USS Lexington
by Marty Shay

1/700 USS Lexington CV-2 (Fujimi)

This is the Fujimi 1/700th scale USS Lexington CV-2 in pre-war colors. Built OOB the kit is an interesting mix of an excellent hull and a very poorly designed superstructure assembly. I see what everyone has been complaining about with this kit, the fits on the superstructure will give you fits. Then there are the 1.1" mounts that look like fire pumps and it gets a little fiddly. I paid $19 for the kit so it's a reasonable value.

The color scheme consisting of the peacetime (grey)"white fleet" hull and a dark stained wood tone flight deck with yellow stripes is supported by photos dated between 1936 and October 1941. However this fit with this paint job is debateable, there is one color(ised?) picture of the USS Saratoga in early 1942 with this color scheme but I question it. The kit itself represents a late 1941 fit with a mix of early and mid-war aircraft. The deck shape forward shows the ship after the 1936 refit, boxed with added platforms on the bow and funnel. I added some details from the parts box and redid the foreward tripod. The base is cardboard and painted aluminum foil.

This build is possibly what the USS Lexington looked like ferrying aircraft to Wake Island in the weeks before Pearl Harbor. I did a side by side comparison shot with the Minihobbies Hornet model. As always your comments are invited and welcome.