Aircraft Carrier Group Build (July 07 to July 2010)

thanks Jmart

what will they do with big E?  hope they dont plan  to sink it like they did with mighty O  off the coast of florida.   ill research it more from the link u send to me   thanks again

jmart

i  c  your a giants fan

i am a pats fan  that wants to c  the giants win  sounds strange don't it

here is the reason  MANNING

i would like to see him out from under his brothers big foot and shadow  BECAUSE HE DESERVES TO BE and he has proven it

The big E is indeed slated for Decom 2014-2015, dependent on the state of the nuclear fuel currently in the carrier's reactors. Check this page:

http://www.history.navy.mil/library/online/navycvn21.htm

For general info and pics, check this links:

http://www.enterprise.navy.mil/

http://www.navsource.org/archives/02/65.htm

A list of all carriers and info/pics here:

World Aircraft Carrier Lists From 1913 to 2001

http://www.hazegray.org/navhist/carriers/

also here

http://www.navy.mil/navydata/ships/carriers/carriers.asp

finally, USS Enterprise CVN-65 in 1/350 Scale :

http://www.modelwarships.com/reviews/ships/cv/cvn-65/350/cvn65.html

Cheers! James

GO NY GIANTS BIG BLUE

hiya all

just update on my carrier    havent start on it yet but good thing i have til nov smiles   it should give me pently of time to finish it. 

anyway  i got a free dvd of carrier in the mail but sucks it has no subtitle or caption  argh argh.  I want to clear up something from what i read on the dvd book saying that the carrier  USS Enterprise will be out of service by year 2015 or 2010  is that true? because it will be replacing to USS Geroge H W Bush carrier  SInce Enterprise is my all time favorite mordern carrier.  if its true it will be sad to see the Enterprise being out of service. Im hoping they can refuel it so it can last more years or remodel/restore it.

James,

Thanks for the update.  That Nimitz kit is probably similar, if not identical to the Italeri kits.  I built the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower several years ago when I was serving onboard.  I also picked up the USS Ronald Reagan kit a couple of years ago, and the kit did improve a bit over time.  If you want a real treat though, the Trumpeter kit is phenomenal!  I picked up their release of the Eisenhower as I want to make a better version than what I have on display.

All,

I spent most of last evening and part of this morning installing the decals on my air wing.  I still need to touch up a few spots on about four planes then paint the wheels on all and the side and engine cowling bands on the ones that get them (I have not found evidence of the side bands being used on the TG-2 planes).  Lots of fine detail painting under good lighting and heavy magnification.  I can only do that stuff for so long at any given time, but at least I am moving forward and I am pleased with the results.

Greetings everyone, sorry I have not been around, was doing other GBs dealing with wingy things and targets :)

I have been looking at the Nimitz again, the 1:720 Monogram, very easy/simple, not much detail but a good "starter" a/c carrier. Spent some time months ago un-warping the deck, passing warm/hot water and slowly bending the hull back. Primed both parts and the base, thats about it....   spent some time learning about Modern navy colors, put an order for the deck/haze/flight decks greys, as well as the antifouling red (from white ensigns).

Debating whether to switch to the Dragon Essex in my stash, or succumb to temptation and get the dragon premium independence... but I may stick to the Nimitz as my "starter" ship. I will watch jazzy_jef's builds very closely! :)

Scott - thanks for the updates, lookforward to some pics. I have a Dig Cam, but my eldest daughter keeps taking it ;) I will post pics in couple weeks, once I finish some other stuff and have something actually built... cheers! James

Jeff,

I have updated post #1 with your specific ships.  They should be interesting.  I started taking part in these group builds a couple of years ago, and they are good for getting me focused on what to build next from my stash.  The challenge is in joining too many at once and having life get in the way of building as much and as fast as one would like.

All,

The Saratoga airwing build continues.  I continue to move forward at a much slower pace than I anticipate week after week.  Anyway, the planes are coming along, and I will do some more with them this weekend.  I am also slowly attaching the final detail parts onto the ship itself.  As always, I will keep the group posted on my progress, and please feel free to do the same.

I decided on the specific ships.  My Essex will be CV-9 Essex herself, and the Indy will be CVL-26 USS Monterey. 

 Jeff

Both.  This is my first GB, so it should be fun.

 Jeff

It is great to see some activity within the group!   I have been working on the airwing in my spare time this week, and with snow predicted all weekend, I hope to come close to finishing the planes.  With thirty-three small kits to detail, this is taking plenty of time and patience.  I also need to get the small boats built up and installed on the ship yet.

Chester,

I will change post 1 to reflect your change to the 1:700 USS Independence.

Jazzy_Jeff,

I am always glad to add another name to the group!   It would only be too late to join this group after the build ends in November.  ANY form of aircraft carrier is acceptable for this build; in fact, I may build the Tamiya 1:350 I-400 for this build after I finish the Saratoga (and catch up on some other projects).  Also any detail that you want to add is fine.  If you go back through the postings you will see that I removed the molded deck-edge safety nets and replaced them with wire mesh.  I have also added some railings and stairs from Gold Medal Models to the smoke stack.

One question, do you want me to put you down for both kits now?  I will put them both on post 1 when I add your name, but let me know if you are only building one or the other.  Thanks again for your interest in the group.

Thanks for the advise AJB93.

Alain

Is it too late to join?

 If not, sign me up for a 1/350 USS Essex and are CVLs accepted, too.  If so, put me down for a 1/700 Independence.

What about PE and other aftermarket?

 Jeff

I think I'll change my entry to a 1/700 scale uss Independence. I'll hopefully be getting it this weekend so I will get started soon.

Traveller,

As it is only January, I do not want to extend a November deadline just yet, but I will certainly entertain the motion later in the year if it becomes necessary.

 All,

 After another BIG letdown on Monday night , I have managed over the course of the week to build my airwing.  Thirty-three aircraft in all, and all of them possessing at least three parts (fuselage and lower wing, upper wing, and landing gear) and six of them with four parts each.  As I mentioned previously, a lot of work in a small scale.  I started painting the upper wings this evening, but took a break to attend a meeting.  I will still try to finish those upper wings tonight so that I can work on the aluminum finish on the rest of the planes this weekend.

No promises, but I will see about getting some photos taken soon.  Probably after I finish the planes completely.  As always, I would love to hear how the rest of you are progressing.  Have a great weekend!

More Power Scotty wrote:

Traveller, I understand your challenges, and I just accepted a new position at my place of employment today.  Remember that we do have until November on this build, but if your challenges between now and then become too great, let me know and I can remove you from the group.  I would prefer that you stay, so I will give some time for things to settle down for you in order to let you make an informed decision.  Best wishes to you and your family this New Year!

Thanks for the advice mate!! I needed to sit down and let things settle. Now I will strip back the hull and start again!!!!! Can we have a bit more time, as the voices in my head said we needed to go on a trip this year, just a small trip.

I have made some progress the past few days as the deck is now attached to the sides of the hull.  I have also started the assembly of the air wing.  I prefer 1:48 scale for biplanes so the ones I am building in 1:700 are a new challenge for me.  They are going together fairly well (at least the first three have anyway), but the wings are incredibly small.  I have yet to figure out how to attach the landing gear.  I did receive a portable photo station for Christmas from my son just for taking photos of my models.  I have never seen such a thing before, but as soon as I get a little more done, I will put it to use to show the group where I am with my project.  Have a great weekend, and please don't be shy about updating the rest of us on your progress!

Traveller,

I understand your challenges, and I just accepted a new position at my place of employment today.  Remember that we do have until November on this build, but if your challenges between now and then become too great, let me know and I can remove you from the group.  I would prefer that you stay, so I will give some time for things to settle down for you in order to let you make an informed decision.  Best wishes to you and your family this New Year!

Season's Greetings to All!

I just wanted to take a moment to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Safe and Happy New Year! 

I am taking a few days off over the holidays and have been working diligently on a commissioned piece, then I will shift my focus back to the Saratoga.  I am presently debating what to glue together next to allow me to add the details that I want to put in place.  I am also giving thought to making this a full hull model, even though I really like the water display base that came with the kit.  As it is now winter here in the North, I am going to be challenged to find enough sunlight to take some decent progress photos, but that is something else for me to work on while I am off.

Greetings All!

Just updating my progress as in the past few days I managed to decal and touch up the smoke stack, and then dull coated this and the flight deck.  I should be moving forward on some additional construction later this week.  I will attempt to get some photos taken and posted as well. 

Don't be shy, feel free to update the group on YOUR progress as well.

All,

I made little progress on the Saratoga over the holiday as travel and work on a kit for a co-worker took up the majority of my time.  I plan on airbrushing a dull coat on the flightdeck next, and I am still trying to figure out exactly what the rigging on the island looked like.  The reference books that I own and the photos that I have found on the internet show next to nothing.  I picked up the Squadron Signal book on the earlier carrier and one of the line drawings shows a tremendous amount of lines running everywhere.  A few do not seem realistic considering where they are going (out on the far forward and aft ends of the flightdeck), so I am trying to figure out what I really need to install.  It also appears that the lines changed over time, so this is not helping me.  Anyway, this is where I am, and I will continue to update the group as I go forward.  Once again, please feel free to keep posting your progress as well, and do not hesitate to ask if there is anything that I can help  with.

Im still around   been gone for awhile cuz of virus seem sunk my hard drive so had to format the hard drive.    i havent start on my carrier yet since im trying to finish up some gb plus the job im working is driving me nuts!  Also   cleaning out the basement and try to rearrange my workdesk and putting models box on selves since it was all over the basement   oopies   guess i need to hire maid lol. 

Scott   great job on ur flight deck!   very impressive and almost looks realastic  (sp)

Everyone  I was watching good tv show called  quest of sunken ships on Miliarty (sp)  or history channel   suggest you to check it out.  its on wednesday night at umm 8 or 9 EST.   

ps  for some reason i cant spell right     guess im way too tired since just got home from work   so better hit the sack.

Well, it is good to see that some of you are still around, as I was starting to get worried (almost like when my son is out late with his friends).  Thanks for the links Eddie!  Those are some nice photos of the Roosevelt.   I am just about in position to start making some headway again on the Saratoga, and outside of travelling back to God's country for Thanksgiving, I should have some time this next week to make some progress.  Keep the group posted on what you are doing, and as always, feel free to ask any questions as we continue through this group build. 

user="scorpr2" the 2 ships I served on, the MIDWAY (CV-41) and the SARATOGA (CV-60).  Thanks, Bill

Good to see someone else who was on the Midway. I was on board from 87 till 89. Just as a side note, I built the Midway a few years ago and built the "doghouse" to help it look a little more like it did during my time aboard.

http://www.midwaysailor.com/eddiemiller/eddiemiller-004b.jpg

Also, if you're looking for any photos of the Roosevelt, here's a few.

http://www.vaq136.com/carriers/fdr.html

   Eddie

hi Scott... I also got busy with other things and real life keeps getting in the way... thanks for the prming info, I did use light gray for the deck/hull, light coats... I have to move my work area in the basement as it is too close to the (now operatinal) furnace. I also want to prime some armor and a couple a/c before I close the spray booth for the winter (located in an unheated attached garage area).

Anyways, I still want to attempt to build the Monogram Nimitz, which is really smaller than 1:720 (?). main deck was warped, I spent some time under warm water trying to make it straight... I also got (thanks to Squadron sale prices) the 1:700 Italieri Admiral Kuznetsov (Tbilisi) as a modern carrier backup. Better kit, better molds, better detail. Will be starting late winter/early spring... thanks again for your help, sorry I cannot build anything yet!

cheers, Jim

JMart and all,

Once again I apologize for being missing in action for a while, but I just spent the last thirteen days in a row working my thirteen hour schedule.  It looks like the end is near though with our outage, and I will hopefully be back to building in another week or two.  Of course, just because I am out for a while does not mean that the rest of you can not update the group on your progress.

Back to the question at hand.  I usually do not prime anything that I build.  Just a habit that I started some thirty-five years ago with my first kit.  The only things that I  have primed thus far are metal figures and a car that I was painting with automotive lacquer paint.  My biggest drawback to priming is that it is an additional layer or two of paint to help obscure details.  This is just my though.  If you are going to prime, I would go with a light grey for anything that will end up haze grey, or some other variant of grey in the end.  As far as enamels or acrylic paints are concerned, use what you are the most comfortable with.  I have been using more and more acrylics the past few years as the fumes are so much less and dissipate much faster.

  If you look at the photos of my flight deck on the Saratoga, I first airbrushed Acryl wood mixed with white then over coated with a Mahogany stain (that is what was used on flight decks in that era).  I then "weathered"  by wet-sanding the deck with 1500 grit paper to take away some of the stain.  It is still a bit glossy from adding the decals, but I will dull coat it and weather it some more. 

I hope that this helps a little, and please feel free to ask any questions that you might have, and I will try to get back more often in the near future.