Aircraft Carrier GB 2016

Thank you all for the kind words.  

Im currently smoothing out the hull, especially the bow area. Hopefully I should be able to spray a coat of gray this weekend to check on the shape and any imperfections.  After that things will slow down a bit as I begin to add on the minute details.

Archangel Shooter

  That is some amazing scratch building there but you know what will happen next don't you? Six months after you complete your ship, some manufacturer will come out with a plastic kit. Can't wait to see more pics of her.

 

 

Murphy, I know. Oh Lord, please no. lol.

Believe it or not, back in the late 80s I scratchbuilt a 1/700 USS Vincennes Aegis cruiser.  I was done with the basic structures and was about to begin the detail work when the Pitroad kit came out.  I went ballistic, but then saw the upside:  I used the Pitroad kit as reference to complete the Vincennes.  If a kit came out after I complete the Chakri Naruebet, Ill just go ballistic. lol.

Btw, thats some impressive PE work you did. Really great looking island you got there. Cant wait to see that painted.

Allan:  Your skill makes scratch-building look easy!  Nice work!

AS:  With the PE added, it looks like an entirely different structure.  Again, good job!  

Been fighting a nasty cold the last couple of weeks which slowed me down a bit on the build as is working with this Eduard PE set which is making my eyes cross. Been lucky so far in not losing any of the tiny pieces, came close a couple of time though.

The screen on top the range finder was challenging in trying to shape it. The instruction sheets as usual don't mention how to fold/bend the more complex PE. Have read a FSM article where the builder was working the PE in from the top down, something I'm doing here.

One thing I find interesting with the PE set is just how much details the model itself left out.

That aircraft carrier is looking fantastic! Outstanding scratchbuilding skills man!

I know what it's like to build from scratch. Great work Allen!

Archangel Shooter

  That is some amazing scratch building there but you know what will happen next don't you? Six months after you complete your ship, some manufacturer will come out with a plastic kit. Can't wait to see more pics of her.

 

 

amazing skills Allen. Definitely be watching

  That is some amazing scratch building there but you know what will happen next don't you? Six months after you complete your ship, some manufacturer will come out with a plastic kit. Can't wait to see more pics of her.

Sorry, I know its pic-heavy, but to continue...

Ive attached the base deck. 

Thank you all for the support.  Its been a long weekend and I got a lot more pics.  

Worked on some bays before building up the upper hull.

I have been studying pictures of the Enterprise from May 1942 and have concluded the Tamiya Island will need some modification. Rounded bridge and Hornets Pri Fly. I also noticed in my kit the nameplate was for Hornet.  Means I got a Hornet in an Enterprise box, which is a good thing too for many other reasons I have read. So, I'm looking at getting the Evergreen plastic out and looking at how to modify what I have to represent Enterprise.  Kinda not looking forward to this since it is 1/700 scale, its like micro surgery.

Gees, I'm making this way to complicated, but I guess that is what happens when you model long enough that you develope Modelers OCD.

Archangel Shooter

 

 

ygmodeler4

ArcAng, I do not envy you with that gap.

 

 

Well I was able to get the hull gaps fixed w/ putty and sanding and got the 3 piece main decks attached to the hull. But now the Bow fwd hanger bulkheads are off and needed a lot of cutting/sanding to get them to fit I'm hoping it doesn't throw the alignment off when attaching the other walls to the decks.

 

good review of the Tico and its problems here: http://www.modelwarships.com/reviews/ships/cv/cv-14/350-trump-tw/trumpeter-review.html

Allen, I am very impressed with this project of yours.  Keep up the great work.

Welcome Duke!

Josiah, don't worry, I'm still a month, or maybe even month(s) away from starting mine.

Wicked Allan...!

Thanks Mark! I'll puill her out and get started on her soon.

No plans for that Allen. I'm building this OOB as my scratch building skills are far from capable of doing that ship. Yours is coming along very nicely so far.

Duke Maddog

I'd like to throw my hat into this and drop the keel of my Russian Aircraft Carrier Baku on to one of my slipways for this Group Build. Let me know, thanks!

 

Oh I like this! Any plans to do a Vikramaditya?

Anyways, some updates:

Filled up the bow and stern areas with Epoxy clay to firm them up.  The Philippines is a tropical country and styrene warping over the years is not uncommon.  I hope this addresses that.

 Ive decided to build the deck flat for now, and add the sloping skijump as a main deck overlay later.

Hey Duke you are now onboard with the GB......Cheers Mark

I have not started on that aft port side stern area yet. I will this Sunday. Monday is a deep cleaning from my dentist. Looking forward to that crap!

There's some incredible ships coming together here. Way to go and congrats Bob for finishing so quickly! Incredible!

I'd like to throw my hat into this and drop the keel of my Russian Aircraft Carrier Baku on to one of my slipways for this Group Build. Let me know, thanks!

surfsup and Scott:  yeah, there'll be a bit of elbow grease required, all right, and a lot of filler!

 I looked back to photos of the Tamiya Enterprise when I built her for a GB a couple years ago.  Same gaps in the same places.

Checkmate, thats a surprise about those gaps.  I did not have those on my Hornet, which was built about 25 years ago.  I'll test fit my Enterprise tonight and see how it fits, but it too is about 20 years old.  Maybe a tooling wear issue or change in material composition?

Mark - Can't wait to see the progress on the Abe, I have been eyeballing one of those 1/700 Nimitz kits.  Scott

I love the work gone into the scratchbuilt Carrier. Fantastic. Looks like you have some work to CM2 with those Gaps. Will start the Abe this Week.....Cheers mark

Installed a couple of pieces at the bow, including the deck, and the stern/hanger deck.

Unfortunately, there are large gaps that'll have to be filled all along the edges.  

But it was the same way with Enterprise.  It'll take a couple of days for the cement to set up firmly, then I'll get to filling and sanding.

Looking at the actual ship references, and then looking at the Tamiya island, it just seems it needs to be wider, and the bridge not so round. I know a lot of talk here and at MWS has been about the Tamiya island and its size and shape, and that the Trumpeter Hornet is the better island.  Basically use the Trumpeter island and deck on the Tamiya hull.  I am not ready for that investment, and I think probably nothing that a little Evergreen plastic won't solve. I may be out in left field, but it might be fun.  If one member here can build a complete aircraft carrier from scratch, I can build just an island.