Eduard has come out with several photo etch sets for the 1/200 Scale, Merit, USS Hornet CV-8 (kit# 62001) and this is one of them. Part 5 provides detail parts to upgrade the 5 inch main guns and the Quad 1.1 inch guns.

For the 5 inchers, there are new man rails, gun sights, seats and elevation and training wheels. You also get new mount stands. For the 1.1 inchers you get detailing for the breeches, sights, seats and a new floor for the gun tub.

Assembly is straight forward but a tad fiddly. There are a bunch of tiny parts that need to be bent and shaped. The seats for the 1.1 inchers require several complex bends that took a while to get the correct shape. Some of the small parts are hard to hold and glue at the same time.

Eduard has come out with several photo etch sets for the 1/200 Scale, Merit, USS Hornet CV-8 (kit# 62001) and this is one of them. Part 3 provides detail parts to upgrade the ships boats and life rafts.

The set includes photo etch parts to upgrade the three gigs and three personnel ship boats. Also included are parts for the life rafts.

For the rafts you get new flooring, brackets and strapping. These make a nice assembly and easy to attach to the hull when finished.

The personnel boat parts include new flooring, engine covers, man rails both forward and aft, lift rings, cleats, steering gear, anchor, hatch cover and a flag staff.

The Gigs include cleats, rails, boat hooks, new midship cockpit and after cockpit flooring and details. Also included are new man and hand hold rails, hatch covers and steering gear. A nice feature is the throttle/ shifting lever for the engine.

Eduard has come out with several photo etch sets for the 1/200 Scale, Merit, USS Hornet CV-8 (kit# 62001). This is Part 1 of the series, and provides new aircraft and boat cranes for the starboard and port sides, and detail parts to upgrade the ships main aircraft and boat crane on the flight deck.

The new aircraft and boat cranes for the sides are an entire crane assembly. They replace the existing cranes.

The main aircraft and boat crane for the flight deck includes replacement parts for existing kit parts. You get a new boom, hooks, stays, man rails, platforms and ladders.

Assembly is straight-forward but extremely fiddly. There are a bunch of very tiny parts that need to be bent and shaped. Most of the small parts are hard to hold and glue at the same time. This makes for a time consuming and sometimes aggravating assembly. Thank you Eduard for providing some extra parts.

History

The 056 Class patrol ship replaces the older 037 Class and was first suggested in the 1980’s but did not emerge until 2012. The ship is a thoroughly modern design with a modular hull featuring stealth properties. It weighs 1,400 tons fully loaded and has a length of 89 meters and a beam of 11.6 meters. Power is provided by 2 marine diesel engines giving a maximum speed of 28 knots and a range of 6500 kilometers. A mixed armament is carried consisting of a 76mm gun, 4 x YJ-83 anti-ship missiles, 10 x HQ-10 SAM missiles and 6 torpedo tubes. The rear deck has a helipad to operate small to medium size helicopters. A total of 20 ships have been ordered for the PLAN, and the type has been offered for export with a different hull and armament options.

The Ship

Launched in April 1943 and commissioned four months later, USS Intrepid (CV-11) participated in numerous actions in the central and western Pacific from early 1944 until the end of the Pacific War, including Leyte Gulf and Okinawa. She was hit twice by kamikazes but was still on station at the end of hostilities. Intrepid underwent modernization twice during the 1950s, which enclosed her bow and gave her an angled flight deck. Reclassified as an Anti-submarine Carrier (CVS-11), Intrepid was the lead ship for the NASA’s Mercury Aurora 7 and the Gemini 3 splashdown recovery. From April 1966 to February 1969, she made three deployments to the waters off Vietnam. She ended her active career back in the Atlantic and Mediterranean, being decommissioned in 1974 with over 30 years of service. In August 1982, Intrepid was reopened as a museum ship in New York harbor.