1/350 Dragon USS Princeton CVL-23 Aircraft Carrier Model Kit

Features:
- Newly tooled platform on side of CVL-23
- Photo-etched railings below island are newly produced
- Waterline or full-hull version can be assembled
- Delicate funnel w/great details
- Intricate bridge w/finest detail
- Extra-thin shield wall reproduced for accurate 1/350 scale appearance
- Delicated bilge keels are represented on lower hull by slide-mold technology
- One-piece slide-molded upper hull w/undercut details realistically presented
- Slide-molded upper and lower hull accurately produced
- Hanger bay walls w/great deail
- Hangar interior w/fine frames
- Flight deck elevators can be posed in either raised or lowered position
- True-to-scale ultra-thin propellers
- Rudder can be easily assembled
- Finest tread pattern on flight deck of CVL-23
- Finest tread patterns on CVL-23 flight deck elevators
- Accurately shaped flight deck side w/slide-mold technology
- 10 realistic 1/350 scale aviators and 8 realistic groundcrew
- 4 delicate tractor tugs included
- 2 delicate 1/4-ton 4x4 trucks included
- 6 TBF and 6 F6F are conveniently constructed in transparent plastic
- Wings of TBF and F6F can be folded
- Detailed island is finely produced via slide-mold technology
- Delicate tower structure is accurately produced
- Realistic radars on tower structure
- Radars on flight deck side are truly reproduced
- Slide-molded crane boom w/details
- Slide-molded radar array reproduced
- Delciate paravane is realistically produced
- Rectanglar life rafts look authentic
- Delicate whaleboat w/fine detail
- Photo-etched safety net
- Antenna on deck side has option of being folded
- Twin 40mm Mk4 guns reproduced w/delicate detail
- Finely detailed quadruple 40mm Mk4 mount
- Rinely represented Mk51 gun director

Dragon has launched a fantastic new large-scale ship down the slipway from its workshop. The new kit is a 1/350 scale rendition of USS Princeton (CVL-23), an Independence-class light aircraft carrier of the US Navy (USN). This ship was originally laid down as a Cleveland-class light cruiser, but it received a new role and was eventually commissioned on 25 February 1943. Its first combat tour was in the Pacific from August onwards in the region of places like Tarawa. Its next combat tour commenced in January 1944, and in the Battle of the Philippine Sea, Princeton’s aircraft contributed 30 kills.

The 13,000-ton carrier subsequently supported landings in Leyte in the Philippines in October 1944, where she was attacked by a lone Yokosuka D4Y “Judy” dive bomber. This Japanese aircraft dropped just a single bomb, but it was sufficient to cause a series of explosions and fires. Tragically, by evening the carrier was at the bottom of the Leyte Gulf. A total of 108 sailors lost their lives but 1,361 crewmen were rescued by other USN vessels.

This new Smart Kit is logically based on Dragon’s earlier USS Independence (CVL-22), but it features numerous new parts. These include the port antiaircraft gun platform, the island walls and radar installation. The stern antiaircraft gun platform has been revised too. There are also a number of new photo-etched parts specifically for Princeton; these include radar antenna components. For greater versatility, modelers can elect to build a full-hull version or a waterline hull. To help populate this large ship, there are 18 appropriately scaled crewmen figures, as well as vehicles such as aircraft tugs. The complement of twelve aircraft is reproduced in transparent plastic, which allows easier painting and portrayal of cockpit glazing. This is an amazingly detailed and busy-looking model, and its quality is indeed fit for a prince!