JSC's USS Card CVE11 1/400 scale repaint

**CMDRTED** · #1 10-11-2009, 07:34 PM

After the small aircraft teaser, I wanted to show what the little aircraft are going to be mounted on. The older JSC kit was a definite earlier one with so so colors minimal detail and a waterline kit. I'm resurrecting this one from an 75% completed kit I started 7 years ago. I stopped for an unknown reason, placed it in the land of unbuilt kits and stumbled, more like dropped on my head while looking for something else and decided hey how cool! I've since graduated to 1/250 scale for my ships but am definetly running out of space and wanted to try 1/400 again. My original objection to 1/400 was the lack of details, but since I've learned editing basics and how to repaint I decided to try again. The original kit colors show the Card painted in some measure @ 1944 but they failed to paint the flight deck in that years flight deck blue gray. Pic one shows the new color of the aft hull placed over the older colors. The other pics show the older colored flight deck with some of the air arm on it and later shows the recolored deck sitting on the parts not yet cut out...

**CMDRTED** · #2 10-11-2009, 07:45 PM

One of JSC's earlier problems was lack of details with some of the more "popular" parts on a ship. One of those parts is the armament, particularly the light AA. These pics show the rudimentary JSC original 40mm dual Bofors and the 5"/38 single mount. I kitbashed from Fly models larger 1/200 scale bofors, simplified and repainted. I used GPM's brass barrels for the dual mounts. They are actually 1/200 scale Japanese 25mm tubes cut down to fit. The site is speaker wire twisted around 2 pins stuck in putty, I'll make a more permanent jig with a block of wood later. The 5"/38 is the MalyModelarz 1/300 scale guns from the USS Essex kit. I made that tube from paper, both are printed on regular typewriter paper. The last few pics show the guns spotted on the after deck, modified to port and stock guns to starboard (larboard). I'm redoing the entire ship so the old hull may be used for some evil purpose, maybe BB gun practice, HHHHMMMMMM!

**GreMir** · #3 10-11-2009, 07:49 PM

Ted,
Pretty cool.
I have the greatest respect for those who can build that small with this amount of detail.

**CMDRTED** · #4 10-11-2009, 07:52 PM

One of the things that I was palying with back then was the railings. The JSC kits didn't come with any printed or other. I was testing out various ways to represent the rails and back then I settles on a black strip with gray painted on. It looked better than gray strips with the black representing the rails. since that time I picked up a few laser cut 1/400 card rails and will use that when the time comes. You can see the old rail on the aft decks where the port guns are spotted.

**CMDRTED** · #5 10-11-2009, 08:03 PM

Thanks Mike, It's been quite awhile of watching from the sidelines and not "playing". my right hand is in pretty good shape, but I ruptured the tendon in my left thumb last spring. Installing fencing of all things. My other Hobby or "time waster" according to my wife was primitive muzzleloader shooting. I even built up my own Tennessee mountainrifle from parts, using my Card model tools! Now it's time to try and finish one of the hundreds of kits I have in the pile.

**Clashster** · #6 10-11-2009, 08:16 PM

Nice work! I just picked up a half finished JSC model today and have starting making some effort to actually finish something. Perhaps watching your thread will be the inspiration I need! Looking forward to your progress!

**Gil** · #7 10-11-2009, 09:07 PM

You're back! I've been wondering where you've been.

Rupturing a thumb tendon must have been one of those memorable life's occasions. Hope it has healed well and you're back in commission once more. Glad to have you back . . . ,

+Gil

**Don Boose** · #8 10-12-2009, 05:53 AM

Good to see you back, Ted. I was thinking about you as we passed through Avondale the other day on the way to Cape May. Sorry to hear about the injury and happy to see that your hand is back in battery.

You work on this escort carrier is astonishing. I tried to build one of these "from the box" some years ago and still have the 75 percent completed model. I can't comprehend building the aircraft and armament in 1/400, but I look forward to seeing you perform the magic trick.

Any chance you can make the convention at Dulles on the 23rd of this month? Many of us would love to see you and your models, including this work in progress.

Don

**Wyvern** · #9 10-12-2009, 06:44 AM

Wonderful work! I too have this kit and have been wanting to get it built for awhile; your build gives me some ideas for "improving" it. One thing I do applaud in JSC's Card is that they got the right paint scheme for the composite squadron of TBF'd and F4F's, grey over white, although in my opinion the gray could stand to be a little darker.

Wyvern

**Royaloakmin** · #10 10-12-2009, 09:07 AM

The 1/400 railing will definitely help. Great work. No reason why 1/400 cannot be well detailed, just much more work. How do you plan to do the lattice mast?