1:72 CVE-63 St.Lo type 1 - Acrylic 3 mm (240 x 240 mm) (190g)

A square section of an escort carrier deck

The smaller American carriers were built during the war years on the hulls of cargo ships, and their flight deck was short and narrow compared with the large units. A model stood on such a surface shows at once how cramped the conditions were in which the crews worked. The first version of this scene comes as a square 240 millimeters to a side, which in 1:72 scale corresponds to roughly seventeen meters each way.

The difference from the elongated variant

The choice of shape is not merely aesthetic. A square allows a machine to be stood across or at an angle with open space left around it, whereas an elongated format leads the eye along the hull. For a helicopter or for a short carrier aircraft a square area is more natural, for a long bomber less so.

The level of skill and when something else suits better

Working with a finished board carries no risk, but also no creative freedom. Anyone who wants to show a damaged deck, traces of fire or spilled oil has to go into the print with paint of his own, and that is a step that cannot be taken back. In such a case it is usually more sensible to build the surface from varnished plywood and pigments. For a clean display-case presentation, on the other hand, where the model is meant to be the main character, a printed surface is the ideal starting point.

An acknowledged advantage is also the thickness: three millimeters of acrylic lift the model above the level of the shelf and the scene gets an edge that separates it from its surroundings. That dividing line shows when photographing: the eye distinguishes more easily where the display area ends and the background of the room begins.