Although I have Forrestal and the Akagi on the workbench, I'm thinking about a WWII US flattop. I was wondering what the experience was with the new Trumpeter WWII carriers.
My only experience with Trumpeter so far has been the 1/35 Swedish S-tank- nice kit but soft plastic.
How is the detail and plastic on the Trumpeter carriers? Are they worth the cost ? (roughly $90 - $100 US)
Thanks for any advice,
Peter
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Quality of Trumpeter WWII flattops
sphyrna
Joined: September 24, 2002
KitMaker: 379 posts
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Posted: Saturday, March 19, 2005 - 06:04 AM UTC
blaster76
Joined: September 15, 2002
KitMaker: 8,985 posts
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Posted: Saturday, March 19, 2005 - 10:39 AM UTC
Peter:
I think if you check ebay, you can pick up an Essex or a Hornet for around $80 and if you look real hard maybe a Nimitz for under $120. Are they good? ARE THEY GOOD? Hornet was kit of the year for 2002 and the Nimitz runnerup against the Revell 72nd scle U-boat. Oh and Squadron featured a ship (Trumpeter's Liberty ship) as it's kit of the year. I have built the Essex and it was absolutely a BALL to build. Went together well, I had a PE set to enhance and I still look at it admiringly. I have the Hornet and Nimitz now and the Lexington on order. So my friend, name your poison as anyone of these will give you your moneys worth. So in answer I give an UNEQUIVICATAL....YES they are great kits
I think if you check ebay, you can pick up an Essex or a Hornet for around $80 and if you look real hard maybe a Nimitz for under $120. Are they good? ARE THEY GOOD? Hornet was kit of the year for 2002 and the Nimitz runnerup against the Revell 72nd scle U-boat. Oh and Squadron featured a ship (Trumpeter's Liberty ship) as it's kit of the year. I have built the Essex and it was absolutely a BALL to build. Went together well, I had a PE set to enhance and I still look at it admiringly. I have the Hornet and Nimitz now and the Lexington on order. So my friend, name your poison as anyone of these will give you your moneys worth. So in answer I give an UNEQUIVICATAL....YES they are great kits
95bravo
Joined: November 18, 2003
KitMaker: 2,242 posts
Model Shipwrights: 1,064 posts
Posted: Saturday, March 19, 2005 - 01:38 PM UTC
I've heard both good and bad comments about the 1/350th carriers. Well, the Hornet in particular. The foremost complaint that I've heard was the bow angle is wrong. That in comparison with the ( either the Navy Dry Dock or Blue Water Navy...somone help me out here) resin kit it was not accurate. Then again, if you're paying $400 plus, it better be accurate.
I plan to buy the Trumpeter Hornet for this campaign, I'm not that picky if the bow angle is absolutly correct. Hell, I'm happy if it looks pretty darn close. (well, within reason) I do this for pure joy of doing it.
I plan to buy the Trumpeter Hornet for this campaign, I'm not that picky if the bow angle is absolutly correct. Hell, I'm happy if it looks pretty darn close. (well, within reason) I do this for pure joy of doing it.
desertmole
Joined: February 04, 2004
KitMaker: 53 posts
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Posted: Saturday, March 19, 2005 - 04:35 PM UTC
After the Hornet appeared, there were several comments/complaints on the bow over on the Steel Navy board about the bow. That said, the BWN/YMW Hornet had similar problems. I have not seen any real complaints about the new USS Lexington. The kit seems really well received. If you check e-bay you can probably pick one up for about $90-95 plus shipping. I am waiting for mine now. 
blaster76
Joined: September 15, 2002
KitMaker: 8,985 posts
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Posted: Sunday, March 20, 2005 - 09:36 AM UTC
Keep in mind that when the guys over at Steelnavy say accurate, they are extremely exactiing. You probably could look at a picture of the real thing and not be able to tell the difference. Its more like strap locations are wrong or soemthing like that on a tank. I remember the hollering that on the Essex it either had none or two of the aircraftcatapults. The kit had one, thing is it is a molded ripple on the kit (as is the planking). Who cares?
desertmole
Joined: February 04, 2004
KitMaker: 53 posts
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Posted: Sunday, March 27, 2005 - 04:15 PM UTC
Well, apparently there was a serious flaw in the Hornet bow, but, IIRC, it was similar to a resin kit by another company. So it was a fairly common mistake.
I don't believe I have seen any negative comments about the USS Lexington.
BTW, I got mine yesterday. She is a beaut. Now, with several backdating planes, and some 8" turrets, she will look even better! 
Have a Great Day! Rah Virginia Mil!!!
I don't believe I have seen any negative comments about the USS Lexington.
BTW, I got mine yesterday.
She is a beaut. Now, with several backdating planes, and some 8" turrets, she will look even better! Have a Great Day! Rah Virginia Mil!!!
blaster76
Joined: September 15, 2002
KitMaker: 8,985 posts
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Posted: Sunday, March 27, 2005 - 05:31 PM UTC
Mine had better show up tomorrow. According to the sender it was shipped a week and a half ago.
Have you read any of Harold Coyle '74 like Team Yankee?
You forgot the rest:
RAH RAH RAH
RAH RAH VMI
76 - '76 - '76
(well in my case anyway)
Have you read any of Harold Coyle '74 like Team Yankee?
You forgot the rest:
RAH RAH RAH
RAH RAH VMI
76 - '76 - '76
(well in my case anyway)
Martinnnn
Joined: April 26, 2004
KitMaker: 5,435 posts
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Posted: Monday, March 28, 2005 - 12:57 AM UTC
I'm gonna buy either the Essex or Hornet for the Flattops campaign.......great kits I guess.
I can't find extra aircraft however. I can only find modern 1/350 aircraft. Does trumpeter or any other compagny also make wildcats, hellcat, SBD's, Avengers etc in 1/350?
Martin
I can't find extra aircraft however. I can only find modern 1/350 aircraft. Does trumpeter or any other compagny also make wildcats, hellcat, SBD's, Avengers etc in 1/350?
Martin
Snowhand
Joined: January 08, 2005
KitMaker: 1,066 posts
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Posted: Monday, March 28, 2005 - 03:41 AM UTC
Trumpeter makes extra 1/350 planes for both era's.
Both Meyer & Blessing as Nieuwenhuizen in Rotterdam have them in stock.
Usually, you get 6 planes per package.
Item numbers:
6202 (F4F Wildcat)
6203 (TBD Devastator)
6204 (SBD Dauntless)
6209 (F4U Corsair )
6210 (F6F Hellcat )
6211 (SBC2 Helldiver)
6212 (TBF Avenger)
Also, White Ensign Models makes wonderfull PE sets for those planes.
And.... I do recall Tamiya having done sets of ww2 planes in 1/350.
That said, most critics say that the Trumpeter planes are better.
hth,
Richard 'Snowhand' Renes
Both Meyer & Blessing as Nieuwenhuizen in Rotterdam have them in stock.
Usually, you get 6 planes per package.
Item numbers:
6202 (F4F Wildcat)
6203 (TBD Devastator)
6204 (SBD Dauntless)
6209 (F4U Corsair )
6210 (F6F Hellcat )
6211 (SBC2 Helldiver)
6212 (TBF Avenger)
Also, White Ensign Models makes wonderfull PE sets for those planes.
And.... I do recall Tamiya having done sets of ww2 planes in 1/350.
That said, most critics say that the Trumpeter planes are better.
hth,
Richard 'Snowhand' Renes
blaster76
Joined: September 15, 2002
KitMaker: 8,985 posts
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Posted: Monday, March 28, 2005 - 08:51 AM UTC
Martinn:
I have both the Hornet and Essex. Built the Essex last year using the Tom's photo etched set for the ship. It really enhances the kit and is cheaper than the WEM . I got extra Hellcats, Avengers and Dauntlass for mine. Great Models has them as well as Hobbyeasy in Macau, China. I Plan to do the B-25's for the Hornet. You might also consider the new Lexington that just came out. Mine arrived in the mail today. Haven't opened it yet, but I've heard from those who have and they loved it.
I have both the Hornet and Essex. Built the Essex last year using the Tom's photo etched set for the ship. It really enhances the kit and is cheaper than the WEM . I got extra Hellcats, Avengers and Dauntlass for mine. Great Models has them as well as Hobbyeasy in Macau, China. I Plan to do the B-25's for the Hornet. You might also consider the new Lexington that just came out. Mine arrived in the mail today. Haven't opened it yet, but I've heard from those who have and they loved it.
Halfyank
Joined: February 01, 2003
KitMaker: 5,221 posts
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Posted: Monday, March 28, 2005 - 09:44 AM UTC
Quoted Text
Haven't opened it yet, but I've heard from those who have and they loved it.
What are you doing posting here? :-) If that puppy arrived on my door I either be ripping that package open, or if I was at work I'd be taking the rest of the day off so I could run home and THEN rip it open.
blaster76
Joined: September 15, 2002
KitMaker: 8,985 posts
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Posted: Tuesday, March 29, 2005 - 09:52 AM UTC
Roger
It's kinda like a bowl of Baskin and Robbins mint choclate chip. You want to savor each and every drop. I opened it up and slowly pulled each item/bag out and looked at the parts, and the instructions. Counted the planes and then took inventory of the sprues. I'll probably do it at least a dozen more times before I get started on it going so far as pulling the hull out and putting deck pieces on it. I think this is their best WW2 carrier. Still think that Nimitz is the Cat's Meow though
It's kinda like a bowl of Baskin and Robbins mint choclate chip. You want to savor each and every drop. I opened it up and slowly pulled each item/bag out and looked at the parts, and the instructions. Counted the planes and then took inventory of the sprues. I'll probably do it at least a dozen more times before I get started on it going so far as pulling the hull out and putting deck pieces on it. I think this is their best WW2 carrier. Still think that Nimitz is the Cat's Meow though
desertmole
Joined: February 04, 2004
KitMaker: 53 posts
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Posted: Tuesday, March 29, 2005 - 05:30 PM UTC
I received my Lexington two days ago. I spent about an hour doing the same. She is really nice. 
The Trumpy F4Fs, SBDs and TBDs come 10 to a box. The rest come 6 to a box.
BTW, Harry was my cadre corporal. I read almost all of his books, up through the two Civil War books and then lost interest. To my mind, his two best were Team Yankee and The Ten Thousand. In them he seemed to focus more on story than characters. I'm an old DAT. I love goods tanking stories!
The Trumpy F4Fs, SBDs and TBDs come 10 to a box. The rest come 6 to a box.
BTW, Harry was my cadre corporal. I read almost all of his books, up through the two Civil War books and then lost interest. To my mind, his two best were Team Yankee and The Ten Thousand. In them he seemed to focus more on story than characters. I'm an old DAT. I love goods tanking stories!
Martinnnn
Joined: April 26, 2004
KitMaker: 5,435 posts
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Posted: Tuesday, March 29, 2005 - 06:03 PM UTC
Quoted Text
Martinn:
I have both the Hornet and Essex. Built the Essex last year using the Tom's photo etched set for the ship. It really enhances the kit and is cheaper than the WEM . I got extra Hellcats, Avengers and Dauntlass for mine. Great Models has them as well as Hobbyeasy in Macau, China. I Plan to do the B-25's for the Hornet. You might also consider the new Lexington that just came out. Mine arrived in the mail today. Haven't opened it yet, but I've heard from those who have and they loved it.
Yeah but I think the command tower (you call it like that) of the Essex / Hornet is nicer than the Lexington....that one has such a big exhaust behind it lol (I hope this all makes sense, I don't know how to call some parts of flattops here....exhaust behind the command tower? :-))
Martin
thathaway3
Joined: September 10, 2004
KitMaker: 1,610 posts
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Posted: Wednesday, March 30, 2005 - 06:55 AM UTC
Generally that entire structure is referred to as the "island" and has several areas in common with most ship nomenclature, specifically there is a bridge where the Captain would be. The smokestack or "stack" in the Lexington Class was always one of the striking and I thought attractive features of those ships. Certainly unique and discinctive.
Tom
Tom
thathaway3
Joined: September 10, 2004
KitMaker: 1,610 posts
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Posted: Wednesday, March 30, 2005 - 07:01 AM UTC
Quoted Text
BTW, Harry was my cadre corporal. I read almost all of his books, up through the two Civil War books and then lost interest. To my mind, his two best were Team Yankee and The Ten Thousand. In them he seemed to focus more on story than characters. I'm an old DAT. I love goods tanking stories!
Although he was two classes behind me, I honestly never remember meeting him. He certainly wasn't in my company, nor in the Civil Engineering program, so with being a third (we all know what THEIR diet consists of :-) :-) :-) ) when I was a 1st Classman, that's not too unusual. I've also read all of his books and found most of them to be very entertaining. I felt he does just about the best job of all the authors in the entire "military techno-thriller" genre with respect to capturing the essence of ground combat. I always felt I was right in the TC's hatch, and agree with your assessment on Team Yankee and the Ten Thousand.
BTW, BOTH of you get down and give me 10. There are no numbers in the number line past ' 72. LMAO!
blaster76
Joined: September 15, 2002
KitMaker: 8,985 posts
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Posted: Wednesday, March 30, 2005 - 09:40 AM UTC
I have to agree that Team Yankee and the !0,000 were his best. I have always hoped they would do a film version of Team Yankee, but...after Hollywood did it, we tankers would probably hate it.
Halfyank
Joined: February 01, 2003
KitMaker: 5,221 posts
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Posted: Wednesday, March 30, 2005 - 09:58 AM UTC
Quoted Text
Yeah but I think the command tower (you call it like that) of the Essex / Hornet is nicer than the Lexington....that one has such a big exhaust behind it lol
If you don't like the looks of the stack on the Lex after it was made into a carrier, you should have seen at least one design of her when she was still going to be a battle cruiser. One design had seven, count them , seven small thin stacks. There was going to be one on the center line, then two abreast, then one center, then two abreast, then one center.
Thanks goodness they didn't make that beast. Makes the Fuso, possibly the ugliest battleship every afloat, positively beautiful.
Have you noticed that every single post so far on this thread, that has a banner, has Garry's Campaigns as their banner. That's really pretty nice, and a great tribute to Garry.
desertmole
Joined: February 04, 2004
KitMaker: 53 posts
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Posted: Wednesday, March 30, 2005 - 06:48 PM UTC
Halfyank wrote:
Even with those stacks, she had beautiful hull lines, and the cagemasts looked rather magestic. Her final battlecruiser design was elegance in the supreme.
Tom wrote:
Agreed. I think Team Yankee captured the feel of being a tanker best, and I felt his best storyline was The Ten Thousand.
Harry was an LA at VMI, so I doubt he even knew where NEB was.
I met Harry the last time at VMI in '88 or '89, when he brought Tom Clancy, WEB Griffin and Stephen Coonts to VMI to speak to the English classes and also give an evening roundtable discussion. It was pretty good. I got to talk with Griffin and Coonts at length, and found them real gentlemen.
Quoted Text
Thanks goodness they didn't make that beast. Makes the Fuso, possibly the ugliest battleship every afloat, positively beautiful.
Even with those stacks, she had beautiful hull lines, and the cagemasts looked rather magestic. Her final battlecruiser design was elegance in the supreme.
Tom wrote:
Quoted Text
I always felt I was right in the TC's hatch, and agree with your assessment on Team Yankee and the Ten Thousand.
Agreed. I think Team Yankee captured the feel of being a tanker best,
and I felt his best storyline was The Ten Thousand. Harry was an LA at VMI, so I doubt he even knew where NEB was.
I met Harry the last time at VMI in '88 or '89, when he brought Tom Clancy, WEB Griffin and Stephen Coonts to VMI to speak to the English classes and also give an evening roundtable discussion. It was pretty good. I got to talk with Griffin and Coonts at length, and found them real gentlemen.
blaster76
Joined: September 15, 2002
KitMaker: 8,985 posts
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Posted: Wednesday, March 30, 2005 - 09:59 PM UTC
Ah, but being an LA had its privledges.......the beach !!!!!!!!!!!! (BTW the LA program at the I is ranked among THE BEST in the country)
I took "cars and Trucks" so mnaged to discover NEB, I think we also did some computer work in there for some class I had.....remember punch cards
thathaway3
Joined: September 10, 2004
KitMaker: 1,610 posts
Model Shipwrights: 566 posts
Posted: Thursday, March 31, 2005 - 09:53 AM UTC
Clancy, Coonts, and WEB Griffith. What, were Dale Brown and David Poyer out of town?? :-) :-) I will admit to a passion for reading as well as building models, and have read over 300 various "military techno-thrillers" since the genre got really kicked off in about 1980. Those three alone account for about 25% of the total!
TC
desertmole
Joined: February 04, 2004
KitMaker: 53 posts
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Posted: Saturday, April 02, 2005 - 10:29 PM UTC
The story was that Harry had made so much profit from Team Yankee the book, Team Yankee the comic book (er, graphic novel), Team Yankee the audio book, Team Yankee the wargame, Team Yankee the underwear, etc., :-) that he decided to pay for this visit himself as a tax write-off. He paid each of the speakers an honorarium, in the name of VMI. It was pretty interesting, particularly talking to Coonts and Griffin (his real name is Butterworth). I'm also a fan of "techno-thriller" fiction, and actually collect some that dates back to the turn of the 20th century. Hector Bywater's Great Pacific War is a good example. It focuses more on the hardware of a war between the US and Japan in the 1930s than it does characters.
blaster76
Joined: September 15, 2002
KitMaker: 8,985 posts
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Posted: Sunday, April 03, 2005 - 08:51 AM UTC
I heard that Griffen resides outside of Dothan, AL. I wish I could have attended that conference too. I read all those guys avidly. I found the 4 comic series of Team Yankee. It was in a bag and the dealer sold it to me for a couple of bucks. Did HArry complete 20 years active duty?. I just missed seeing him once. He was doing Civil War Reinactments and got involved in a big one we had in western Louisiana. (Red River campaign) I didn't do the 5 day march, but joined my group for the weekend battle. Found out a year later when Harry released his first Civil War book that he had been there.
desertmole
Joined: February 04, 2004
KitMaker: 53 posts
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Posted: Sunday, April 03, 2005 - 10:13 PM UTC
My understanding was that Harry left before his 20 to pursue writing full time.
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