Franklin Mint 1/350 USS Yorktown CV-10 WW2 Aircraft Carrier #170/1943 – AS IS. This limited edition 1/350 scale model of the USS Yorktown is crafted in solid mahogany and finished in authentic 1943 camouflage. It is mounted on a polished hardwood base that bears a commemorative plate signed by Rear Admiral ret. Also included is a leather-bound folder with the model’s certificate of authenticity and a comprehensive information booklet on the USS Yorktown. The USS Yorktown(CV-10) was named after the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown (CV-5) that was sunk during the Battle of Midway in June 1942. The new USS Yorktown was commissioned on April 15, 1943. World War II’s famous “Fighting Lady” (much of the 1944 Academy Award-winning documentary “The Fighting Lady” was filmed on board her) would participate significantly in the Pacific offensive that began in late 1943 and ended with the Japan’s defeat in 1945. In the 1950s, the Yorktown was modernized to operate jet aircraft as an attack carrier (CVA). In 1957, she was re-designated an anti-submarine aircraft carrier (CVS) and would later earn 5 battle stars for service off Vietnam (1965-68). She recovered the Apollo 8 astronauts and capsule following the first manned orbit of the moon in December 1968. USS Yorktown was decommissioned in 1970 and placed in reserve. She was formally dedicated as a memorial on the 200th anniversary of the US Navy, October 13, 1975. In 1975, USS Yorktown was towed from Bayonne, NJ to Charleston, SC to ultimately become the centerpiece of Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum in SC where I was privileged to visit her a number of years ago. This model is offered for sale “as is” since I received it in a slightly damaged condition when I bought it in 2004. It has been in storage since then. Now I have the time, I don’t have the steady hands to do the repairs. Please check the listing’s photos carefully. The small unpainted area where it should be attached is visible in photos. I have the antenna and its mounting and a couple of the photos show it in place (unglued). Also, the radio mast on the same platform is unstable and needs to be fixed in place. When this is done the rigging could then be tightened. As seen in the photos, the bases of the two brass pedestals holding the model to the hardwood base have a couple of mm of finish rubbed off around their circumference where they attach to the base. I tightened the screws and you only need to recoat the small unfinished areas at the base of the pedestals. Finally, the model includes the full complement of original aircraft – 5 Hellcats, 10 Helldivers, 10 Avengers and 13 Corsairs with folded wings, and 2 Hellcats with extended wings, as shown in the photos. As a result, I bought 4 boxes of Pit Road 1/350 scale US Navy Aircraft – Set 1 from a Japanese supplier (see photo). There are 8 Hellcats, 8 Corsairs and 8 Helldivers. They are all accurate in appearance and prepainted. The wings must be glued on and the models can be displayed with the wings either folded or extended. Instructions are in Japanese but the assembly pictures are self-explanatory. If you have any questions, please contact me.