disecting the 1/350 Trumpeter NIMITZ

[boomstick68]

Looking pretty good. What? Only four more years to go right?

[anyahajobuzi]

Thank for cheering and motivating me along, I can really use it all! James , I hope you are wrong about the next 4 years , but unfortunately I can't say for sure that you won't be

This build at this level is very challenging and very exhausting. Just like any other modeler, I've got at least 10 other models in boxes that I want to work on, especially my Academy CH-53 and the WASP. It's getting a bit boring ONLY to work on the Nimitz. but this project is so big, I can't just push it aside and start something equally big. (because that sea stallion will be overdetailed tooo) so it is Nimitz or nothing. So it's Nimitz. ALL THE TIME......
and it's times when I think about quitting for a while, you guys keep me going. For me it is strictly a winter hobby though (which season lasts till the end of april at least) so I may not have a whole lot more done before october. But keep checking, you never know. We've been having pretty crappy summers in the Yukon for the last 4 years.... Shitty weather in the North pole...that's surprising, eh?

well, all of you, keep pushing on, there some are some equally or even more beautiful projects being born on this forum, I am learning lots from you guys!
thanks, and happy modeling!

Laci

[anyahajobuzi]

That is awesome work and BAD ACE craftsmanship!!!!!!
The photoetch vent covers in the hull. . . were they from a photoetch set or did you make them yourself? Thanks for the photos. It will kind of help as a tutorial for me when I build my catwalks. Excellent work man!

Hey Doug!

Sorry about the late reply! Some of the walkway covers are from the white ensign "Floater basket-set". The rest of them are from the Nimitz sets. Since I had all the PE available from White Ensign for this ship, those guys provide the older and newer sets of safety net styles-so there are lots of left-overs. I just figured out what I won't need for a Nimitz from 1986, and chopped them up create these covers.

Laci

[anyahajobuzi]

Well, since spring in the North-Pole is being late this year as well as in the previous 4, I had/have an extension before I can be enjoying the great outdoors, so I made some progress on the Nimitz. Not much, because my time was mainly spent correcting lots of little mistakes I am just noticing now. The more seriously I take entering this thing on a contest, the more problems I notice with it and the more scared I get. Well, I guess in the end it will make a nice paperweight at the very least. Today I am just before painting. It was extremely hard and time consuming putting on the safety nets, after I give them a little sag. The ones on the bow also were a bit tricky, since the catapult extension on the No. 1 catapult is longer than then on No. 2 , so the nets had to be modified accordingly. Also, I made sure that the nets that are on the front end of the ship are tilted (just like the rest of them around the flightdeck) but the ones on the catapult extensions are paralel with the angle of the top of the extensions. The long nets on the port side were very challenging. And despite all that time and effort, they are still not very straight. But I just couldn't install them flat, without sagging.
I also noticed the ceiling of sponson 6 is starting to separate from the model so I have to drill into the bottom of the ship to be able to fix this. Parts of the model were built so long ago -using wrong techniques or products- that I am starting to chase my own tail with the build. Well, I did learn a lot of tricks about building ships in the last 4 years and be sure to remember them all as the old parts of the model fall apart when I am putting the finishing touches on it

Time to fire up the compressor and make some real progress! (after fixing the falling ceiling)

[boomstick68]

Lucky for us that spring is delayed there for you. This Nimitz continues to blow my mind.

[JimVarnellABH2USN]

Top notch work there Laci
Nets look great, I have been trying to locate the radar thing you asked me about but I can't find any referance to it, I have found it in pictures but that's all. It appears on NIMITZ for only a few years and then its gone. Wish I could have been more help with this one.

[Gabor]

Hello my friend,

You should come here to enjoy outdoors. It was 30 degrees today here. My Nimitz will melt down in this heat

[gtbred]

Awwww com on Laci! Really man! I'm looking at this almost semi-scratchbuild and I have a scratchbuild going. That is way too much detail. But you keep pushing bro! I'll just watch. Mardis

[JimVarnellABH2USN]

Laci,

The radar thing you asked about is the AN/WSC-3 radar array, I'm not sure as to the use for it, but at least I ID the darn thing.

[anyahajobuzi]

Well, I made some progress in painting in the last couple of weeks, and although I have completely finished paintjob only on the starboard side and the port bow, I like the results, and in general I am just happy that this model is starting to look like a ship. I may have overdone the weathering a bit in some places, but I got images where these carriers look even more run-down. The Nimitz didn't look this dirty in '85 or '86 though, but I got a bit 'brush-happy' and just couldn't stop. I guess I am overcompensating for all the 'clean' Nimitz-s out there...
I am done with decaling also. Almost all the "up-side-down"-work is done, soon I can turn the ship right -side -up, and leave it like that forever.
Well, what do the professionals out there think about the weathering-job?(Ryan, Doug, James, Mark....just to name a few)



Happy modeling

Cheers: Laci

[anyahajobuzi]

Here are some shots of the "justaboutnearlyalmost"-finished Bow...

[Ronald47]

Just great..... and amazed....... 4 years of total commitment; you have my admiration!

[gtbred]

could not sleep. then i see this. great work Laci!

[Bigdaddy Mark]

Fantastic paint. I don't think it's over weathered at all.

[boomstick68]

Not over weathered at all. Looks fantastic.

[FlowerPower]

you flat top people are crazy

[DWD]

Lookin dang good Laci! Guess summer hasn't quite made it up your way yet huh? That's ok because we all get to keep seeing your work!!!! Nice weathering and paint job.

[anyahajobuzi]

Aaaalrighty!!!! Summer is here, but even the good weather couldn't keep me from my ship! I loooove adding tiny scratchbuilt details too much. working my way around with the catwalk detail, starting at the bow. A few things are still missing, but the bow is almost complete!!! The painting and weathering is DONE for the port side.
the Nimitz is kinda funny when it comes to life-raft canisters. The bow bulwarks never had them before '82-83, but after that the Navy finally must have learnt about the Titanic disaster, and added more number of canisters. I needed extra ones to have enough, which we all going to have to go thru if our ship is from 1983 or older..Luckily Ryan was able to help me out with extra ones! Thanks man!!!!
One little detail that gets overlooked by some modelers are all those tiny little holes on the hull, close to the waterline. I don't know their purpose (Jim?! or any other experts?..) but drilled all of them out, trying to get them as close to their position on the original Nimitz as possible.
Finally was able to secure the anchor on this baby! Looks way better with it. I upgraded the Tamiya ones with some styrene.
Although it's been a long time since I saw the flightdeck exposed, but I mainly opened up the masking just for you guys!
I also included a shot exactly from the era I am depicting my Nimitz in. It is also one of my most useful reference photos...
There is a photo of ladders... I had to build an extra-wide ladder going from the catwalk straight down to the CIWS sponson. I used railing for it, and I think it worked out fine (after an hour of trying to keep everything lined up...)
As usual for me lately, I will let the pictures tell the story, but am happy to answer any questions anytime!
Thanks for everyone's continuous support!!!!

happy modeling

[anyahajobuzi]

Here is a photo of the real thing to explain why I did things the way I did, when on older photos of the Nimitz most of the detail I built is missing....
Of course it will never look like the real thing EXACTLY, because I want to do other things in life than this ship I hope it's close enough for when a judge is looking at it.........

Cheers: Laci

[sgtryan13]

Very nice my friend! you certainly nailed the bow CIWS sponson and details. And she is a dirty girl, I love it! Good catch on the bow life rafts, they were added, but then omitted again on later ships of the class, hence no life rafts on my bows. I wish they kept the ord dump ramps yellow, it adds a real nice little color detail to the side views of the ship, but alas, now they are just boring grey.