Aircraft Carrier Group Build (July 07 to July 2010)

Here is the photo-etch!!!

Dan and Bill,

Welcome aboard!  I am glad to see the group is growing in size once again!  As I do not see too many folks building aircraft carriers, I was wondering how well this would go, but being an internet-based group, I was hoping for the best.  I will get Bill added to posting #1 with the Roosevelt, and Dan can let me know his choice once he decides.

I have a coworker who served aboard the Roosevelt during Vietnam.  He was assigned to the helicopters that flew plane guard missions.  I was a Nimitz-class sailor myself (USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and USS Abraham Lincoln), so I hope that you enjoy building your former ship with the group.

Also for Dan, I think that I mentioned back in posting #1 that I am interested in a group badge, so if anyone knows of someone that could help wiht that, or if anyone in the group can help, I would appreciate it.  Although I have some limited computer knowledge, I do not know how folks create the badges for groups (what programs are used, and what size do they start out as).  Anyway, if anyone can help out, feel free to do so.

Traveller,

Nice parts!  I am looking forward to seeing them in place!

silentmodeler,

If you want to glue wood strips onto your deck, I would recommend using veneer strips (a very thin wood normally used as an outer covering, or can be cut into shapes for intricate designs), or another source is the thin wooden inserts used in some cigar boxes as a separator between layers of cigars.  There are companies that make wooden flight decks for some of the carriers in 1/350 scale that I have seen at a couple of model shows.  Those directly replace the plastic deck, and would be a bit easier.  If you really want to glue wood to your deck, I would use a thick super glue or epoxy. 

With all of that said, for your ship, I would simply paint the flight deck the appropriate color (by the Doolittle raid, the decks were painted blue) and then you can weather the wood with some wood colors (I used both dark and light shades when I built mine), and steel for weathering the tie-down strips. 

For small scale ships, you will really challenge yourself if you want to replicate everything that is on a real flight deck.  The small deck sections that i have for 1/72 and 1/48 scale aircraft are nicely detailed, and have photoetched parts for the strips, but in those scales, they have to.

Ok, I may not have kit as for yet, but at least I made a start by making a couple of badges that might fit for this GB...

Let me know what you think of it :) 

Dan,

I am rather partial to the middle badge being a former Nimitz-class carrier sailor, even though I am starting the build with a Lexington-class ship.  Does my vote carry extra weight since I initiated the build?   Just kidding around, whatever the group decides on is good with me.  Thanks so much for making the designs!

I thought that it was going to rain here this evening, so I skipped a bike ride...

and took some photos instead.  As you can tell, I am once again able to download my images.  Here is a shot of the nearly completed hull, island, and smoke stack as well as the flight deck with the first coat of paint (a 1:1 mix of Testors Acryl Wood and Flat White).  In looking at the photo here, the color is showing up much darker than what it really is.  As I took the pictures as the sun was starting to set, this may have thrown things off a bit.

Here is a closeup of the guns along the aft port side as well as the life boat station next to it.  I wanted to show the level of detail that Trumpeter put into this kit. 

Again, I will keep the group posted as I move forward with this build.

No problem, Scotty. As for wich badge to use, you're the GB leader, so you decide what system we use.  In some GB's the leader decides on the badge, in others they vote, and in a couple of GB's, people use all of the proposed badges.

Nice little Lexxie, you've got there, is that one of those new kits that come with a waterbase ? 

PS : the first and the second badge depict the same ship ; USS Ronald Reagan, while the third badge is the old Interprise.

Dan,

I would prefer that we go with the democratic method of voting, but I would like to make the cutoff for voting next Friday (August 24) so that we can start using the badge.  Not that I have an issue with folks that want to be unique with their badges, but my experience is that the ones different from the rest of the group are the designs that come in late, or lost out in the group voting.  For consistency, I would prefer that we just use one for the group, but I am willing to listen to the opinions of others.  I could not recognize a hull number on the badge designs, but I thought that the first and second were Nimitz-class ships.  For some reason, the second badge just "speaks" to me.

Thanks for the compliment, and actually, she is the Saratoga, but still a Lexington-class ship.  Yes, it is a Trumpeter kit with a water base included, and that is what I will be posing it on once complete.  That base, along with the pre-WWII airwing led me to purchasing it in the first place.

More Power Scotty wrote:

Dan, I would prefer that we go with the democratic method of voting, but I would like to make the cutoff for voting next Friday (August 24) so that we can start using the badge.

might i suggest the american way,  vote for a person  who will select a person  who will appoint a study group on the subject, then they will come up with a choice that is not even on the list

this is the american way  

sorry but i had to stick a funny in hear   

Hehe, that's indea, Durr

Ok, if I really, really have to make a vote, than my vote goes for the first badge, unless of course someone else comes out with better badges. 

Dan,

It appears as though we now have a split vote.  I hope that we do not have to count on florida to figure out what our badge will be.

Group,

Dan has offered us some nice choices for a badge for this group.  Please let your vote be known as it will actually count here.   Really, no electoral college or anything, and no hanging chads.  Anyway, I want the cutoff for the vote to be next Friday (August 24) so that we can start displaying our badge with pride.  Now get out there and vote!

DURR,

Welcome to the group!   I have added your name to post 1 along with your choice of a 1/700 scale kit.  Just let me know your ship name when you decide, and I will update the list.

deathrattler32,

Troublemaker! 

All,

We presently have a three-way tie for the voting on the group badge.  There is still time to get to the polls and cast your ballot!  I will announce the winning badge and add it to post one after the voting ends (whenever I get around to sitting at the computer on Saturday ), so please let your voice be heard (OK, let your words be typed) by Friday night.

some of you guys may already know this place   some one my even be a member

this site is devoted strickly to a/c carriers and the planes that use them

http://www.carrierbuilders.net/   

That site looks pretty good.  I signed up for it!  Looks like it will be very helpful. 

By the way, for the group badge I vote for number 3.

i vote for #6    that is #1 + #2  + #3   = 6   which translates to it don't make no difference to me

    I would like to join this build .... i've never done a carrier but it looks like a whole lottta fun.  Im not sure what i will do ... something 1/700. This might be my chance to tackle a waterline build. I like the middle badge. I hope i am not to late!

EDIT:

after a little research im toy'n with the idea of scratchbuilding a Apollo 8 Command Module

-Doug 

Ok, Scotty, I've got a kit, well, it turns out I've had this kit all along, laying on the attick.

It's the 1/400 Charles de Gaulle from Heller, I picked up this a kit a couple of years ago on a flea market, so I don't acutally know if it's still complete. But, heck, I'm gonna give it a try.

So as soon as my other running projects are completed, I'm gonna start building her. 

Doug,

Thanks for joining the group! I have added you to our listing on post #1 with your USS Yorktown.  I made the assumption that you meant the Essex-class ship, CV-10, and not the Yorktown-class, CV-5, so let me know if I am mistaken (it will not be the first time).

DURR,

Thanks for the link,  I will be checking it out further later on.

All,

We have a winner in our group badge election!  As voting concluded in a three-way tie, and since I started the group, I have decided...to go with...wait for it...wait for it...the creator's favorite!  I greatly appreciate the time and effort that Dan put forth in developing the choices for the group, and if he likes his design #1 the best, that is good enough for me.  I have added this to post #1, and I will be adding it to my signature line shortly.

Thanks once again Dan!

Scotty, 

Your assumption is correct. Thanks

No problem at all, Scotty, I enjoy tangling with PaintShop now and than, to at least lift my skills with it a little up

As said before, I haven't started my carrier yet because I really need to work on a couple of other builds first otherwise it would seem that I have more wips than finished models but I'm thinking of chopping De Gaule's bottom and make it a waterline model (sounds kind of weird doesn't it ? ), or maybe even get a new kit for this GB (hehe, any excuse is good enought, isn't it ?)

Well, got the basic Island assembly done on the Reagan. Had quite a bit of overtime at work the last few weeks, and havent had much time to work. I studied photos of the Reagan's island, and using parts in the kit, but shaded out not to be used, I added lights to more represent the real carrier's deck lighting, which is more than abundant. Detail painting is next.

click it it get bigger.

scorpr2 wrote:

Can someone tell me how do I attach the group badge to my signature or whatever it's called?

Easy :

1 you copy the image to your computer

2 you upload the copy to your online album (like Photobucket.com for instance)

3 when uploaded to your album you see a couple of line under the thumbnail in your album

4 you copy the textline that looks like this : [ img]url of the picture[ /img]

5 you paste this line in the signature box of your profile

6 you're done 

AJB93,

It is never too late, well at least not until the group build ends in this case.  I will add your name and selection to post #1.  One question, are you building the Essex itself, or another ship of that class?  Let me know, and in the meantime, aboard!

kustom,

Nice job on the island! the additional lighting looks good, and I know that we had several of those lights on both the Eisenhower and the Lincoln, so adding extras was probably a good choice.  Keep us informed as you progress, but everything so far looks great!