USS Hector, USS Longbeach, or USS America?

**ct ertz** · #1 05-31-2009, 03:03 PM

Hello all. My father, a retired Navy veteran of a 20 year career, is coming for a visit at the end of this month. I am looking for a model for him, to maybe get him interested in modeling again. He used to do plastic when I was a kid.

Anyone know if there is a model of the USS America (carrier) the USS Long Beach, or the USS Hector. These are just the few ships I remember being on during Family days, and I road the Hector back from Pearl for a Tiger cruise when I was 14! It was a blast shooting the M2-.50 cal at floats in the ocean and the large 1 inch cannon. At some point the Hector, a tender I think, had a large turret mounted on it but it was removed when my dad was stationed on it. (The .50 cal ammo boxes were all dated 1942 and 1944!)

Any help pointing me in the right direction would be great! Thanks.
CT

**APA-168** · #2 05-31-2009, 03:44 PM

Wow, nice wide selection of ships! If you are looking for plastic kits, then Italeri does a 1/720 America. If you are looking at paper, I'm afraid your options are fairly slim. I would at some point like to do a USS Long Beach (that has been on my list for quite a while) but it's a long ways off. Good luck and if you find something, let me know because I would very much like to build all of these ships!

**ct ertz** · #3 05-31-2009, 03:58 PM

Thanks Avery. When time comes you have a sale on the Long Beach, as I am sure it will be as cool as your Monitor! I may go thee Bay rout and get him a plastic model but I was really hoping for paper.

I may get him a Sky Raider paper model as I know there was a lot of those on the America when he was on it the first time ('66-'68, before I was born) My dad liked the planes but he was a firefighter/damaged control guy and working around all of that fuel-bombs-compressed gas always kept him on his toes!

Except for the Long Beach, which is waiting scrapping, all of my dad's former ships have been sunk to make artificial reefs:(.

**member_3** · #4 05-31-2009, 04:07 PM

Wilhelmshaven has a 1:250 waterline USS Long Beach (CGN-9) for 33 Euros. I don't think there is a paper Kitty Hawk class carrier nor a model of the Hector.

**ct ertz** · #5 05-31-2009, 05:34 PM

Thanks. I have seen some of Wilelmshaven's models and like them but 33 Euros is just a bit more then I was planning on.

My dad was also stationed on the Kitty Hawk for a while too, but I can not remember when. I may have confused the dates and he may have been on the Kitty Hawk in the '60s and the America after I was born. Any how, He was on both at some point.
Thanks for your help.

**Keds_Girl_Lala** · #6 05-31-2009, 07:47 PM

Maly Modelarz they have the Long Beach. I can tell you the year and issue. I see a plastic kit of it by Revell that is interesting it has the atomic reactor to see

**gtb -red** · #7 06-01-2009, 10:52 AM

Avery is right Italeri 1/720 America is the only model. I'm scratchbuiding a 1/350 America for a friend. 1/350 Kitty Hawk and JFK is on the way. some photos of America. http://i365.photobucket.com/albums/o...l/100_1952.jpg http://i365.photobucket.com/albums/o...l/100_1953.jpg http://i365.photobucket.com/albums/o...l/100_1954.jpg

**1wolf** · #8 05-15-2011, 11:25 PM

Pirate site link removed

i think this is the one keds was talking about

thanks i was looking for the lb

**Wyvern** · #9 05-16-2011, 09:30 AM

As mentioned, Revell has recently re-released their old kit of the "Long Bitch". it represented the ship as she was designed/envisaged, the fore-and-aft Talos/Terrier missile launchers, an ASROC launcher, and a Sikorsky HO4S (S-55) on the flight deck. Interestingly, it also has a Regulus II on a midships launcher, which weapons sysatem was cancelled before the Long beach ever felt salt water. I built this kit years ago. I hope to get the reissue for nostalgia.