The Ship Model Forum

Hello all... Im looking for some advice... For my first Aircraft Carrier build I have bitten off all I can chew.. My brothe-in-law was a plank owner on the JFK.. I want to do a model of her on her first med cruise.. I have an Italeri 1/720 nimitz kit and Constellation kit.. I have all the airgroup aircraft except the seasprite helos.. GM brass and decal set for CVs.. I need photos or plans to mod the connie island to early JFK..Was figuring to use the Nimitz with connie parts ( bow anchor) Island ect.. JFks sea sparrow launchers from that time the platforms seem to be diffrent placed on hull than Nimitz? Any comments appreciated. cheers BC

You ll need some scratchbuilding to do it and the U.S.S. America kit would be a better candidate for conversion into a JFK than a Connie one. The Nimitz platforms are somewhat different compared to the JFK ones.

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On the workbench:

Various 1/700 aircraft.
Juan Carlos I LHD 1/700.
HMAS Canbera LHD 1/700.
FGS Type 122 class FFG 1/700.
LSD-41 class LPD 1/700.

Is this the Italeri 1/720 America kit?.. Where can I find a set of plans for JFK that would be useful for redoing the island? Was Americas deck layout the same as JFK? regards BC

Hi Bill,

Did you get anything new for your JFK project? If you found plans of the island I would be quite interested .

I have some good pictures (Including those given to me by Nektarios ) so if you need them just ask.

Arnaud

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Arnaud

On the workbench:
1/72 F-14A Bounty Hunters First Tomcat deployment
1/700 CVN-71 Theodore Roosevelt Last Tomcat deployment
1/700 CG-62

Check out Stefan Terzibaschitsch's book "Aircraft Carriers of the U.S. Navy" I got mine used off Amazon for $20. It's an invaluable book! Has photos and drawings from CV-1 through CVN-73 for various stages in their lives as well as an extensive section on the SCB conversions of the WWII survivors. Also, technical charts, specifications and airwing lists including aircraft type from the 1920s through the 1980s.

If anyone wants any line drawings from it I can scan and post/e-mail. Let me know.

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Drawing Board:
1/700 Whiff USS Leyte and escorts 1984
1/700 Whiff USN Modernized CAs 1984
1/700 Whiff ASW Showdown - FFs vs SSGN 1984

Slipway:
1/700 Whiff USN ASW Hunter Killer Group Dio 1984

I will have to check out this book.. Ive removed the sponsons from the America kit....now to make new ones for the early sea sparrow launchers...JFK is a bit of an odd duck..Is she a Kitty Hawk class ship? Is she a stand alone design that was supposed to be Nuke powered ? I will try to post a pic in the carrier build pic section..

From a overall design stand point the Kitty Hawk Class consisted of two ships, the KH and the Constellation. The America can be considered as part of that class also even though the island structures were markedly different. The basic flight deck arrangement on those ships were very similar. You could even go as far as to include the Enterprise in that group becasue she also had a similar deck arrangement albeit longer. The next flight deck change came with JFK. If you compare the JFK's flight deck arrangement to the Nimitz Class, JFK has much more in common with that class the the previous one. Indeed, the JFK was originally designed to be nuclear but due to budgetary constraints, was finished as an oil burner. If I were going to build a JFK I would start with any one of the early Nimitz Class ships. Of course you would have to modify or scratch the island structure. There would also be additional reconfigurations such as sponsons and minor changes to the fantail flight deck, but still the Nimitz would be the most logical starting place. Terzibaschitsch's book on US aircraft carriers would be every helpful in any conversion.

As has already been stated, it is easier using the America kit, lot less work to do.





Happy Modeling

John

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Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum

Lookin' good John!


Anyway, I have something to share:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3Wucar1 ... re=related

"2012" Roland Emmirich

In the last scene is JFK carried by a huge tsunami which heads towards Washington DC and crushes the White House.

I'm a little confused. It shows JFK with three yardarms when the real one only has two. It kinda looks like Ronald Reagan. (Critic!!)

Nick

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Nichol Caballero
Civil Engineer and Ship Enthusiast

Thanks Nick,
It is very possibly a model of Ronald Reagan, it is a Nimitz style island and i do not see the mast aft of the island.

Happy Modeling

John

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Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum

This is why by the end of the month a 1/350 version will be started.

For all intents and purposes, JFK was an oil fired Nimitz. As someone stated earlier, JFK was planned to have a nuke reactor, but after budgetary struggles came and went, she was redesigned to accept the traditional oil fired boilers. Nimitz ended up being the "lucky one"

If you start with a Italeri Nimitz, you will be very close to a 1/700 JFK hull. Now I specifically said hull. not the sponsons, not the hangar deck openings/elevators, etc. If you want to start from the keel up, start with the Italeri Nimitz (early versions). I have plans of JFK and have studied them intensely.......................for what purpose, I cannot say

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Bust a deal, Face the wheel

If i had it to do again Id use the Italeri 1/720 Nimitz...oh well used the America kit... I added a simple hanger deck, dropped two elevators, added two JBD in the raised position,lenghted the deck so round down is over stern,added the correct angle at end of angle deck

She is starting to look like an early JFK...scratched the island

One thing to remember if anyone is considering using a Nimitz hull to build a JFK is that the Nimitz hulls are 50 feet longer than JFK's (1,040' cf 990'). Therefore, 21.8mm would need to be removed for a 1/700 scale model. This obviously would change the proportions of the flight deck as well as elevator placements etc.

finnished with Carrier. now for her aircraft and deck equipment...Im on a deadline as this has to be ready by Aug 10th... I did this for my brother-in law who is a plankowner and has some old shipmates coming to visit...tried to give him a JFK and airwing for the 1969 first med cruise..

Okay, so I've read through this thread and now I'm a little more "enlightened" at any rate about the JFK. Now, the questions.

In order to build a 1/700 (or close anyhow) JFK, I need to start with the Italeri Nimitz and America and use the hull and flight deck of the Nimitz and sponsons of the America with a vastly modified America island?

Bill, how did you scratch the island? Did you have plans to work from?

I keep hoping that some manufacturer will release a JFK, but after 25 years I guess it's time to face reality and the realization that if I want a JFK I'll have to bash it out of other kits.

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"There seems to be something wrong with our bloody ships today"

hi
can anyone tell me what size the propellers are and what size shaft they fit on. im trying to make some so need the size to scale them down so it looks right
also as anyone got any pictures of them

cheers
tony

I have photos of the props rudders of the JFK in drydock that I can send you off list at stillmo@shaw.ca
I will send you a few lo res files from my JFK DVD

Jason I used the Italeri America Hull and grafted into its flight deck the angle off the Nimitz flight deck see that photo of the deck in progress...I also added a slice aft as the deck didnt fit over the stern as it should.. I scratched the Island from picture sourse only.. I rebuild it 3 times before I got what I though was a close aproxamation of her early Island before refit.. America kit had all the sponsons removed as I did Kennedy as built..see the photos were plastic.. I used the Nimitz sea sparrow launchers and Nimitz bridge windows.. sorry I didnt answer before now..didnt see your post till today..