USS Intrepid (CV-11) 1944

[Paul A H]

USS Intrepid (CV-11) 1944

1:720 Revell

The US Navy aircraft carrier USS Intrepid was one of 24 Essex Class aircraft carriers build during World War II. Displacing just over 36,000 tons fully laden, the Intrepid had a complement of 2600 officers and men and could carry up to 100 aircraft. The USS Intrepid saw plenty of action in World War II, most notably during the Battle of Kwajalein, the Battle of Leyte Gulf and the Battle of Okinawa. The USS Intrepid was refitted several times during her long and illustrious career before finally being decommissioned in 1974. The ship is now permanently preserved as a museum on the Hudson River in New York.

Although Revell’s last few one-to-seven-hundred-something kits have all been in the now fairly universal 1:700 scale, their latest release is an older mould from their 1:720 range. Despite the slightly smaller scale, the kit is impressively large and dwarfs the 1:700 battleships on my shelf. The kit has 110 parts spread across three sprues of grey plastic. As with many older kits, there is a little bit of flash present here and there, but nothing that can’t be sorted out with a few swipes from a sharp blade. One or two of the smaller parts have a few sink marks that will need to be filled too.

As you would expect from a kit of this vintage, the level of detail is pretty basic. The deck and superstructure are covered with fine, raised lines, except for the aircraft lifts which are recessed. The low part count means that finer parts such as the double 5 inch gun turrets and the quadruple 40mm turrets are moulded as single pieces.

Twelve aircraft are included – six F6F Hellcats and six SB2C Helldivers. They are fairly basic by modern standards and will need quite a lot of work to bring them up to scratch, but in this scale that isn’t necessarily a deal breaker. One plus point is the fact that it is possible to build this kit in waterline configuration by leaving off the hull. As you might have guessed from the heading above, the single marking option provided is for the USS Intrepid as she appeared in October 1944. A decent sheet of decals accompanies the kit, including some tiny stars and bars for the aircraft.

Conclusion

Although this isn’t a state-of-the-art kit, the low part count and simple construction make it a decent introduction to small scale ship modelling before tackling a more complex model such as the newer Revell Bismarck or Tirpitz. With a bit of work a pleasing, if basic, replica could be built.

Revell model kits are available from all good toy and model retailers. For further information visit

[Max Headroom]

I was there in New York in September and took a number of pix. Unfortunately they have a bit of a tint so have not posted them here yet. However, here are a few photos of the carrier to be getting on with..............

Trevor

[Moofles]

Great review.

[Daniel]

The title says 1:72 - now that would of been cool!

Dan

[Paul A H]

No it doesn't...