Good Evening Guys,
Sorry to bother you with another question but I need some advice from you fellow ship modelers. Over the weekend I “acquired” some kits at a local model show and one of them was a “bagged” kit of the old Revell USCG Eastwind/Burton Island but unfortunately it didn’t have the instructions( I’ll go on Scale Mates),decals(I might be able to cobble together some from my various kits) and the little helicopter for the stern landing pad. Does anyone know of a 3D manufacturer or another kit that could “donate” its helicopter? I know that this kit isn’t probably worth the hassle but I built it as a kid and I want another chance to build it again. Thanks for your assistance.
Tom S.
2 Likes
3 Likes
Hi Tom,
The old Revell Eastwind/Burton island is actually a fairly good kit, especially considering its 1950s vintage. I did a review of it years ago for Rajen’s List of Ship Kits :
USCGC Eastwind GOOD. Also issued by Revell (and later Advent) as the Burton Island. This is one of the first injection molded plastic ship kits ever made (1956), comparable in quality to the Revell 1/303 Taney and 1/426 Arizona kits released around the same time. Like them it is a “box scale” effort, in this case coming out to about 1/292. The kit depicts the Eastwind as she appeared in the early 1950’s with World War II armament still in place but with the addition of a HO4S Chickasaw helicopter.
This is an old kit with the usual annoying features like difficult fit, solid molded railing and slightly overdone raised plank detail, but overall it is a pretty good rendition of a “Wind” class icebreaker. The model originally came in three colors of plastic with white (hull, superstructure) brown (decks, funnel, mast, helicopter) and black (weapons) sprues so the model could be built without painting. Later releases were either overall white or gray.
The outline of the ship is dead on, and there is a good deal of sharply molded detail on the surfaces such as w/t doors, ladders, hatches, even a gangplank and some nicely rendered oxygen bottles. I especially liked the addition of a few open doors and the completely opened up portholes. The helo is also nice, a little kit unto itself. The only place the kit really falls down is the weapons which are recognizable but definitely on the crude side (the twin 5"/38 mount even lacking one of the facets). The 40mm quad and 20mm singles could be replaced with better ones from HR Products, and Gold Medal Models has a photoetch set specifically designed for this kit which would improve it immensely.
The kit is accurate for Eastwind as is, but if you plan to build it as the Burton Island the armament needs to be adjusted:
- Burton Island’s 5"/38 mount was a single rather than a twin
- The four 40mm guns were actually in two twin mounts fitted on either side of the bridge
- The two 20mm sigles were set side by side in the tub where the Eastwind had the 40mm quad
In the 1960s all weapons on both ships were removed, so you could always go that route! Otherwise the kit is accurate for the Burton Island as well as the Eastwind. In fact, with minor adjustments any of the seven sisters (Eastwind, Westwind, Northwind, Southwind, Edisto, Staten Island, Burton Island) of the class could be made from it.
This is not a bad kit, especially considering that it is 50 years old! (TR) Review dated 19 April 2006
(this kit is actually closer to 70 years old today!)
2 Likes
Thank you Tim. That’s some good & very useful information. I think that I’ll look into some of those aftermarket sets that you suggested for it. Hope that you have a great week and “Thanks” again.
2 Likes
No worries. I forgot to mention that Model Monkey makes new 3D printed turrets for this kit!
1 Like
Research your subject before you order something like this; my father was assigned to the USS Staten Island (AGB-5) back before the Navy gave all their icebreakers to the Coast Guard, and the 5"/38 turret had been removed and the mount blanked over:
The black structure atop the forward extension of the aft helicopter platform is a pipe-and-tarpaulin ‘tent’ to keep snow and ice off the ship’s helicopter when stored.
2 Likes