Model Forum / General / Models / February 2009

We are talking about an Essex-class with postwar modifications.

*Goes to get the Detail & Scale book on USS Lexington and other pertenant
materials*

USS Yorktown was part of a subfamily of the Essex-class that received steam
catapults and an angled flight deck through postwar modification.  The
other ships in this family included Essex herself, plus Hornet, Randolph,
Wasp, Bennington and Kearsarge.  

Now, Dragon Models currently has a few 1/700 Essex-class ships in release,
including USS Princeton, which while of a parallel subfamily to Yorktown's,
is still very close when it comes to general hardware.  (Dragon's Hancock,
Lexington, Essex and Randolph kits are in WW2 fit; their Bon Homme Richard
and Antietam are in Korean War fit.) Their USS Boxer is also in Sixties
fit, but I still think Princeton is the closest you'll come out-of-the-box.

The reason for the "families" is that early Essexes, such as Yorktown were
"short hulls" and the later ones, such as Princeton were "long hulls", the
difference being in the bow--which was extended forward to make room for
extra anti-aircraft batteries.  When the ships were modernized, the bows
were closed up for safety reasons and so the difference isn't so apparent.
A detail fanatic would tell you to get a Princeton and one of the WW2 Essex
or Randolph kits and kitbash, but I believe you can build a Princeton
without many changes and get away with it.

Good luck.

Stephen "FPilot" Bierce/IPMS #35922
http://frustratedpilot.livejournal.com