Tamiya Big-E - USS Enterprise 1/350

Thanks guys!  I appreciate your responses to my question!

Bill

Hi folks.

I will be on vocation soon, so I think I won't post anything before 15 july.

Regards.

Hi 

Its Looking good.

I am currently attempting the same project Im trying the scratchbuilt hanger deck and with LED lighting, I  have the WE PE and will use Trumpeter Aircraft.

Good luck and I will be watching closely

Cheers

How's he going to paint the flightdeck with the fishing line/arresting wire in place already?

So what was decided about the grated elevators?...PE set ok or not?  what about putting sheet plastic under the PE grating? or just glueing the PE over the kit part?

knoxb

How's he going to paint the flightdeck with the fishing line/arresting wire in place already?

So what was decided about the grated elevators?...PE set ok or not?  what about putting sheet plastic under the PE grating?

Hi,

I'm no sure, but I'm thinking in using a plastic sheet under the PE part.

Paint flight deck will be easy, as the arrest line does not exists.

But I only will "work" again in july 15 or later.

Thanks and regards,

pjratpatrol

Hi 

Its Looking good.

I am currently attempting the same project Im trying the scratchbuilt hanger deck and with LED lighting, I  have the WE PE and will use Trumpeter Aircraft.

Good luck and I will be watching closely 

Cheers 

Hi, thanks.

Yes, scratchbuilt hanger deck will make difference. I saw a lot of them, very very detailed, very very nice. Please, post some pics when you done !

Cheers

Hi, I'm back.

I just received a copy of Detail and Scale USS Enterprise (CVAN-65) off of ebay.  It seems that A.M. Jorge was correct to do the elevators the way he did.  Photos clearly show that one can look directly through the grated elevators to the sea, and that there was no underlaying solid platform under the gratings, at least until the 1990 refit.  The book stops at that point.

Bill Morrison

Senor Jorge is doing a later version, if I am not mistaken. Look at this thread a little closer, we had a long discussion about this and have posted pictures showing both versions.

Subfixer,

Since our earlier discussion, several people commented that there must have been a solid sheet under the grating.  None of the links demonstrated anything conclusively either way.  There have been comments about placing a solid sheet under the GMM PE elevator pieces. There are very conclusive photos of the grating in the Detail and Scale book in which there is nothing except the supporting structure under the grated surface of the elevators, at least until the 1990 refit, which the book does not cover.  My comment was intended to clarify this point.

Bill

I gotcha, Bill. Please pardon me.

No problem!

Bill

Hi, in the D&S, despite the pics are not conclusive, the text clear says that the sea could be seen through the grates. It appears that there is no doubt about it. I think that after paint, this effect will be reduced.

Thank you guys to find the right answer.

I 'm building a 1982/83 cruise model.

So, the PE part will be glued over the support, as I already done.

Elevator number two.

The only difficulty of making these lifts two to four is to remove the plastic surface, taking advantage of the whole structure of the original part of the elevator. Just take a drill 1 mm, 1.5 mm or 2 mm and make several holes, removing the most part. Finally, file up to leave everything to the right thickness and smooth.

So, just paste the part in PE over the structure of the original piece. Then glue the support lattice underneath. Finally, we glue the elevator guide is snapped to the track.

Easy, easy ... but a little slow.

The original elevator part.



The piece with the perimeter of holes



The original piece with the base removed



The three pieces that will form the elevator



The part in PE glued to the original base



Now the complete set with the lattice and the guide



Top view



At the place



Elevators one and two

Beautiful job!

Bill

Elevators 3 and 4.

To make these two elevators, just follow the same steps from the elevator 2. First, make a perimeter of holes and remove the central part of the original piece. Next, filing and leave the edges smooth. Then glue the part in PE. Finally, glue the base lattice and the lift tab.

The two pieces that will be modified



The perimeter of holes, in order to remove the central part



The original pieces with the center removed



The original pieces completed and ready for use



The four parts that make up the whole elevator set



The two already mounted elevadortes

At the place



The four elevators at the place

making some nice progress,Jorge

Dear friends, today we the Achilles' heel of this model: the joint of the flight deck. As the assembly and bonding were reasonably accurate, we should not have major problems. Just nearby marks are off, but they are only guides for painting. I put tapes and filled with putty. Once cured, I removed the tapes and put them on the side not used, a distance slightly greater. To set the level, and the joint, had to use a 240 grit sandpaper. I used 600 sandpaper and then 1000, just to see through the reflection of light, it was all right.

After the putty cure, took the tapes
" style="background-color:#fff;">

We use the unused side of the tape 
" style="background-color:#fff;">

We use a coarse sandpaper to hit some bumps

" style="background-color:#fff;">

We use 600 sandpaper to give the basis for painting
" style="background-color:#fff;"> 

" style="background-color:#fff;">" style="background-color:#fff;">

During the process of sanding, I busted one of the arrest wire
" style="background-color:#fff;">

And I had to stretch and paste in the hole
" style="background-color:#fff;">

Final result
" style="background-color:#fff;">

1) The Bow Ramps weren't just for F-4's, they were used for other planes of the same period also. They were actively used until '99-'00 when we still used TA-4's for trainers.

2) The Big E DID in fact have slotted EL's, they changed the design and made them solid in the yard period after our '98-'99 Cruise due to safety in rough seas. Long story short, the last straw was we were in rough seas, at night, and had to make an EL run with two fully loaded birds tied down to EL 3. Me and four others ended up holding on to the main mounts with all we had cause a wave hit and came right up through the slots in the EL with enough force that it lifted both tied down birds off the EL 4 inches, with us on them. We could have lost both birds along with myself and the four others because of it.

And thus, the mystery of why they were changed is resolved. I wonder how often in her history this happened.

Probably quite a few times whenever you had a Handler that wasn't too bright, luckily we had a good Chain of Command on board at the time and a good NNSY crew to update the EL's for us.

Gus97

Probably quite a few times whenever you had a Handler that wasn't too bright, luckily we had a good Chain of Command on board at the time and a good NNSY crew to update the EL's for us.

NNSY as in Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company (NNSD) or Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY)?

Here are almost all the decals you need to do the Big E's hanger deck it's a pdf file its been uploaded to megafile just download it for free then all you need to do is print them or decal paper.

Here is the link

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=880NJ43U

David

Thanks very much for that link David. I was wondering how to detail the one I am attempting That will really help

Cheers

Peter

Good morning.

Continuing with the assembly, now glued a series of platforms and small antennas supports that will receive some minor details. Also I cerrected and glued the JBD (jet blaster deflector), the jet deflector panels that are at the beginning of the track of catapults. Here I had to make two small corrections in JDBs one and three: they have, in fact, six segments and not three as has been molded in the kit.


Supports and platforms that will be assembled

At the place

Three deck supports

JBD number one, with only three sections

Corrected for six sections

JBD number three, also with three sections instead of six

Corrected

Catapults four and three

Catapults two and one

Barricade triangular support

Thanks David.

Thanks, David!  I have added that link to my favorites.

Bill

Good morning.

Today I assembled smaller parts. I have a serious problem here at home, some pieces are already assembled being torn by the beast of the cleaner. So I'll leave those details to glue as late as possible. I also began to assembly the propulsion system.

Two pieces that form the side radar

" style="background-color:#fff;">

" style="background-color:#fff;"> 


Assembled 

" style="background-color:#fff;">

" style="background-color:#fff;">

" style="background-color:#fff;"> 


The parts that compose the automatic landing system
" style="background-color:#fff;">

" style="background-color:#fff;">

" style="background-color:#fff;">

The assembled system  

" style="background-color:#fff;">

The first axis of the four, with the support 

">

"> 

">

Assembled and at the place, after an intense burr cleaning session

" style="background-color:#fff;"> 

" style="background-color:#fff;">

The four axes, and brackets in place, after much tuning and cleaning of burrs

"> 

">

From another angle

Awesome work! You're doing a great job on this one, can't wait to see it done!

Once again, you are doing a beautiful job!  I will admit to being a little surprised that you are not substituting brass rods for the propellor shafts, but it is a minor issue. Keep up the terrific work!

Bill