i was wondering....since i bought a 1:350 scale Tamiya Enterprise......what kind of config does the tamiya's enterprise have? does it have the 80's config or the current one (2001)?

From:

RAJENDRA's, JOE's, DAVE's, et al's list of SHIP KIT REVIEWS

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Enterprise (USN, CVN-65) [1/350] {78007} (Mod) FH
OK/FAIR. Somebody's gotta say it.. This kit has become kind of notorious for being expensive and huge and yet lacking so much detail. Yes, it's very impressive, and the fit isn't as bad as some reviews would have you believe; mine assembled with little fuss. But for such a high price, and for such an immense kit, this model should have included at least a semblance of a hangar deck and at least a few aircraft of all types carried. If you get this kit and want to make it look really good, be ready to invest plenty of money in sheet plastic and accessory kits, and devote plenty of time. (JMP)

UPDATE. I wholeheartedly agree with Jodie Peeler's review. Essentially correct in shape and dimension, the kit is big and expensive and lacking detail. It's a nice model out of the box but it begs for detail. It also had some design features that are not so builder-friendly.

The features the builder may have trouble with include aligning the three-piece flight deck so that the seams are smooth. The large hull is molded with a separate bow. Getting the seam smooth requires some putty work and sanding. The lack of a hangar deck is a real shame but can be scratch built. The molded on flight deck netting looks bad but can be replaced using the Gold Medal Models (GMM) photoetched brass detail set.

Before detailing your kit, keep in mind that Enterprise has been in service since the early 1960s and as such her appearance has changed during her service life. The kit shows the ship without her "beehive" radar as she appeared during the eight years between the 1979-1982 refit and her 1990-1993 refit. Fortunately for the builder, Bert Kinsey's "The USS Enterprise in Detail and Scale" ISBN 1-888974-23-0 is a great color photo reference of the ship during this eight-year period. I have annotated where in Bert Kinsey's excellent book the builder can refer to a photograph of the detail in question on board the actual ship.

The ship appears slightly different in detail today than it did before the 1990-1993 refit. Anyone wanting to build the ship as she appears at this writing (October 2001 taking part in air attacks on targets in Afghanistan) should check out the ship's official website for detail changes and the addition of radars to her island superstructure at http://www.navy.mil/homepages/cvn65/.

Here are kit inaccuracies the builder may want to correct:


GMM's brass set really makes the kit look good. The kit radars look heavy and the lack of details such as watertight doors, hatches, ladders, railings and fire hoses is noticeable. Paint the AN/SPS-49 radar black as well as the two SPN-42 dish antennas but all other island radars should be grey.

The kit is missing some very noticeable markings. Missing in the kit's instructions and decal sheet is the very large "USS ENTERPRISE CVN-65" marking on the forward face of the real Enterprise's island. On the aft face of the real square island appear "BIG E". The kit's yellow-on-black "BEWARE OF JET BLAST PROPS AND ROTORS" warning marking decals' word order are close but not quite correct. (BK - pg. 40) Dry letter transfers from an art supply store, craft store or hobby shop should do the trick.

The kit is missing any clear parts. The enclosed mount for the television camera on the port side of the island is missing the very noticeable curved Plexiglas cover. (BK - pg. 42) The kit's island windows are open holes so back them with clear plastic or fill with a "window making" fluid and let harden.

The kit's starboard side aft AN/SPN-41 automatic landing control radar should be moved outboard so that the outermost supports rest on the rail rather than the flight deck. It is also missing some framing. (BK - pg. 32) Paint the receiver panel white.

The innermost portion of real Elevator #2 is solid not perforated. (BK - pg. 28)

The real jet blast deflector for catapult #1 immediately forward of the island has six sections rather than the kit's three. (BK - pg. 22) The jet blast deflectors for catapults #1 and #2 are slightly out of position on the kit but this is not very noticeable.

There should be yellow ordnance disposal chutes on the flight deck edge at various positions for jettisoning explosives in the event of a fire. (BK - pg. 25) Enterprise suffered a serious fire off Hawaii in 1969 causing nine 500lb Mk 82 bombs loaded aboard burning aircraft to detonate. These noticeable chutes were added to all carriers following that fire and a similar fire aboard USS Forrestal.

The real aft flight deck edge is angular, not curved. (BK - rear cover)

The kit's enclosed bow forward face below the catapult overruns is missing the three very prominent bow line ports. (BK - pg. 47)

The kit is missing the entire landing signal officer platform and head up display at the forward end of the port quarter aft sponson at the flight deck level. (BK - pp. 51-52)

Omit the kit's starboard side aft Mark 29 Sea Sparrow launcher. It wasn't mounted until the 1990-1993 refit. (BK - pg. 49) Instead, scratch build and install two Mark 36 Rapid Bloom Offboard Chaff (RBOC) launchers here. (BK - pg. 59)

The insides of the real Mark 29 Sea Sparrow guidance radar shields mounted on the island are painted black not grey. (BK - pp. 56-57)

The real starboard mid-ships Mark 15 Phalanx Close-in Weapon System (CIWS) is mounted on a much larger box-like structure on top the flight deck edge next to the island. (BK - pg. 58)

The real port aft (fantail) Mark 15 Phalanx CIWS is mounted on top a much larger box-like structure on a platform at port quarter aft. (BK - pg. 51)

Scratch build and install two more RBOC launchers aft of the CIWS on the port forward CIWS sponson. (BK - pg. 59)

As for the air wing the kit's planes look perfectly dimensioned. Sadly, the canopies are molded solid with the fuselage. Also, none of the kit planes has folded wings meaning some surgery is required. The planes have no underwing pylons, ordnance or fuel tanks. Tom's Modelworks makes brass detail sets for the aircraft which include landing gear struts and bay doors, weapons pylons, airbrakes, tractor tow bars, refueling probes etc. I know of no actual underwing ordnance details sets or kits for purchase. Drill out the exhaust and inlets with a pin vise.
The kit only has a smattering of aircraft. To get most of the aircraft from the entire carrier air wing the builder will have to purchase additional aircraft sets also made by Tamiya. F/A-18 Hornets are available in these sets. Note that F/A-18 equipped squadrons were NOT assigned to Enterprise until after her 1990-1993 refit but Hornets did serve aboard Enterprise during carrier qualifications before 1990. A C-2 Greyhound can be made by modifying one of the E-2C Hawkeyes. Just flatten the nose, omit the radome, and remove the dihedral from the horizontal stabilizer making it flat. KA-6D tankers can be made from the kit's A-6 Intruders and are normally painted light grey and white for easy identification.

For builders depicting Enterprise's air wing after the 1990-1993 refit, replace the A-7 Corsairs with F/A-18 Hornets, replace SH-3H Sea Kings with six scratch built or kit-bashed SH-60F anti-submarine warfare helicopters and two HH-60H search and rescue helicopters. Replace any KA-6D tankers with KS-3 Viking tankers. The A-6 Intruder is currently retired from Enterprise's air wing being replaced by F/A-18 Hornets so builders should omit A-6s for Enterprise as she appears during operations against targets in Afghanistan. However, EA-6B Prowlers remain.

GMM makes some nice, thin decal sets for the air wing for East Coast (tail code AJ) or West Coast basings of Enterprise. The West Coast set for CVW-11, tail code letters NH, are correct for Enterprise as depicted by the kit including all deployments from 1982 until 1990. The E2-C Hawkeye "Screwtops" decals are NOT correct for CVW-11.

wow :O so many missing parts

and ermm know any good sites that provides nice pics of the enterprise for referrence?

If you can find it, "Enterprise in Detail and Scale" is a teriffic and indespensible reference. It has photos of almost every area of the ship in sufficient detail for the period in question which will allow you to make the changes. If you want to depict the Enterprise with the "bee-hive" radar configuration (prior to her 1979 -1982 refit) or in her current configuration (post 1993) you will have WAY more rework and this probably isn't the kit to use.

I built mine representing the time when she had CVW-11 embarked in the mid/late 80's and made a number of the corrections mentioned in the review, but not all of them. One thing I did correct, not mentioned in the review, is that the forward port sponson as provide in the kit is not large enough. The actual sponson extends aft by about another 50% so I scratch built that as well, along with some additional detail in the area over the stern below the round down.

I did a lot of re-work and PE updates after I had aleady "completed" the kit and had I had the references and the PE updates when I started it would have been much better. The three things I didn't do which I'd do differently were I to start the kit today are fill and sand the seams in the flight deck, put in clear windows in the superstructure and open up one or more of the elevators to show a scratch built hanger deck.

I made a lot of the modifications to the aircraft to add the details mentioned as well, such as refueling probes and some under wing stores, especially for the EA-6B Prowlers and the KA-6D tankers. But I handpainted all the squadron and Modex markings on all my aircraft before all the decals came out, and again, I'd use those if I were starting over.

I'll be more than happy to help you with your build in anyway I can and provide more photos than just the two I've got in my gallery. Just let me know!

Tom

ill be happy to see your enterprise and...where can i buy the "Enterprise in Detail and Scale" ?


"put in clear windows in the superstructure' what kind materials did u used to make the clear windows??

I think there are two basic methods, and I'm only familiar with one of them, which is to use very thin clear sheets of acetate or other materials specifically made to represent clear glass available at hobby shops. You can actually use the clear inserts that are often found in the collars of new shirts as sold in stores.

There is also a liquid window material which I've never used so I can't tell you any brand names or how well it works.

And good news on the Detail and Scale. After being out of print, it's available from Squadron for about $12 USD. Buy it!



http://www.kitreview.com/reviews/ussenterprisebookreviewbg_1.htm

I have two photos in my gallery, you can check out. I also have about 4-5 more that if you're interested, let me know and I can PM them to you. I haven't ever done a complete "walk around" of the kit so if there are some specific areas you're interested in, just let me know and I can shoot what I have.

Tom

[quoteThere is also a liquid window material which I've never used so I can't tell you any brand names or how well it works.[/quote]

It's called KristalKleer and its a sticky clear paste that after being applied (to small areas only and preferebly round) dryes cristal clear [ence the name ]

For this situation I would go to acetate or similar

Skipper

The Detail and Scale book has a section in there just on building the kit. I met the author at squadron a couple of years ago and he said he wrote it specifically to support the Tamiya kit.