Someone by now has purchased and built the Hornet Kit from Trumpeter. I read a review of the kit in Fine Scaleand they pointed out some (what I consider) serious defects. I for one don't want to cut the hull in half and try sanding it down to match up with the other piece of the hull. Was this a common occurance or did the FSM boys just get a bad matching kit.

I just got the Essex which seems to be utterly outstnding, and I love their Arizona kit which I start on MOnday for the ship build campaign. Just wondering if I want to pick up a Hornet

Blaster:
Have not heard about having to cut the hull in half to match it up, but from what I have heard the bow is wrong (too Fat), could be they had to cut it to fix the bow? There is a picture of a beautiful one built in the gallery at modelwarships.com. I as of now haven't bought one yet. Saving pennies for something else.
Hope this helps

No, it is all kits that have this 'problem'. Recently on the Steel Navy website, there have been several animated discussions about the bow problems. Seems that the camp is divided into two halfs. One side is discussing major surgery or resin replacements. The other side, which I belong to, is to just build and not worry about it.

I was concerned about a mis-fitting problem. If all it was is some super perfectionist out there using calipers to discover the ship is a half inch out of scale .....I just thought I had heard that the top and bottom hull pieeces were not the same size one being a quarter inch longer thaan the other. The reviews of the kit show it to be absolutely super

No Nimitz hit it on the head. the fit was great from what I hear it was mainly the bow. Just and fyi the new hot button on the two ship sites is the Essex flight deck being square on the ends and not rounded. The discussion on this ought to be very interesting on the other sites.

I rechecked the Fine Scalereview and the guy sid the lower half of the hull was 1-32nd of an inch longer than the top portion. Haven't heard anyone else makethat comment so it looks like they just got a bum kit rather than the whole product line being out of whack. Rounded corners on the Essex, gee what will they quibble about next?

I know. To me a kit like that would be a great build. but some are taking styrene tubes and rounding the deck ends off themselves.