The USS Eishenower (CVN-69) was commissioned in 1977. It is the second ship in the Nimitz-class. It's dimensions are: length 1115 feet, width 252 feet, and a draught of 37 feet.
Academy's model comes as follows: a hull, the flight deck, one parts tree for the carrier, two parts trees for the aircraft/helicopters, and one parts tree that consists of the stand. The instructions are clear and simple, the one thing that is lacking is a detailed color/painting guide. I matched mine as close as I could with the pictures on the box. The colors I used are disclosed in my earlier post with the model's pictures.
For the most part, the kit fits together nicely. There are of course, two exceptions. First, is the open area of the stern. The vertical interior wall is too tall and needs to be sanded to fit. The exterior bulkhead doesn't quite fill the hole, but it is fairly close. It doesn't take much work to make the seems small enough not to be noticed.
The superstructure and radar antana fit together nice and easily. The hardest time I had was with the mast. The small plastic pieces were flimsy and wanted to bow under the strain even when I GENTLY added the next piece. Even after it was completely assembled as a seperate structure (per directions) the flimsy mast didn't want to hold together as I glued it in place on top of the superstructure.
The planes, for the most part, weren't any big deal. I do recommend EXTREME CAUTION when using the sprue cutters to cut out the individual aerial vehicles, especially the helicopter. I had one snap. Some of the planes do require an extra part or two to be glued onto them, but if you have a steady hand with tweezers, it isn't a problem. I decided to only put one parts tree worth of planes onto the carrier. I thought if I used both, it would simply look too cluttered. Looking back, I'm glad I made that decision.
NOTE: I just realized I didn't disclose the colors I used for the aircraft on board. They are as follows: Testors olive drab, Tamya's sky grey, and Tamiya's flat blue.
The waterslide decals provided with this kit are easier to slide on than most. The one thing I did notice is that if you follow the markings on the deck for the runway decals, then in the end they will appear to be slightly crooked, but you only notice it from one angle. The smaller decals on the sides of the planes were a little tricky, I admit. If one takes their time, then even a novice can slide them on.
In closing: This is nice, inexpensive model if your looking for a weekend project. There are a few small parts, but for the most part the pieces are large and easy to work with. The one exception being the mast.
Final rating: 7/10.
No comments:
Post a Comment