USS Lexington (CV-2) and her sister USS Saratoga (CV-3) played a critical role in the development of the modern naval aviation and the way the US Navy wields air power. Built on the hulls of battlecruisers cancelled in the 1920s under the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty, Lexington and Saratoga were far more different and innovative than the first US aircraft carrier, USS Langley CV-1, and any foreign contemporaries. They were the largest US carriers built until the Midway Class CVB. Both ships were quickly integrated into the battle fleet and participated in every major exercise in the 1930s and early 1940s. It was on these ships that the Navy envisioned, developed, and put in to practice the doctrine and procedures that would define an American way of Naval warfare and lead to victory at sea.

If you have been waiting for a great way to display your favorite 1/72 scale modern US Navy aircraft, your wait is officially over. I have personally been waiting for at least two decades for someone to release a molded plastic version of a modern aircraft carrier deck section, and Italeri has answered my prayers. This kit provides a large portion of deck showing a section of the catapult, jet blast deflectors (JBD’s), and JBD control station for what appears to be a Nimitz-class carrier, number 2 catapult area. Measuring an impressive nine and a quarter inches wide and about 15 and three quarter inches long, this base will hold any aircraft launched from a US Navy carrier deck since the Nimitz was first introduced. In short, I cannot recommend this kit highly enough for a more realistic display of your favorite Tomcat, or any other Navy plane flown from 1974 to today, from the decks of these fine ships.

Eduard has given us some really great 1/72 Bf-110’s in the last few months, and now they have given us the stencils for them. Get out your Optivisor or your favorite magnifier, because you will need it. They are tiny! At first, I thought there were enough stencils for four aircraft, but that is only partially true. There are only enough for two aircraft in some cases, enough for three in some, enough for four in some. Even though they require magnification to read them, they are readable. Just another case of the quality of Eduard products. And, they are super thin. You can barely see the carrier film.

Two placement charts are provided to help you with placement. The decals are designated by a letter on the charts, but not on the decal sheet. They are easily figured out, however. These are very high quality decals, and are highly recommended.

My thanks to Eduard for the review sample and IPMS/USA for the review opportunity.