This is my version of Tamiya's famous USS Enterprise in 1:350 scale, I did about three years ago. She was the first ship I built in this scale and including all modifications it took me about a year to finish this project.

I built the "BigE" in her 1996 outfit. That includes several modifications concerning the electronic equipment  mushrooms blooming around the catwalks and the island. They are made from several wooden beads and of Tamiya's two component putty. I built the prominent liberty boat dock from scratch and changed some details at the fantail. The Phalanx-weapon on starboard side near the island got a new platform and I added an LSO platform. I opened the hangar doors and built a hangar deck.

I made extensive use of photoetch parts: White Ensign Models two frets USS Enterprise "the ship" and "the airwing" and I replaced the solid elevator platforms with GMM photoetched ones. I was lucky enough to obtain one of the last decal sheets from Dunagain. They are excellent but out of production now.

The airwing is CVW-17 that deployed on the "Enterprise" from June 28th to December 20th 1996. The "Sunday Puncher" took their Intruders out on the boat for the last time on that cruise. The GMM decals "low viz east coast" are a perfect match. I only made some changes concerning the "Jolly Rogers" markings. One was to decorate the squadron skippers cat with a santa-cap. This was Cdr. Heuraki's famous "Santa Cat". "Enterprise" took out the new, heavier tilly crane in 1996. I built it from scratch, using different styrene strips.

Frank Ilse

Photos and text © 2006 by Frank Ilse

April 14, 2006

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