailor, soldier or airman comes up with an idea, implements it, and it becomes part of the way things are done. The story was told to me by several old WWII ESSEX men. I will relate the story told me by William Christensen. He was a Mustanger, starting as a seaman apprentice and eventually attaining the rank of a Commissioned Officer - Lt Junior Grade, serving as the Flight Deck Officer. He Passed away July 3, 2012 at the veterans home in Mexico, Missouri, picture of me visiting with him June 9, 2012, on our way home from the 2012 reunion in Dallas Texas. Bill left, me right.

 

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The story -

ESSEX was laid down before the US entered WWII, on April 28, 1941. Design work had been started in 1939. She was Commissioned December 31, 1942 ( I was born February 12, 1942  and served aboard her 1961-64 ) , the first of 24 ships of the class built  through 1945 or 46.

After commissioning she departed for sea trials and training from the East coast, that continued through the transit of the Panama Canal on May 17 and 18 1943 and bound for Pearl Harbor, arriving there on May 31.

During this training period, the flight deck crews found that the continuous pushing around of the planes during flight operations training (it was done manually with several men pushing them) was very tiring. Some said the Essex's were just lazy, but Bill said no, they were just tired from all the exertion. Also, the newer aircraft being deployed were heavier, plus the armament loads were heavier than what had been used on the older carriers, #1 thru 8. There had to be an easier, better, faster way to re-spot those planes. 

As the story goes, a couple airdales were taking trash to be dumped down on the pier in Pearl Harbor. On the pier, there were rows and rows of brand new jeeps sitting there, bound for someplace or other. They got an idea. Back aboard, they talked with some other guys and came up with a plan. Someone made out an acquisition form. Two guys went down on the pier and took (Acquired) two jeeps. They never were asked about requisitions forms, but they had the phony ones just in case. They took them over to the pier just below the aircraft cranes, hooked them up and hoisted them onboard, taking them aft in the hangar bay to the DC shop. There, a couple enterprising guys devised tow-bars that could be hooked up to the front wheels of the aircraft. Back at sea, they tried them out, made a few adjustments and were then off and running. Surprisingly, none of the command officers saw anything unusual, remarking casually that " that was a great idea" and went on doing business as usual without questioning anything. None of the guys involved identified themselves to keep under the radar, so they passed into history quietly and unnoticed. It wasn't long and the plane pushers could re-spot aircraft in half the time it took before. Down the road, some of the other carrier captains and fleet officers came aboard just to see how those "ESSEX GUYS" could launch and recover aircraft so much faster than the other bird farms. What were they doing different? After watching this happen, they apparently thought it was such a good idea that they requested vehicles for the other flat tops, and got them. The Navy, deciding they were more appropriate, furnished tow-motors instead of jeeps, but the use of flight deck vehicles was firmly entrenched from then on. 

 

 

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EJ

 

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Thanks again EJS, that's great to see and of real interest.

- - - - - - - -

A quick update on the build:

Working on detailing up the hull, with only minimal details inside the hanger as most of this area won't be very visible. Still a fair amount of equipment to add, but will come back to doing much of this later. Some will need to wait until the flight deck is fitted (this build needs the planning skills of a master tactition, working out the order, which bits to complete early, which have to wait until later stages, etc). These photos shows that quite a bit of cleaning up and sanding joints is needed before reaching the painting stage.

The next big step will be adding a similar level of detail to the flight deck edge gantries/galleries, also building up the port side elevator.

 

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Edited by Rob 1
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Thanks EJ.

 

I noticed some more remedial work needed :speechless: - the kit supplied rearmost deck and bulkheads at the gallery deck level (one below the flight deck level) protrudes back from the pair of large support column structures, whereas it should be in line, at least the kit supplied deck below (foc'sle level) is more or less correct. I checked this on various photos yesterday, and will need to alter this to pull it back. This needs to be corrected, particularly as there is a fairly visible access stair approximately amidships leading up from a small landing off the gallery level deck up to a gantry underneath the flight deck overhang, as can be seen in this photo of CV-9 leaving Hunters Point in '44, this isn't possible if built as per the kit parts out of the box.

 

800px-USS_Essex_(CV-9)_leaving_San_Franc

photo c/o wikimedia.com - https://commons.wikimedia.org

 

Edited by Rob 1
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That remedial work mentioned above corrected now - will add the remaining part of the gantry after the flight deck has been fitted.

 

2cgoll1.jpg

 

^^^ just spotted some bent railings which will need straightening - amazing what you don't spot on the real thing but stands out clearly in a photograph! ^^^

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Great work Rob very neat

 

How will you paint the decks with the rails already fitted or do you hand paint the rails if a different color  :book:

 

beefy

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Thanks Gents.

 

I normally ensure I can get to any bit of deck by leaving sub-assembled parts such as chunks of superstructure loose until painted, in this case the large enclosed structure at gallery deck level in the photo above isn't fixed down yet.

I can therefore paint all the decks, then dynamically mask while painting the vertical surfaces under low pressure (including the railings, although collapsible 'rope' type railings will be painted a darker colour between the stanchions by fine brush).

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  • 1 month later...

After ongoing delays due to non-modelling commitments ( :speechless: ), have managed to make a bit more progress. The bulk of the detail parts are on now, so the assembly is now up to the main hull and deck assemblies, still to be joined after the first stage of painting.

 

Note that 40mm and 20mm armaments, small directors and searchlights to be added later.

 

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Painting is due to start imminently (at last :smile: ).

 

Edited by Rob 1
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Many thanks Gents.

 

The build is all primed up now, and the first parts of deck colour (20-B) have been applied. Paints will all be with Life Color.

 

The painting should progress quickly; the priority now is getting the internal hanger painted up, then the deck can be permanently fixed down and the joint filled and smoothed.

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