Carrier Builders Yard, whats on the Slipway

[gjholmes77]

Thanks John, should be done this weekend with the hangar bay. Start on the aft sponsons while I wait for the cruve ends from Greg.

Hey Mardis,

When you get the curved parts you will have to cut off a portion of the trumpeter part. Just letting you know, so you can plan ahead. I'm hoping they'll be available by next weekend.

Take care,

~Greg

[gtbred]

Okay Greg!

[gtbred]

Just put in the hangar deck. Starboard side not much detail because of the port side aft opening. Waiting on the older sponsons for the missiles launchers from Greg of Shapeways.

[kidcurrie42]

Looks Great Mardis ,

I ordered some Hangardeck vehicles from Greg's Shapeway store..... and the Port side bulkhead...

Happy Modeling

John

[gtbred]

Thanks John, order a lot of stuff. But everything is on hold. Because next weekend Greg should be getting the sponsons.

[kidcurrie42]

Package arrived today Many Thanks Mardis......

Happy Modeling

John

[gtbred]

So they used a horse and buggy to deliver your package. USPS is at it's best. Glad you got it John!

[Mark McKinnis]

Nice job Red!


I am almost done with JFK below the flight deck sponsons and catwalks. I ordered a bunch of the "TOMS" Carrier Liferaft Baskets to detail the catwalks. One of the issues I am seeing on JFK is that as the ships got modified, the catwalks shed their solid steel bulkheads for the railings, I assume to save topside weight. Lots of work to scratch build those so I am hoping to exercise a little artistic license and hide them away with the life raft baskets. We shall see!


Mark

[gtbred]

Thanks Mark, I was ask were did I buy my hangar bay set at. I told him it's all scratch. He then ask me could I do one for his Kitty Hawk. I have too many builds going on now. I have a real job that pays my bills and other things. Finding time to do what I love is hard. Maybe Greg from Shapeways could do a hangar bay layout. I'm sure if the price is right he will have takers. Happy Modeling Everybody.

[gjholmes77]

Mardis,

The price on a full hangar bay from Shapeways would be crazy! But I'm still working on it just to see how crazy. In other news: check out the picture!

Accourding to my contour tool it is a pretty good fit, but I'm going to chop the square end off of the kit part tonight to make sure it matches perfectly.

[gtbred]

That does look good. I was only kidding about the full hangar bay Greg. That would be some work to do that! The price of that would be krazy. The bow horns would be a great addition. Thanks for putting stuff out!

[gjholmes77]

It's now available and it fits pretty well. With careful alignment it just needs a little bit of sanding around the corner and a little bit of filler where the aft bulkhead meets the new 3d printed deck and possibly where the sponson meets the hull.

Picture is of the polished white strong and flexible material.



Happy backdating!
~Greg

[gtbred]

All right Greg!!! I'll put in order now! Thanks! I guess the bow horns are next?

[Mark McKinnis]

Kitty Hawk aft sponsons look great! I will be getting a set when I get to the Kitty Hawk.

For Greg, I see that the MK-25 BPMDS Launcher is on your to do list. I need 3 of them to back date JFK. Any chance those can get moved up to the front burner? The kit comes with the newer MK-29 Launchers for everyone who is back dating their JFK. I have not found any on the web from the standard after market crowd.

Keep up the good work!

Mark

[JimVarnellABH2USN]

Well most of y'all know I had to pack up and move, as I was putting stuff into storage I came across an old storage box with some photo albums in it, seeing what was in them I came across my pictures of Miss Kitty when she was in Philadelphia undergoing SLEP when I was first assigned to her in 1989, I was dabbling in photography and doing black and white pictures. I has some really cool shots of her in dry dock as well as pier side for final fit out. I also had some of when Miss Conny pulled in as well, I am so glad I came across these as I thought they had been lost over the years. I am going to be using these as a nice point of reference when I start my KITTY HAWK in a couple of months, got lots of planning to do and extras to get still, I got the kit for Christmas along with the KENNEDY, INTRIPID, NEW JERSEY, & NORTH CAROLINA, Right now I plan to build the KITTY HAWK as she was when I served aboard her from 1989 to 1993, since this was her last MAJOR overhaul, with exception to the normal yard upgrades.

When I start this build it is the only one that my CIC is allowing me to do, since my temporary house does not have the room I had at the old house, but I am certainly wanting to start this build but without proper planning it will turn out to be another OOB build which I don't want, I am going all out on this build as I has such attachment to this wonder warship.

So far my plan is to get the KA premium upgrade kit, which I am saving up my spending money for since it cost more than the kit did, and add as many after market things as needed for the build, I am also going to be adding LED's and Fiber Optic lighting for the interior of the hangar bay and the Island structure. Right now I am undecided as to the airwing, I know I want depict the ship in port but I also would love to tackle a 350 scale airwing, but if I do use the airwing I will add the total airwing from her South Trans-Atlantic Cruise of 1991. I will also not be waterlining the hull since I have been building nothing but waterlined 1/700 scale kits for the past three years, I need a break from a waterlined ship. I know I have a lot of scratch building to do on her to 1991 configuration but it is not to bad as dating her back to Nam era or older.

I will try to get the pictures I have of her scanned and post them as soon as I can but I do need to get them out of storage. Some of these pictures are pretty neat as to the subject I was shooting, and hopefully anyone doing a build of this timeframe will find them helpful. See y'all soon.

[gjholmes77]

Thanks a bunch Mardis! Let me know if everything is ok when you get your order... In the mean time I will be working on the horns on the bow.

Mark, I'm pretty well along on the Mk 25 already (I move my burners around quite a bit!)... it should be done in a week or two if everything goes well.

Jim, sounds like you have quite the reassure trove of Kitty Hawk pictures. I will be excited to see them once you have them scanned and ready to go.

Happy Easter everyone!

[gtbred]

Man,you are a killer! I guess that full hangar bay will be your ultimate goal. But then again I see you might do the America island. Another J.F.K hull with Kitty Hawk flight deck should do the trick. By the way speaking for myself. Your spoiling us!

[JimVarnellABH2USN]

Okay,started on the hangar bay. I said before she will not be fully detail. Just enough to see thru the openings.

Red your work on the hangar bay on Miss Kitty is great but I see one minor flaw...................(REF. PIC #2) The small structure in bay 2 next to the divisional doors on the 01 level is hangar deck control, there is a window on the angle side of the structure as well as a platform with a hatch leading in and out of hangar deck control, also there is a straight ladder down to the deck from the platform. I spent many a night running up and down that ladder adjusting the Ouija board after a bunch of aircraft moves. Like I said very minor flaw but most would never catch it since it was an odd place for HDC.

There was a VLA on the bulkhead stating it as HDC, this VLA was Black background with yellow lettering.

[gtbred]

Thanks Jim,I will look into that. But for me no lighting in the hangar bay. So everthing will be dark. I may close the 1 opening. Ohhhh yeah she is the Connie by the way.

[Mark McKinnis]

Man,you are a killer! I guess that full hangar bay will be your ultimate goal. But then again I see you might do the America island. Another J.F.K hull with Kitty Hawk flight deck should do the trick. By the way speaking for myself. Your spoiling us!

Not so fast my young friend!


America's deck is actually a combination of the catapults from JFK along with the L1 and L2 elevator placement which is slightly different from Kitty and Connie in addition to the port deck edge layout of the Kitty Hawk/Conny.

I have also been looking at Greg's to do list with regard to that Island project and started some research. I did a 1/720 America some time ago and converted it to a 1/720 JFK. Using the 1/350 kits will be a major re-build of either kit but I would use the JFK. I think that the port deck edge would be easier to scratch build than the catapult/elevator relocation.


Greg, I will need three MK-25 Launchers when they are ready.

Thanks,

MM