| Yankee Modelworks | |
| U.S.S. Lexington Backdate Kit (1938-1941) | |
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kit number YKM-???? | |
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Reviewed By Charles Landrum, #26328 | |
Suggested Retail Price: TBA Available directly from Yankee Modelworks or through retail outlets. Review copy provided by Yankee Modelworks 88 Hatch Street Suite 306 New Bedford, MA 02745 USA (508) 996-1760 I would like to thank IPMS and owner John Sheridan for this review sample. | |
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For the fans of the LEXINGTON and SARATOGA the most anticipated release of the ship modeling hobby is out, the Yankee Modelworks backdate set! The Trumpeter model in 1/350 was the most eagerly awaited ship model release in recent memory until Trumpeter revealed that the kit of LEXINGTON would be in her final configuration; her loss at the Battle of Coral Sea in 1942. There would be no eight inch guns, the fans of the pre-war navy were disheartened, AND the buzz quieted. But the buzz renewed when John Sheridan of Yankee Modelworks went to work on a backdate set for the Trumpeter kit based on his company’s own model of the ship. The big guns are back and the faithful will not be disappointed. This is a back date set for the area of the island and smokestack, the hard part of the conversion. This is a mixed media set with 68 parts in resin, white metal and photo-etched brass; the PE fret providing 34 of the parts. All of the resin and metal parts are very well cast. The only imperfections I found in the resin were small bubbles in the petite range finders for the gun housings. The white metal parts only require minor cleanup. The PE set is nicely detailed and appropriately scaled in single relief etching. Here is the breakdown: | |
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Resin Boat Deck at the stack base Pilot House/Navigating Bridge Flag Plot and deck Aft 8in fire control deck/roof Stack notch filler Decks for mounts 81, 82, & 84 8 inch gun housings (x4) 2 pair range finders for housings .50 cal mg tubs for housings (x4) |
Photo-etch Upper/lower aft 8in fire control bulkheads Aviation Room/Secondary Conn Forward 8in fire control Davits/davit details Stack platform Boat cradles Ladders Railings Gun housing railings |
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Metal 8in gun barrels (x8) Saluting battery barrels (x2) Aft 8in range finder Brass rod (support legs) | |
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| Since these parts cover the period 1938 (when the flight deck was widened forward) to 1941, some of the parts are only appropriate for the 1941 refit and later. These are clearly called out in the instructions, but always check your references. | |
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| I matched the parts against available plans and pictures. The plans I used were from the Floating Drydock, and are copies of the booklet of general plans in 1940. The replacement parts are spot on in dimension and shape. Yankee accurately depicts the fact that the pilothouse and navigation bridge were two separate spaces with a breezeway between them. Yankee also got the configuration of that deck and the one above it correct. The Trumpeter parts for this entire part of the superstructure are wrong. The only replacement part that I have issue with is the deck for mount 82, which is the upper gun forward of the bridge. Trumpeter molded the deckhouse incorrectly, putting an angled face on the forward inboard side; I can find no reference for this. Yankee, in providing their replacement deck, replicated the error so that the part will fit the Trumpeter superstructure. The modeler can easily make the fix. I have included a picture with my modifications to the Trumpeter parts in comparison to the Yankee replacement deck. The PE set provides coverage for just the span of the backdate kit. You will need an additional set to cover the remainder of the ship. | |
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The long awaited eight-inch guns make the kit! The detail is crisp and the guns will build up to convincing replicas. For the review, I have temporarily installed the barrels into one of the housings - the business end is mean looking! The gun housings in some way remind me of a steam locomotive tender. The instructions are on four pages front and back. The construction sequence is clearly explained in text and exploded view 3-D drawings modified from the Trumpeter instruction sheet. Because of this there are some configuration anomalies depicted, but nothing that will confuse the modeler. The last page is a very helpful painting guide spanning 1938-1942, with three sets of color callouts; White Ensign Miniature paints are referenced. Since the detail set concentrates on the island and stack area, the modeler is on his/her own to make the required backdating modifications elsewhere on the ship. For instance the holes in the stack for the life rafts require filling. Another issue is that while the kit provides the starboard davits for an additional four boats, the modeler will need to come up these as well as the additional boats on the portside carried in 1938; all four boat decks on the port-side were in use for that purpose until 1941. The Trumpeter kit only provides four boats, and in 1938 LEXINGTON and SARATOGA carried eleven including: 2-50ft motor launches, 4-40ft officer motorboats, 1-40ft motor launch, 1-36ft motor launch, 1-30ft motor launch and 2-26ft motor whaleboats. This set was well worth the wait! It will spare the modeler who wishes to backdate the kit a lot of time and trouble in construction and research. The quality of the set alone makes the modifications worthwhile. If you have any thoughts about purchasing this set, don’t hesitate. | |
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