Dragon Models Ltd

1/700 USS Belleau Wood CVL-24

Kit Number: 7058

Reviewed by  Dick Montgomery, IPMS# 14003

MSRP: $24.95 Released in February, 2007, this kit is an excellent representation of the USS Belleau Wood in 1/700 scale. Upon opening the box one finds two sheets of photo etched parts, fifteen sprues of styrene parts, two decal sheets, and an instruction booklet. This model may be small but there is much work to be done and much fun to be had. Good things came in a small box. For those who are experienced ship modelers you may already have had the pleasure of acquiring Dragon's 1/700 USS Independence or, perhaps, one of Dragon's Essex class vessels. You will find sprues from both previously released kits in the box for the USS Belleau Wood. The two sheets of photo etch include parts for the USS Independence and a number of the plastic sprues contain parts for the Essex class vessels. In fact, Dragon has included a nice display base and "engraved" name plate for the USS Belleau Wood kit. The only problem is that the name plate reads, "USS Independence". A small and insignificant problem but one wonders how difficult or expensive it would be to mold a name plate that reads, "USS Belleau Wood".

While there are 2 decal sheets, one is a very small sheet containing the deck number, "22". That decal is not used on the USS Belleau Wood. Many of the parts on the plastic strues will also end up in the spares box, and that's not a bad thing. These sprues appear to have come from the previously released Essex class kit. And, inexplicably, one of the sprues contains a Panther jet and a Devastator. It should be noted that this kit cannot be completed without using the photo etched parts. In some kits the p.e. parts can be used to replace the standard injection molded pieces but not in this case. Much of the "island" consists of the photo etched parts. If you have never worked with photo etched parts this might be intimidating, since you will be "working without a net" as there are no styrene parts that one can fall back upon. I am not that experienced working with p.e. and found the small size of the parts to be challenging.

In addition to photo etch for the island there are photo etched interior parts for the hanger bay. The hanger bay consists of a deck and two bulkheads on the stern and bow ends of the bay. I did not use these parts since on my model the hanger bay is not visible. The model allows for one to see the hanger bay. A clear flight deck is provided, and the upper hull is molded in clear plastic as well. In fact, one will note that some of the catwalks, gun mount platforms, life rafts, and other parts are molded in clear plastic. I chose not to retain this feature and painted over the clear hull and deck. I found that the parts were more translucent than transparent. Dragon molded a set of F6F Hellcats and Avengers in clear plastic as well. With some care, the canopies can be masked and then the aircraft can be painted. The aircraft did not show any of the translucent quality that typified the upper hull and see-thru deck. The aircraft parts are crystal clear.

As mentioned, I found that working with the photo etch for the island was challenging. The carpet monster got a few parts and some other parts I just mangled due to lack of skill. The most difficult factor, and it is unavoidable with 1/700 scale, is that the parts are very small. It is very important to have several sets of tweezers that can safely grip such small and delicate parts. It helps to flood one's work area with light. Super glue kicker will be your new best friend. Although many of the parts can be bent by using small metal straight edges, some of the parts are best handled by the more expensive bending tools that are available. I have a Small Shops bending tool and it proved very useful. While my skill level was not up to the challenge, those with a bit of experience will find the photo etched island to be a real eye magnet.

Through a very careful and thorough analysis of the instructions, the builder will be able to determine how the photo etch parts are bent and formed, and where the detail parts are to be located. The problems I experienced with this model came about because I didn't spend quite enough time studying the illustrations. I recommend that you explore the instructions in reverse. Start on the last page and work forward making sure you understand where the various bits will be attached. The decal sheet is nicely printed. In 1/700 scale, getting the registration aligned on the "star and bar" for the aircraft is a tough job, and Dragon did it very well. White strips for the deck are included, as are two sets of U.S. flags. Also included on the sheet are deck numbers for the Cowpens and the Monterey, as well as the Belleau Wood. The kit instructions are presented in a quad-fold booklet and include a paint chart, a set of illustrations for the color scheme of the vessel, a second color scheme for the aircraft, and a set of drawings showing each of the 15 sprues. The instructions identify these unused parts by highlighting them in blue. Real modelers don't read instructions, but in the case of the Belleau Wood I'd suggest that you do. Pay close attention to the kit instructions when it indicates that certain parts are "optional". The Belleau Wood sprues are a combination of sprues used in other kits, such as the Essex and Independence kits, and some of the parts are not used, while some are specific to the Belleau Wood. The instructions indicate your options. This also means that some research will need to be done in order to achieve a more accurate model. In some cases the kit instructions leave a bit to be desired in regard to placement of gun tubs and life rafts. Using a combination of educated guessing and images from the internet, one can get relatively comfortable with placement of these parts. For the most part, though, the kit provides locating tabs or other alignment clues so that getting a part located properly isn't a real concern. Just a hint, when attaching the upper hull pieces to the underside of the flight deck, it is advisable to attach the bow and stern bulkheads before the port and starboard pieces. Assembly is straightforward, but is interesting in that it takes place "upside down". One puts the flight deck on the working surface and attaches the upper hull components to the underside of the flight deck, rather than attaching the upper hull to the lower hull. For those who usually do not build ships this can be a bit disconcerting but its easy to stay oriented ... the bow is the pointy end. Just make sure that the deck is oriented in the same direction as the drawing in the instructions and glue with gusto. The model presents an opportunity to expand one's modeling skills by requiring the use of the photo etch parts to construct the island. If working with very small parts is not an obstacle for you, than this model can easily be built by beginners. The end result is a spectacular vessel which packs an immense amount of detail into a small area.

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