White Ensign Models 1/350 USS Hornet CV8
"The Ship"
"The Airwing"
"Perforated Catwalks and Splinter Shields"

by Tim Reynaga

New from White Ensign Models of England is a trio of photoetch upgrade sets for Trumpeter's 1/350 scale USS Hornet (CV8). As with their previous upgrades for the modern USS Enterprise, there are two separate sets, one for the ship, a second for the airwing. Additionally, there is also a set for the catwalks.

USS Hornet "The Ship"
£27.66 (about US $41.00)

The first set is for the ship itself. This set has all the basic upgrades you'd need for any ship. Railings, ladders, radars, etc. are beautifully etched in thin brass with the finesse and consistency we've come to expect from White Ensign. In addition to the basics, there are also many other details not always found in photoetch sets such as hose reels, chocks, boat details, fire hose racks, etc., all done with remarkable delicacy. Finally, there are those details characteristic of the Hornet and her sisters such as the perforated funnel catwalks, flight deck crane, forward flight deck support girders, and "Prifly" bridge extension. I especially liked the additional details for the 5" guns, which should help the rather weak parts provided by Trumpeter. There are even complete replacements for the awful 1.1" quads in the Trumpeter kit-a most welcome upgrade indeed. With WEM's usual well written and illustrated instructions this set should be no problem to use, provided you aren't intimidated by the sheer volume of parts!

The set contains: standard 3 bar railings, close stanchioned 3 bar railings, chain link safety railing, 2 bar railings, close stanchioned 2 bar railings, motor whale boat rudder & prop, 50' motor launch rudder & prop, 40' motor boat rudder & prop, stern rail for 50' motor launch, rails for 40' motor boat, flight deck gun sponson nets, Mk 4 fire control radar, single 20mm Oerlikon mounting, single .50 cal machine gun, starboard side antennas, foremast top antenna, fittings for 5" 38 single mountings, 10.5mm inclined ladder, crane jib walkway handrail, crane jib, crane jib stay, crane jib stay attachment bracket, crane top platform railing, crane jib stay cable guide, crane hook, quad 1.1 gun barrel set, quad 1.1 gun mounting assembly, forward flight deck support beam, closed fairleads/chocks, hose bundles, bridge platform extension, forward batmans jump net, forward batmans platform, aft batmans platform, aft batmans jump net, perforated searchlight platforms, liferaft paddles and retainers, liferaft floors, short catwalk inclined ladders, 7mm inclined ladders, discrete deck lighting fixtures, fire hose points, leadsmans platforms, replacement starboard side platform, 8.5mm inclined ladder, stowed accommodation ladders, CXAM radar mounting yoke, CXAM radar screen sssembly, horseshoe lifebouy & rack, open fairleads/chocks, forward catwalk & railings, small hose reels, replacement fantail cable reels, 8mm inclined ladders, stock vertical ladder, 14mm inclined ladders, foretop lower half yards, foretop upper yard & footropes, foretop lower yard & footropes, mainmast lower yard, mainmast upper yard, island aft landing assembly, island aft support brackets, island landing frame & rails, landing lower Inclined ladder, landing upper inclined ladders, funnel upper starboard catwalks, funnel upper port catwalk, funnel cap grills.

USS Hornet "The Airwing"
£16.13 (about US $25.00)

This second set designed for the Trumpeter Hornet focuses on the airwing. In addition to the aircraft upgrades for the F4Fs, TBFs, TBDs, and B-25s, the set has many useful parts for the ship including flight deck wind breaks and braces, elevator edge retractable rails, forward and aft deck end retractable railing, arrestor wire guides, fork lift truck & driver (4 sets), aircraft tow tractor & driver + assistant (6 sets), aircraft tow bars (7), torpedo/bomb trailers (11), and hand barrow bomb trolleys (14). These parts are all very well rendered in relief etch and will do a lot towards making your Hornet look like a living, working aircraft carrier.

It is the aircraft upgrades, though, which make this set special. Provided are two sets each of interior and exterior fittings for F4F Wildcats, SBD Dauntlesses, TBD Devastators, and B-25 Mitchells. These incredible sets enable you to make the most of Trumpeter's already excellent aircraft. The exterior parts include such goodies as propellers, wheel struts, doors, tailhooks, and flaps. The dive brakes for the SBD are especially impressive with their dozens of miniscule holes. The cockpit interiors include the floors, bulkheads, seats, even control sticks and hand held machine guns. Amazingly, the consoles even have tiny individual instruments relief etched on them! These simple to assemble interiors actually rival those found in many 1/72 scale aircraft kits. Way cool!

"Perforated Catwalks and Splinter Shields"
£18.95 (about US $29.85)

Yet another photoetch upgrade set from White Ensign for Trumpeter's 1/350 scale USS Hornet (CV8) is a set of parts designed to replace the kit deck edge catwalks. The kit catwalks, molded as solid parts, are actually not bad. They are thinly molded and crisp, even having small lips at the outboard edges to accomodate aftermarket photoetch rails. I would have been perfectly content to use them...but then I saw the WEM parts.

Wow. These new catwalks are vastly more realistic, accurate way beyond what is possible for injection molded plastic. The brass medium allows them to be much closer to scale thickness, but the major improvement is that they accurately replicate the open look of the originals. The real Hornet's flight deck edge catwalks were open grating rather than solid metal, and the thousands of perfectly formed holes replicate this look beautifully. They are based upon the kit parts, so fit should no problem. In a couple of places they even correct inaccuracies in the kit parts, adding step downs in a couple of places where Trumpeter used a simplified straight configuration. The solid splinter shields also correct those molded by Trumpeter, which are too low.

This new set, along with WEM's prior USS Hornet "The Ship", "The Airwing", and aircraft upgrade sets will provide enough goodies to totally outfit your Hornet. I even hear that they are planning a photoetched hangar deck set...does life get any better than this?

The sets can be ordered by mail directly from WEM at

White Ensign Models,
South Farm,
Snitton,
Ludlow,
SY8 3EZ,
United Kingdom

Thanks to White Ensign Models for the review samples.