Next comes the Midway carriers, that magic combination of capabilities that made them the perfect modern carriers for the USN to fight the Pacific War against Japan, just at the right time (see below, primed in their basic colours):
CV5 the USS Enterprise is first up on the painting stocks. By the time of painting the USS Enterprise I decided that the flight deck deserved some more "effects" such as arrester-wires and elevator markings (see below, seen here after taking a coat of Humbrol 'satin varnish' for the sea and wet sheen effect):
I liked the look so much I decided to go back and work through CV2 to CV4 (Lexington, Saratoga and Ranger) and fill in the details and change solid lines to dashes (see below, the revised USN CV fleet to date with my hand scribed deck-markings):
Another fly-by (see below, Enterprise [CV6], Wasp [CV7, a smaller type of Yorktown - due to treaty tonnage restrictions] and Hornet [CV8] at the end of the line, still in their base colours):
A furious night of painting ensued and USS Yorktown [CV5] is joined by the USS Enterprise [CV6] in a battle ready state (see below, I am starting to enjoy this crazy adventure):
USS Hornet [CV8] was next up for the deck marking treatment (see below, I think the "number 8" marking is particularly funky):
USS Hornet again (see below, I am so liking this!):
Now the sisters are ready for battle (see below, bring on Midway):
That just leaves the USS Wasp [CV7] to do for the complete US early war carrier fleet.