Tamiya Big-E - USS Enterprise 1/350

your fine details are starting to bring it alive now

Dear friends, good morning.

I finished gluing the accommodation stairs. It's easier to glue the part in PE and then paste the parts of stretched sprue. If you try to assembly the set then paste in the hull, it will be almost impossible, because the contact between the parties is very small.

I took one of these stairs that came over and I will use as a ladder to access the rear docking platform that opens on the far back of the ship.

Accomodation stairs.

 Today I made three pieces missing, one aft.
  

One has already folded.
 

 Already in place, missing pieces of stretched sprue.

 Details of the doors up and stairs down.
 

After the paint I will fix this one as a back stairs, as the the Cruise Book photo.

Cruise Book pics of docking platform and stairs.

Dear friends,

Right now I am adding as much detail which will be the color of the hull and at the same time, be relatively protected from handling. In the previous post I had pasted the ladders and doors in PE. Later we found out he was a little weird, lacked a platform at the base of the stairs.

So, I created nine small platforms. My idea was already surround them with the fence standing, but I remembered it will not be enought to all the platforms. So I did just the platform itself.

Also, I mounted "accomodation stairs". It was pretty cool, but gave looooooooooooooooooooooot of work. A stepladder to bend, sprue to stretch, fold it and paste it was took me about forty minutes. The pieces are very small, light and almost without resistance and the "physical" must be a little different from regular pieces.

There is a missing a platform here.
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I made nine mini platforms.
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Now yes, the stairs ends at platforms that provide access to hatches.

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I remade the part of the cleaning monster ate.
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I decided to make the first of "accomodation ladder". Besides the part in PE, you have to stretch the sprue to simulate the cables.

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" style="background-color:#fff;">The part folded.
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The "spiritual" moment of the assembly: heat the sprue with a candle to stretch it.
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Unlit candle and stretched sprue. 
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The first part with the stretched sprue.
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All the parts, stairs and "cables". The surface of contact between these parts are so small that "the physics of the glue" seems to work in a different way.

warshipguy

A.M.Jorge,

I like your reshaping the after end of the flight deck.  However, shouldn't the rudders be vertical instead of angled?

Bill

Hi, my rudder and screws reference (not the best picture but very useful):

Looking very nice! Can't wait to see more!

Yeah, the outer set of rudders are angled ... something I picked up on late and had to go back in fix in my Big E build as well. She is definitely one of a kind.

We're almost at the point of painting. But before I decided to paste a few EPs that are the same color as the hull and that due to the location and form, shall be protected against any accident. As I was riding, came a doubt. The stairs descending from the flight deck give in "nowhere." I imagine that there should be at least a small platform with proper protection for anyone falling into the sea.



First we need nine small stairs.




Before folding.



It took nine "standard" doors. "Quick Action" doors will be used on the bridge.



Look there the first ladder and door PE. Look that the sailor that goes straight down the ladder into the sea. Need a platform protection.



Two more ladders and two doors.

One more.

I'll be d****d! I just came across some drydock pictures of the Enterprise showing the rudder configuration.  The photos clearly show that the after rudders are vertical while the forward ones are indeed angled outboard.  It goes to show that one is never too old to learn something new!

Bill

warshipguy

A.M.Jorge,

I like your reshaping the after end of the flight deck.  However, shouldn't the rudders be vertical instead of angled?

Bill

I do believe they are supposed to be where they are because the propellers provide all the necessary "airflow" over the rudders thus allowing the ship to turn faster.

The Rudders actually use the propeller cavitation to turn the ship by directing it.

A.M.Jorge,

I like your reshaping the after end of the flight deck.  However, shouldn't the rudders be vertical instead of angled?

Bill

I know this is too late to help you but this could help you if you do this kit again and may help someone in the same predicament.

There was actually a solution to that rudder dilema without having to resort to cutting pins. Take the ship I am assuming the lower hull wasn't painted right? And go to a darkened room after getting a flashlight or a penlight first. Take the penlight and separate a portion of the flight deck (Stern end is best) from the hull and turn on the flashlight. Take the lighted flashlight and place the lighted end in the space made when you separated the flightdeck and hull and turn off the room light. Now dark the flashlight will light the interior the thick areas of the hull will show some light but not a whole lot but the thinner sections where areas will need to be opened up will show as bright spots on the hull. The bright spots on the hull will need to be marked so that once the flashlight is off and removed and the flight deck reglued into place you will know exactly where to use your pin vise to drill a pilot hole for use of a exacto knife to bore out the hole later on. to mark the spot use a regular small tip sharpie marker or whatever comparable permanent ink marker is available where you live and place your mark dead center of the light spot that way when you drill out the pilot hole dead center you can go back after painting and open it up and install the rudders later. Now if you painted the rudders prior to installing them all that would need to be done is touch up painting. BTW doing it this way would actually ensure you don't accidentally break the rudders off during painting or handling prior to display.

Well friends, continuing to the bottom of the hull, I noticed they were missing the holes to fit the two side rudders. Too late. The solution I found was to cut the pins of the rudders. I do not advise because it greatly decreases the mechanical strength of the piece.

I took the time to adjust the rear of the flight deck. In the kit it comes round, but in the photos, you realize that it is straight, with two levels, a well-inclined at the extreme rear and another bigger.

Where are the holes for the side rudders??

Oops, had to be done before gluing the deck!

Well, the solution was to cut the pins of the rudders

Done

Lots and lots of tape and super glue

But the important thing is the result

The extreme rear of the deck: the kit is rounded, but should be straight

In this case it is better to scrape than to sand

All straight, two levels

The monster of housecleaning, ate another piece 

Hi guys. Still not new yet.

Good morning. A lot of work at my job. I think I won't work on Big E next two weeks.

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

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

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

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Assembled 

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The parts that compose the automatic landing system
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The assembled system  

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The first axis of the four, with the support 

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

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

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From another angle

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

Bill

Thanks David.

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

Cheers

Peter

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

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)?

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.

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

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.

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
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We use the unused side of the tape 
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We use a coarse sandpaper to hit some bumps

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We use 600 sandpaper to give the basis for painting
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During the process of sanding, I busted one of the arrest wire
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And I had to stretch and paste in the hole
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Final result
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making some nice progress,Jorge

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

Beautiful job!

Bill