Matt -

Anytime on the plans!! They're 1/192nd from the great folks over at Floating Drydock, which gets down to some incredble detail. I also made sure I spent the extra couple bucks for lines and offsets too, so you'll have those hull contours.

As far as books go, you really only need one: USS Ranger The US Navy's First Flattop From Keel To Mast, 1932-1946 by Robert Cressman. Although the technical side could be a bit more robust, the book is pretty darn near a day-by-day log of the ship and her activities from keel laying to decomm, along with some great 'action pics' from North Africa and Norway. It's available at amazon, but be advised new copies are reaching the $80 mark. My dad has a lot of my Uncle Jack's stuff from his service aboard Ranger (just after North Africa to her final docking, when Jack and most of the crew were sent over to activate Philippine Sea CV-47) including duty rosters and other admin odds and ends. But in any event, my resources are your resources!

Mike