Trumpeter 1/350 USS Hornet - Doolittle Raid [COMPLETED BUILD]

[Wolfman63]

Week 17 on the USS Hornet was more work on the island. I mounted the LED’s in the main part of the island and verified the effect I am looking for worked and it did. I then started working on the catwalks and rails. As I was working on them and checking the photos I noticed the catwalks were grated not solid. I then looked over the many accessories and found that I purchased the White Ensign Models Catwalks Set. I thought it was just the catwalks around the ship but then found out it includes the island catwalks! I then removed the kit catwalks, filled the mounting holes and started mounting the photo etch versions. These look a lot better and appear to be sized correctly. The kit ones looked a little thinner width wise.

There are two large search lights on each side of the island. These are molded in the kit gray. I decided to make them look more realistic. I took a drill bit the diameter of the search light lens. Drilling into it create a concave divot. This was then painted with chrome silver. I finally covered it with a round clear lens I located in my spare bin.

I then cut off the molded area on the aft side of the island that represents the stairwell. This was replaced with numerous photo etch parts. I am working on the port side island catwalk replacement now then I will work my way up to the masts.



See more photos and details from the start in my build log at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-350-uss-hornet-cv-8-doolittle-raid/

 

[Wolfman63]

Welcome to week 18 on the Trumpeter 1/350 USS Hornet project. This week was spent detailing the gun directors and the island. On the gun directors I first removed the molded “blocks” that represented the door and hatch. These were replaced with photo etch pieces. I then used the photo etch for the antenna and mount.

Switching over to the island I removed the molded porthole covers form the bridge and replaced them with the photo etch parts. The photo etch parts have the slots in them where the kit ones did not have them. I then started on the starboard side of the island. After reviewing the photos in the reference book I found that the three “portholes” near the top of the island are actually vents. I filled the portholes with putty then used a small styrene tube and cut an angle on them and installed them over the previously filled holes. There are also a couple of ducts and a storage bin mounted to the railing. After digging through my stash of extra photo etch parts I found a few items to scratch build a platform that has a cabinet attached to it. Not sure what its purpose is but I detailed it to match the reference photos.

I will next be detailing the port side of the island. I have already added the hose reels and some small rail sections. It takes al lot of time comparing the model island to the reference photos. Each time I find another small detail that is missing on the kit version. I still have the masts and rigging to do as well.

See more photos and details from the start in my build log at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-350-uss-hornet-cv-8-doolittle-raid/

 

[Bryian]

Thats incredible work.

 

[Wolfman63]

Week 19 – Work was slowed a little this week as I had the laptop I use for making decals started to die and needed to be replaced. I spent a couple of evenings changing over to a new laptop. Turning back to working on the project I added some more details to the island. There are smaller search lights around the island which have been included with the photo etch set. One of the kit search lights on the aft side of the island mounts to the deck. However after review of the photos it is actually mounted on a raised platform. I scratch built the platform and mounted the search light. I also used the photo etch SK antenna rather than the plain looking kit version.

Next I started on the masts. I started by removing the molded ladders and added photo etch details. The aft mast spars were detailed and set aside. The main mast needed a lot more work. Comparing the kit mast and the photo etch parts there were still a lot of details missing. To start with I added the hatch and ladder to go between the two platforms. Next was the top platform in the photos has a small extension on the forward side as well as mounts for rigging. I was able to locate some photo etch pieces in my spares bin to replicate these. Next were two large spot lights. The photo etch set had the face covers. I used a sprue tree the same diameter and then some spare photo etch parts to make the mounts for them. I then started painting the island and main mast.

Speaking of paint, after some research I found out the paint scheme is three colors not two as the kit instructions show. The island is haze grey with ocean grey camouflage. Below the flight deck the hull is ocean grey and navy blue camo. I chose to use the Scale Colors paint for this scheme. I am using SC004 5-H Haze Grey, SC003 5-O Ocean Grey, and SC002 5-N Navy Blue. This is the first time I am using this brand of paint.

I need to finish some details on the aft mast then finish assembling the island to start the tedious task of doing all the rigging.

See more photos and details from the start in my build log at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-350-uss-hornet-cv-8-doolittle-raid/

 

[Wolfman63]

Here we are at the 20th Week of the USS Hornet “Doolittle Raid” project! I am still working on island details. As I was researching all the rigging I found more details that I needed to add to the island. I found out that there are three whip antennas on the island. Two of them are on the funnel cap with rails and one on the aft end of the island. I scratch built these using photo etch and styrene rod for the base. I began attaching the first layer of rigging for the forward mast. I am using EZ-Line black fine for the rigging. With the lines attached on the one end I let the CA glue cure for a while before starting to attach the other end.

While the rigging was curing I started looking at the quad 1.1” anti-aircraft guns that sit on the flight deck. I assembled the kit version just to see how they look. They are very plain looking and seem too small for the scale. I then built up the photo etch version. They looked better but being photo etch they seemed too thin. I then decided to use a mix of the kit parts, Photo etch parts, and Aber 1/350 1.1” brass barrels for them. Using the “body” of the guns from the kit I installed the brass barrels and then installed the photo etch mount, seats, gun sights, and ammunition feed boxes.

I moved back to the rigging and started with the aft mast. One of the things I needed to add was the mount for the flag. I used some more photo etch scraps to make the mount. I am continuing with the rigging. It looks like there are going to be three sections, the forward main mast, the aft mast, and then the rigging that goes between the masts. All told there are roughly 20 individual lines that need to be added and routed. Once the rigging is finished I will do some touch up with the base color then add the camouflage color and finally the crew that will be placed on the island.



See more photos and details from the start in my build log at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-350-uss-hornet-cv-8-doolittle-raid/

 

[Wedgie01]

Here we are at the 20th Week of the USS Hornet “Doolittle Raid” project! I am still working on island details. As I was researching all the rigging I found more details that I needed to add to the island. I found out that there are three whip antennas on the island. Two of them are on the funnel cap with rails and one on the aft end of the island. I scratch built these using photo etch and styrene rod for the base. I began attaching the first layer of rigging for the forward mast. I am using EZ-Line black fine for the rigging. With the lines attached on the one end I let the CA glue cure for a while before starting to attach the other end.

While the rigging was curing I started looking at the quad 1.1” anti-aircraft guns that sit on the flight deck. I assembled the kit version just to see how they look. They are very plain looking and seem too small for the scale. I then built up the photo etch version. They looked better but being photo etch they seemed too thin. I then decided to use a mix of the kit parts, Photo etch parts, and Aber 1/350 1.1” brass barrels for them. Using the “body” of the guns from the kit I installed the brass barrels and then installed the photo etch mount, seats, gun sights, and ammunition feed boxes.

I moved back to the rigging and started with the aft mast. One of the things I needed to add was the mount for the flag. I used some more photo etch scraps to make the mount. I am continuing with the rigging. It looks like there are going to be three sections, the forward main mast, the aft mast, and then the rigging that goes between the masts. All told there are roughly 20 individual lines that need to be added and routed. Once the rigging is finished I will do some touch up with the base color then add the camouflage color and finally the crew that will be placed on the island.



See more photos and details from the start in my build log at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-350-uss-hornet-cv-8-doolittle-raid/

Fantastic work Wolfman!

 

[SigEp Ziggy]

Fantastic Work!

 

[Wolfman63]

Here we are at week 21 of the USS Hornet “Doolittle Raid” project. This week I was able to complete the island. All 34 lines of the rigging have been mounted. Once the rigging was completed I then painted the camouflage on the island using the photo references in the Hornet book. The pattern that the kit shows and what were actually on the ship differs slightly. The lines have a slight shift when they reach the catwalk half way up the island on the actual ship. I then finished the 4 quad AA guns used on the flight deck. I was looking over the flight deck assembly and decided to detail the hull next. This is being done as the catwalks that go around the hull for the flight deck need to be installed and painted before placing the flight deck on. Since all the catwalks are photo etch I filled all the mounting holes for the kit catwalks with putty. I then started at the stern I added the edge railing and worked on the second deck. This has three hose reels on it. The kit has cutouts for the kit reels. I filled these in with putty and then assembled the photo etch versions of the reels. I used black 6lbs test braided fishing line for the hoses. I used three layers of line on each reel. Need to research the rails and stairs on the stern then onto the catwalks.

See all the photos and details from the start in my build log at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-350-uss-hornet-cv-8-doolittle-raid/

 

[Wolfman63]

Week 22 – Starting at the stern I added more details. I added some crew members, the fantail launch, and the mooring rope winch on the starboard side. I used some 50lbs test braided fishing line for the mooring rope and coiled it around the winch spool. The kit does not provide an actual spot to hold the launch so I scratch built the cradle that holds the launch. I then started making the eight 5” dual-purpose guns. The kit gun mounts had a couple of issues. First the kit parts lacked detail and the gun barrels were more like 10” barrels. I cut off the barrels and replaced them with Aber brass barrels. I then added the photo etch details to provide a more accurate look.

Moving on I am now working on the catwalks. Since I am doing an “At Sea” display I used the full hull lower section as a placement guide. With the photo etch catwalk set from White Ensign there are sections that are replaced. The kit shields that go around the .50 caliber guns are too short and thick. These are cut off and replaced with photo etch versions. I started on the aft starboard side. I am working may way along the starboard side first. For the midship catwalk I added some empty reels that sit just under the catwalk. There are also small platforms that require railings added as well. Once the catwalks are done I will detail the bow and then begin detailing the underside of the flight deck.

See all the photos and details from the start in my build log at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-350-uss-hornet-cv-8-doolittle-raid/

 

[Wolfman63]

Week 23 has arrived – Continuing with the hull catwalks and railings. The catwalks are a mix of kit and photo etch. The kit sections are where the guns mount. As I mentioned before I removed the kit shields and added the photo etch versions. While on the subject of the guns, I looked over the .50 cal guns. The photo etch version has the thin base. So like all the other guns I went with a mix of kit and photo etch. I used the base of the kit and added just the gun to the base. The photo etch guns also have a few pieces. The shield and the shoulder mounts are separate parts. Once the sights are positioned I added the shield and mounts, the base was then notched to mount the gun.

I then moved on to the catwalks. Another difference from the kit to the photo etch is the catwalks have different levels when they go under the edge of the flight deck. Once I finished the catwalks on the starboard side I added the railings to the smaller levels and the safety rails for the open hangar doors. One thing to note, on the port side I did the railings first. With as delicate as the photo etch catwalks are, I have had to go back and repair some areas. I kept accisently bumping them or touching them incorrectly while working on the lower rails. When I went toe the port side I did the railing first and this works out much better. I need to add the railing to the catwalks then onto building all the .50 cals (20 just at the catwalk level) and then get the base coat of Ocean Gray on the hull. I am estimating the ship to be completed in about 6 more weeks then I need to start working on the “at sea” base and order the display case once I figure out the size I will need.

See all the photos and details from the start in my build log at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-350-uss-hornet-cv-8-doolittle-raid/

 

[Mikey25252]

Your work is truly exceptional. I have a technical question about how the elevators worked on the Yorktown class of carriers in general. I found this photo of the midship elevator at the hanger level. So when the elevator is up at the flight deck level is there an unusable area of the hanger deck caused by the absence of the elevator platform or is the elevator a 2 stage affair that moves into place at the hanger level as the elevator travels to the flight deck? The second photo shows the thickness of the elevator structure.

 

[Wolfman63]

Here we are at week 24 – This week I have all the catwalks installed and all the railings installed. Before I get into the details of the hull I need to make a correction from last week. The AA guns are not .50 cal. The reference book, as well as some online sources, states they used .50 cal for AA on the Hornet. As it turns out the US Navy found the .50 cal was not very effective. So in February before the Hornet sailed out of the shipyard they removed the .50 cal AA guns and replaced them with Oerlikon 20 mm cannons. The photo etch gun I previously built was the ones that came with the detail set and they are the 20mm.

Getting back to the build, while installing the railing on the bow I noticed there is a flag pole on the bow where the Union Jack flag is typically flown. Using some photo etch scraps I made the flag pole. Next I then painted the hull with the Ocean Gray base coat of paint. I then started detailing the bow. In the reference photos they had coils of mooring lines on the bow. I wanted to replicate these. I tried a few different things like regular string and wire. Neither of these looked like coils of rope. I then found a spool of 50lbs braided fishing line that I previously used as aircraft tie down rope for the 1/48 B-25B “Ruptured Duck” Doolittle raider aircraft I built previously. So I tried to coil it up but it was difficult keeping the coil. I then came up with a jig and made the mooring rope coils.

You can see the detailed process I used in my Tips and Tricks section at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/tips-and-tricks/how-to-make-mooring-ropes/

With the mooring ropes installed I then added the anchor chains. There are two launches on each side of the ship. These are the boats used as life boats and captains launch. The kit has the basics for each one but the photo etch set has details like rudders, rails, flooring, and life preservers. Once the boats were painted I looked at the placement. The kit does not provide the cradle used to store the boats on deck. I took some square stock styrene and scratch built the cradles. I then cleaned up the boat cranes on each side and installed them. I am working on the other twenty three 20mm AA guns and then need to add crew members to the bow.

See all the photos and details from the start in my build log at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-350-uss-hornet-cv-8-doolittle-raid/

 

[PT-2]

Here we are at the 20th Week of the USS Hornet “Doolittle Raid” project! I am still working on island details. As I was researching all the rigging I found more details that I needed to add to the island. I found out that there are three whip antennas on the island. Two of them are on the funnel cap with rails and one on the aft end of the island. I scratch built these using photo etch and styrene rod for the base. I began attaching the first layer of rigging for the forward mast. I am using EZ-Line black fine for the rigging. With the lines attached on the one end I let the CA glue cure for a while before starting to attach the other end.

While the rigging was curing I started looking at the quad 1.1” anti-aircraft guns that sit on the flight deck. I assembled the kit version just to see how they look. They are very plain looking and seem too small for the scale. I then built up the photo etch version. They looked better but being photo etch they seemed too thin. I then decided to use a mix of the kit parts, Photo etch parts, and Aber 1/350 1.1” brass barrels for them. Using the “body” of the guns from the kit I installed the brass barrels and then installed the photo etch mount, seats, gun sights, and ammunition feed boxes.

I moved back to the rigging and started with the aft mast. One of the things I needed to add was the mount for the flag. I used some more photo etch scraps to make the mount. I am continuing with the rigging. It looks like there are going to be three sections, the forward main mast, the aft mast, and then the rigging that goes between the masts. All told there are roughly 20 individual lines that need to be added and routed. Once the rigging is finished I will do some touch up with the base color then add the camouflage color and finally the crew that will be placed on the island.



See more photos and details from the start in my build log at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-350-uss-hornet-cv-8-doolittle-raid/

Your research and use of actual ship photos are leading you to a realm of precise micro detailing which you are producing and including very well. This will be an incredible model when done. Your meld of micro LED with the model itself is way above my own level of knowledge or abilities. Very nicely progressing. Rich (PT-2) (Having some NATO and VIet Nam combat time aboard carriers this is a walk back in memory lane.)

 

[Wolfman63]

The 25th week covers assembling and installing all the anti-aircraft and 5” guns. The Oerlikon 20 mm cannons took some time to assemble. There are only 4 photo etch parts as well as the kit part modified for the mount. Assembling all 28 of them took three evenings but they are all built, painted and mounted. I then painted the 5” guns and mounted them.

I then added the few remaining ladders for the catwalks. For the one ladder that goes up to the catwalk on the port side I added one of the 3-D printed crew members that are positioned walking up a ladder. Right now I am painting many of the crew that will be positioned around the hull and bow. Once the crew has been placed the hull will be complete and the flight deck assembly can be detailed and installed.

See all the photos and details from the start in my build log at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-350-uss-hornet-cv-8-doolittle-raid/

 

[PT-2]

The 25th week covers assembling and installing all the anti-aircraft and 5” guns. The Oerlikon 20 mm cannons took some time to assemble. There are only 4 photo etch parts as well as the kit part modified for the mount. Assembling all 28 of them took three evenings but they are all built, painted and mounted. I then painted the 5” guns and mounted them.

I then added the few remaining ladders for the catwalks. For the one ladder that goes up to the catwalk on the port side I added one of the 3-D printed crew members that are positioned walking up a ladder. Right now I am painting many of the crew that will be positioned around the hull and bow. Once the crew has been placed the hull will be complete and the flight deck assembly can be detailed and installed.

See all the photos and details from the start in my build log at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-350-uss-hornet-cv-8-doolittle-raid/

You have some incredibly small elements to work with, finish, and place. This carrier is a visual walk back of mental time and recognition. Well done as you progress! Rich (PT-2)

 

[Wolfman63]

Week 26 on the USS Hornet – I have hit the 6 month mark! First, I want to say I hope everyone had a great holiday. With the holiday season here I have a few days off from my regular job and was able to get a lot of work on the Hornet. To start with I added crew members to the bow and hull. There are a few standing near doorways as well. Once they were placed I moved onto the flight deck catwalks. For the bow end I added the catwalks and rails. They were then painted and mounted to the flight deck. For the aft section there are also four 20mm AA guns as well. I cut off the gun sections from the kit catwalk and trimmed them to fit the photo etch catwalks. I am waiting to add the AA guns until later to avoid accidently damaging them.

The next part is new for me. I purchased the Nautilus Models wood flight deck. The directions strongly call out to stain/paint the deck prior to installing. They recommend using the White Ensign US11 Flight Deck Stain 21 which is made by ColourCoats. There are sections for the island and other flight deck details that need to be cut out to fit on the deck. The wooden deck is self-adhesive so you just need to use a knife to cut through the backing paper to remove them. The decking was them painted. I next painted the two lines that were used to guide the B-25’s down the deck. The wider line was for the port main gear and the thinner line was for the nose gear. Another interesting marking that was unique was they actually glued sheets of non-skid to the deck at the 450ft mark for the main wheels. The purpose at the time was to stage the B-25 wheels on the spots. This was to line up each aircraft on the exact same starting point for the launch. I replicated these by painting two black squares in the correct locations Once it was dry I did a little weathering with dark gray pastel chalk around the elevators and the landing area.

A hole was drilled into the flight deck where the island goes so that the wires for the island lighting could be routed. The island was then mounted to the flight deck. I routed the wires through the hangar and then to the bottom of the hull. I then checked to make sure all the lighting works. I then needed to adjust the intensity of the lights. They are way too bright. Since the island uses 5mm LED’s and the hangar deck is only PICO size I needed to adjust the intensity for each section. To accomplish this I added a 650 ohm resistor for the power in. This made the hangar deck lighting correct but the island was still too bright. A 470 ohm resistor was added to the wiring going to the island. This corrected the intensity level to a much more realistic level.

Finally, for this week I used a box to raise the model. This was done to allow me to paint the 5-N Navy Blue camouflage on the bottom of the hull. Using a reference photo I duplicated the scheme. I am currently working on adding the rest of the details to the flight deck like the pilot house and the deck crane. There is light at the end of the tunnel! I am hoping to start working on the B-25’s then all the crew members for the flight deck in the next week.



You can see the numerous photos and details from the start of the huge project in my build log at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-350-uss-hornet-cv-8-doolittle-raid/

 

[Jimsky]

You are a master of details, David! great job on such a small scale! Happy Holidays Season!

 

[PT-2]

Week 26 on the USS Hornet – I have hit the 6 month mark! First, I want to say I hope everyone had a great holiday. With the holiday season here I have a few days off from my regular job and was able to get a lot of work on the Hornet. To start with I added crew members to the bow and hull. There are a few standing near doorways as well. Once they were placed I moved onto the flight deck catwalks. For the bow end I added the catwalks and rails. They were then painted and mounted to the flight deck. For the aft section there are also four 20mm AA guns as well. I cut off the gun sections from the kit catwalk and trimmed them to fit the photo etch catwalks. I am waiting to add the AA guns until later to avoid accidently damaging them.

The next part is new for me. I purchased the Nautilus Models wood flight deck. The directions strongly call out to stain/paint the deck prior to installing. They recommend using the White Ensign US11 Flight Deck Stain 21 which is made by ColourCoats. There are sections for the island and other flight deck details that need to be cut out to fit on the deck. The wooden deck is self-adhesive so you just need to use a knife to cut through the backing paper to remove them. The decking was them painted. I next painted the two lines that were used to guide the B-25’s down the deck. The wider line was for the port main gear and the thinner line was for the nose gear. Another interesting marking that was unique was they actually glued sheets of non-skid to the deck at the 450ft mark for the main wheels. The purpose at the time was to stage the B-25 wheels on the spots. This was to line up each aircraft on the exact same starting point for the launch. I replicated these by painting two black squares in the correct locations Once it was dry I did a little weathering with dark gray pastel chalk around the elevators and the landing area.

A hole was drilled into the flight deck where the island goes so that the wires for the island lighting could be routed. The island was then mounted to the flight deck. I routed the wires through the hangar and then to the bottom of the hull. I then checked to make sure all the lighting works. I then needed to adjust the intensity of the lights. They are way too bright. Since the island uses 5mm LED’s and the hangar deck is only PICO size I needed to adjust the intensity for each section. To accomplish this I added a 650 ohm resistor for the power in. This made the hangar deck lighting correct but the island was still too bright. A 470 ohm resistor was added to the wiring going to the island. This corrected the intensity level to a much more realistic level.

Finally, for this week I used a box to raise the model. This was done to allow me to paint the 5-N Navy Blue camouflage on the bottom of the hull. Using a reference photo I duplicated the scheme. I am currently working on adding the rest of the details to the flight deck like the pilot house and the deck crane. There is light at the end of the tunnel! I am hoping to start working on the B-25’s then all the crew members for the flight deck in the next week.



You can see the numerous photos and details from the start of the huge project in my build log at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-350-uss-hornet-cv-8-doolittle-raid/

Even without the arresting gear on the flight deck your model arrests my attention and admiration for your detailing. Well done!!! Rich (PT-2)

 

[Wolfman63]

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

For the first update of 2022 and week 27 of the Hornet Project the ship itself is now complete! I started the week off by adding the guns and final items to the flight deck. On the starboard side where the 20mm’s are next to the island I noticed there is a shield in front of them. I used a strip of styrene to replicate this. I then added the LSO platforms. There are two of them one at the bow and one at the stern. I then used the kit main crane tower and added the photo etch accessories. Using the reference photos I used some EZ-Line fine to rig up the crane cables. The crane was then mounted in the correct location. The kit is slightly off of the actual position.

With the flight deck detailed I then added the remaining details to the hull like the anchors and life rafts. The life rafts have a photo etch webbing as well as the oars and mounting straps. I then added the port loop antenna to the bow and the two starboard antenna mounts. I then added the LSO folding walls in the down position. The two gang planks were added to each side in the folded position. At this point the ship itself is now complete. I then started on the sixteen B-25B Doolittle Raiders. The photo etch set comes with a cockpit. The cockpit consists of the cockpit bucket with two seats, two control sticks, the instrument panel and the bulkhead for nose. The fuselage of the B-25B needs to have the two locating pins and sockets removed in order to accommodate the cockpit. As for the B-25B kit, there are a couple of things that I do not like. First, they have a belly gun turret which needs to be removed as these were not on the Doolittle Raider aircraft. Second, they include the canopy and nose in clear but have the upper turret and tail molded in the gray. These are large enough that they could have included clear parts. Actually, if the upper fuselage was molded in clear it would also help with the tail as well. I ended up painting the turret and tail canopy light blue and then the turret frame in the green drab.

Once the fuselage was assembled and wings added I then used the photo etch for the landing gear and landing gear doors. The instructions have you cut off the kit struts and use the wheels for the photo etch landing gear. I used the same method as I did with the other aircraft for the propellers using 0.5mm fiber optic for the propeller shaft and hub. The kit only comes with some of the tail numbers (not all are the correct numbers) and the insignias. I made my own set of decals for them. These include the correct tail numbers, the prop warning stripe, the U.S. ARMY under the wings and the correct nose art for the few aircraft that had them. The first one painted is Col. Doolittle’s lead aircraft. I have eleven more to build and then paint and place the 3-D printed crew members. Next week I should be starting the “at sea” base. Need to figure out the exact size then contact Grandpa’s Cabinets and order the case.

You can see the numerous photos and details from the start of the huge project in my build log at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-350-uss-hornet-cv-8-doolittle-raid/

 

[PT-2]

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

For the first update of 2022 and week 27 of the Hornet Project the ship itself is now complete! I started the week off by adding the guns and final items to the flight deck. On the starboard side where the 20mm’s are next to the island I noticed there is a shield in front of them. I used a strip of styrene to replicate this. I then added the LSO platforms. There are two of them one at the bow and one at the stern. I then used the kit main crane tower and added the photo etch accessories. Using the reference photos I used some EZ-Line fine to rig up the crane cables. The crane was then mounted in the correct location. The kit is slightly off of the actual position.

With the flight deck detailed I then added the remaining details to the hull like the anchors and life rafts. The life rafts have a photo etch webbing as well as the oars and mounting straps. I then added the port loop antenna to the bow and the two starboard antenna mounts. I then added the LSO folding walls in the down position. The two gang planks were added to each side in the folded position. At this point the ship itself is now complete. I then started on the sixteen B-25B Doolittle Raiders. The photo etch set comes with a cockpit. The cockpit consists of the cockpit bucket with two seats, two control sticks, the instrument panel and the bulkhead for nose. The fuselage of the B-25B needs to have the two locating pins and sockets removed in order to accommodate the cockpit. As for the B-25B kit, there are a couple of things that I do not like. First, they have a belly gun turret which needs to be removed as these were not on the Doolittle Raider aircraft. Second, they include the canopy and nose in clear but have the upper turret and tail molded in the gray. These are large enough that they could have included clear parts. Actually, if the upper fuselage was molded in clear it would also help with the tail as well. I ended up painting the turret and tail canopy light blue and then the turret frame in the green drab.

Once the fuselage was assembled and wings added I then used the photo etch for the landing gear and landing gear doors. The instructions have you cut off the kit struts and use the wheels for the photo etch landing gear. I used the same method as I did with the other aircraft for the propellers using 0.5mm fiber optic for the propeller shaft and hub. The kit only comes with some of the tail numbers (not all are the correct numbers) and the insignias. I made my own set of decals for them. These include the correct tail numbers, the prop warning stripe, the U.S. ARMY under the wings and the correct nose art for the few aircraft that had them. The first one painted is Col. Doolittle’s lead aircraft. I have eleven more to build and then paint and place the 3-D printed crew members. Next week I should be starting the “at sea” base. Need to figure out the exact size then contact Grandpa’s Cabinets and order the case.

You can see the numerous photos and details from the start of the huge project in my build log at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-350-uss-hornet-cv-8-doolittle-raid/

Amazing small detailing that you have done for the carrier, flight deck, hanger bay, and all around. Excellent work. Rich (PT-2)