Calling all Nimitz-class CVN fans

[Tinner7]

Thanks again Mark. I have tried to message him but haven�t received a reply. Can�t wait to get this model open on Christmas. Until then, I am slowly gathering up items.

[gjholmes77]

Use the early one for the era you want to do for Nimitz. Bacon Fist used to do the whole Hanger Deck Walls. He pulled them down to modify them to fit better. Hopefully he will put them back out for sale soon.

I have a (hopefully) final test print oh Hangar 1 going on now and Shapeways is predicting it will be here in January. If it goes well, the hangar deck walls will be back online shorty thereafter.

Thanks!

~Greg

[Tinner7]

Use the early one for the era you want to do for Nimitz. Bacon Fist used to do the whole Hanger Deck Walls. He pulled them down to modify them to fit better. Hopefully he will put them back out for sale soon.

I have a (hopefully) final test print oh Hangar 1 going on now and Shapeways is predicting it will be here in January. If it goes well, the hangar deck walls will be back online shorty thereafter.

Thanks!

~Greg

That�s good news to hear. I�ve recently bought a few things off your store in preperations for my build.

[Miles Prower]

I love these incredible photos of USS Nimitz CVN-68 in drydock.

Seen from below waterline, the scale and perspective are out of this world. The Nimitz looks more like a grounded spacecraft than a ship!

http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/25 ... st-carrier

[roym]

I'm currently trying to correct the Italeri 1/720 Nimitz class islands. I've done a decent job on the Reagan and Bush, and now trying on CVN-70 to 75. Mostly hacking on the spare islands in those kits (I have 4 of them) so if I screw up nothing is lost.

I have been taking pics as I go and will upload them here, but as I work at the speed of a glacier I thought it better to have it done before I post.

For simplicity's sake I'm planning on doing all the kits I have in as-built or as-commissioned fits, you can go mad trying to keep up with all the changes. I may still yet need to buy another Reagan/Bush kit or two for all the bits I need, at least they are cheap here. I certainly need at least one more hull anyway.

So, my question.....

(and bear in mind I'm ignoring the post RCOH refits on all the ships for my purposes!)
I'm trying hard- and failing- to find a clear photo of the area at the very aft of the upper deck on the island for each ship; on Nimitz, Ike and Vinson this was a open area, some of the others have what looks like a "canopy" or "roof" added with still open sides, later still it looks a completely enclosed area. It has been changed over the years, on all ships, but some were built with it open, some with it covered, some with it closed.

This photo on Navsource shows best the area I'm on about, the deck area between the 2 flag bags (you can zoom in)
http://www.navsource.org/archives/02/027097.jpg

and here the same area is covered over and has 2 satcom domes on it,
http://www.navsource.org/archives/02/027021.jpg

I need a clear pic showing the shape and size, for each from 71-75, I can't even tell if CVN-71 had an open or covered area there when built. I've tried the usual suspects, Navsource, navysite.de, seaforces etc. I've even spent hours trawling through the cruisebooks that are on navysite. And navy.mil is no help, as there are literally hundreds of thousands of pics there, but most are too recent...

Anyone got any ideas?

[Guest]

"I need a clear pic showing the shape and size, for each from 71-75, I can't even tell if CVN-71 had an open or covered area there when built. I've tried the usual suspects, Navsource, navysite.de, seaforces etc. I've even spent hours trawling through the cruisebooks that are on navysite. And navy.mil is no help, as there are literally hundreds of thousands of pics there, but most are too recent..."

Hope this helps... Theodore Roosevelt:
1986
https://nara.getarchive.net/media/a-por ... aft-7d3b86

1988
https://nara.getarchive.net/media/a-por ... ore-47a6d3

Extra
https://nara.getarchive.net/media/a-cre ... aft-760bec

https://nara.getarchive.net/media/a-vie ... aft-5bdf64

https://nara.getarchive.net/media/a-ste ... elt-8929a0

[simon b]

Now thats a cracking photo resource, especially as you can set the date range, excellent for the mods to the carriers. Downloading furiously

[roym]

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

[Guest]

Yeah it's a great resource for almost anything...

[task force 58]

Would the 1/700 Trumpeter CVN-72 or the CVN-74 kit be a better starting point for the USS George Washington during the final A-6 cruise?

[William]

Greetings!

I recently inherited the complete Italeri 1/720 line of US Supercarriers. Not being "expert" in carriers since I served my24 year Navy career in the Submarine Service, I began researching these kits. It seems that the Nimitz class kits are generally only 70% to 75% accurate according to various reviews but no reviews go into specifics. It is obvious to me that neither the G.W. Bush or the R. Reagan kits contain accurate islands, and that the islands found in each of the other kits are the same. That said, can anyone here point me in the right direction to find a summary of exactly what needs to be done to these kits? I really want to do them justice!


Thanks for any help!

[Mark McKinnis]

Would the 1/700 Trumpeter CVN-72 or the CVN-74 kit be a better starting point for the USS George Washington during the final A-6 cruise?

I planned on using the Lincoln kit. I researched this a while back and I think:

Trumpeter Roosevelt = Carl Vinson
Trumpeter Lincoln = Washington
Trumpeter Stennis = Truman

Reagan and Bush require a new Island (1/700 & 1/350 for the 3D folks:) and I have not looked at the sponsons. Bacon Fist does sponsons for both in 350 scale and a Reagan Mast. No Islands yet.

Check your references since you are doing a 1996 ish build for a last A-6E cruise and the Lincoln kit has all of the domes for 2002. They did not sport as many in the mid 90's.

Good luck,

MM

[Mark McKinnis]

Greetings!

I recently inherited the complete Italeri 1/720 line of US Supercarriers. Not being "expert" in carriers since I served my24 year Navy career in the Submarine Service, I began researching these kits. It seems that the Nimitz class kits are generally only 70% to 75% accurate according to various reviews but no reviews go into specifics. It is obvious to me that neither the G.W. Bush or the R. Reagan kits contain accurate islands, and that the islands found in each of the other kits are the same. That said, can anyone here point me in the right direction to find a summary of exactly what needs to be done to these kits? I really want to do them justice!


Thanks for any help!

Well,

If you are really interested in accuracy, sell them and use the funds to build a couple of the 1/700 Trumpeter Kits. The Italeri kits can be made into a nice kit but it would take a lot to correct them for each ship for an accurate build. There were subtle and not so subtle differences in Main Mast, Sponsons, Radar Masts, and the way the SATDOMES were arranged over the years. Ray's DVD picture albums are an essential reference for building any of them for an accurate model of the various ships of the class.

http://stillmotionsphotographics.com/-/ ... D=1&row=15

Good luck,

MM

[William]

The Detail and Scale books about the USS Forrestal, USS Enterprise, and USS America each provides a detailed analysis of the model kits available for these ships. Although not very flattering, these analyses include the Italeri kits. Coupled with the extra effort on the part of the modeler, decent models can be made. I am looking for the same type of information about the Nimitz class ships.


I am sticking with the 1/720 scale range because it is only one of two scales in which the entire fleet of U.S. Supercarriers can be found, and I inherited the kits. The other scale is 1/800, the Arii, Otaki, et. al. carriers models are arguable better than the Italeri range (except for the paired Aegis panels on the [i]Nimitz[i] class islands).

Does anyone know of such listings?

Thanks!

Bill

[roym]

William, if you can wait a bit I'm working on that exact project. I hope to have a thread on here showing what needs doing to each Nimitz class ship to make a decent representation from the cheap'n'cheerful Italeri kit.

All I'm using is plastic card, spare islands and spare parts of kits and PE. So far my only outlay was plastic card, GMM and Starfighter decals, and an extra copy of the Ronald Reagan kit for spares.

I've done one Reagan island using two kit islands cut'n'shut, and two more using plastic card. It's easy enough just time consuming, but sorta satisfying...

More later, stay tuned....!

[William]

roym,

I will wait. I might spend my time instead fixing the problems in the Italeri Forrestal class carriers.

Bill

[Tinner7]

Soon I will be starting my 1/350 Nimitz. One question I have (more to come) is on the elevator doors. Under flight operations, would these be shut, other then to move planes to and from the hanger? Trying to plan out my model and how much detail I need to think about with my plans to display this at sea with jets landing and taking off.

[Mark McKinnis]

Soon I will be starting my 1/350 Nimitz. One question I have (more to come) is on the elevator doors. Under flight operations, would these be shut, other then to move planes to and from the hanger? Trying to plan out my model and how much detail I need to think about with my plans to display this at sea with jets landing and taking off.

As I recall when I was on Nimitz, the weather more or less dictated whether the doors were open or not. Heavy seas would probably get the doors closed, nice calm seas they would be open. I did not do a North Pacific or a North Atlantic cruise so they may close them for bitter cold weather regardless of the seas. I do not believe that flight ops was a consideration. Keeping the hanger bay cooled down and ventilated was the most important thing I think.

Good luck,

Mark

[Tinner7]

Thanks Mark. Makes sense.

[wojtekp90]

Does anyone have Nimitz's plans including hangar and elevator plans?