 The kit is a modified Italeri Saratoga. I scratch built, with some moderate success, the rear gun towers that were a common feature of Forrestal class in the mid 1960s. The radars, safety nets, deck crew and railings are from GMM. The 5 inch rear guns are from the Skywave Modern Weapons Set. Fujimi, WEM, and Skywave provided the airwing. The F-4s and A-5s came from Fujimi's 1966 Kitty Hawk Airwing. Skywave Navel Aircraft kits provided the Skyhawks, Hawkeyes, and Intruders. The two Sea Sprites are from WEM. I got so frustrated with the PE landing gear provided in the kit, that I canniablized the struts from two Skywave A-7s. Finally, the Sea King is from Italeri. It cleans up well with the addition of GMM rotors and Skywave decals. I would like to thank Bruce Kapito for lending me some of his extra Skyhawks and also for his guidance on this project. All and all, this was a blast to build.
Photos © 2005 by Ben Hardaway August 11, 2005 |
