Calling all Nimitz-class CVN fans

[Jon]

USS Ronald Reagan CVN-76
Christened: Mar 4, 2001
Sea Trials: May 5 - 9, 2003
Commissioned: July 12, 2003
Shakedown: ?

First overhaul/refit (May 1, 2007 to October 31, 2007) Planned Incremental Availability
TBA

Second overhaul/refit (November 2009 to May 2010) Planned Incremental Availability
TBA

[Jon]

USS George H.W. Bush CVN-77

Commissioned: January 10, 2009
Sea Trials: April 7-9, 2009
Delivered: May 11, 2009
Shakedown: May to June 2009

Last of the Nimitz class carriers, the differences include:
- New propeller design
- Larger bulbous bow
- Curved flight deck edges changed to reduce radar signature
- Less cluttered hanger bay
- 2nd carrier to have he modified island (after CVN-76 USS Ronald Reagan)

First overhaul/refit (June 2009 to January 28, 2010) Post Shakedown Availability / Planned Incremental Availability
1) Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat handling system was installed
2) Sometime before March 2011 the text "Freedom at Work" in large letters was added to the angle deck curved drop off. Also the wings of gold was duplicated on the bow flight deck curved drop off.

[Cliffy B]

Found a neat close up of the mast and SPN-43 radar of CVN-75 over on Navy Newsstand today. Thought it would help all of those "super-detailers" on here

http://www.navy.mil/view_single.asp?id=89733

[Jon]

Cool pic, notice how light the deck color is.

[gtbred]

old photo of a 1/350 build i did 3 yrs ago.

[Jonck]

Can anyone help me here, I'm looking for info on the CVN-71 Roosevelt during the 1991 Gulf war. I know that the weapon sponsors are present but i am not sure as to the various domes and radar sponsors. Did they all arrive after 91 ?

Simon, have you found pictures of the TR on the gulf war (1991)? I am also building a TR in 1991 and have the same questions you have.

I bought the Trumpeter kit (2006), are there significant chances to be made? I have already purchased the specific aircrafts, but is the ship's configuration that's worrying me.

Thanks!

[sierra hotel]

Is there a diagram of the location of the various hose reels (fire, fuel, etc.) around the flight deck? I want to paint the hose reels in their proper colors at their proper locations

I doubt it, but if you purchase the nimitz CD from Still Motions, there is a photo walk around the whole upper deck and you can easily mark them off on a drawing and make it available to the rest of us.

Thanks Darren.... speaking of the DVD on NIMITZ carriers...

I have just taken Volume 6, after not really working on from 2008, re tweaked a lot of the images, and have now added no less than 300 more images for a total now way over 600 images!!!!! More pics on one DVD than in any one book.
New Hangar Bay images, new pics of all those ice cream domes and new masts and radars, those ever changing fantail (stern) pics, nicely cropped and date labelled too.
This DVD covers CVN 70 (just after her new Yard Refit Rebuild with NEW MAST and xtras), CVN 71, CVN 72, CVN 75, CVN 76, and operational views of CVN 77. All downloadable to your laptop and printer friendly. If anyone wishes to contact me at stillmo@shaw.ca
RDB in CANADA

[Smifh]

Hi.
I have stated on a 1/350 scale USS Harry S Truman. And ive managed to make som deals about the modernized parts to the ship it self. My only problem is the CVW. I know that it carried the CVW-3 from around 2004 and up. But did she at any point have the VF-84 or VFA-103 abord ship. I really like that squadron and im thinking on using it, but i want to make sure if they have ever been on the Truman from around 2004 and up.

And please add a comment on weather you think it would be right of me to add the squadron or not if they havn`t been abord her.

Cheers
Tom

[simon b]

Check the following page for sqn listings for CVW3
http://www.gonavy.jp/CV-CVN75f.html

[Mark McKinnis]

VF-84 was disestablished in 1995 and VF-103 took the Jolly Rogers from them. In 2005-2006 VF-103 transitioned from the F-14 (CVW-17) to the F/A-18F (CVW-7) and became VFA-103.

VFA-103 deployments:
VFA-103 03Oct2006 - 23May2007 FA-18F CVN-69 CVW-7
VFA-103 07Apr2008 - 27May2008 FA-18F CVN-73 CVW-17
VFA-103 21Feb2009 - 30Jul2009 FA-18F CVN-69 CVW-7
VFA-103 02Jan2010 - 28Jul2010 FA-18F CVN-69 CVW-7

So they never deployed on Truman but you could put them on the ship doing a CQ or something. Maybe you do the Ike or George Washington?


Good luck,

MM

[Smifh]

hum... okey
No i think Im gonna stick with the Truman, as its gonna be a heck of a lot easier to get decals for the jets.
but the CQ was an intersting thought

What is a CQ exactualy? How many jets does that include?

[Smifh]

so it would most likely only be one or two jets then?

[Cliffy B]

It's done prior to a deployment so all of the squadrons within the airwing participate. Since the aircraft types are split up between coasts and the carrier can only be on one coast, its usually only the squadrons in the area that join in. The others do their quals once they reach the ship, usually after the start of the deployment. IIRC the entire squadron participates but they don't stay aboard long as they launch as soon as they land unless something goes wrong.

If the carrier is on the East Coast, you'll only see F/A-18s, E-2Cs/C-2As, and Helos doing their quals. West Coast has all of the EA-6Bs and used to have the S-3Bs. What year are you looking to depict your carrier?

[Smifh]

Im going for a USS Harry S. Truman as she apeared in 2005

[richardyoung]

Hello all,
Was thinking about building a CVN 68 in 1:350, if i can find a reasonably priced kit. Was just wondering what year i would need to base it on if i want to have f14 and f18 in the air wing? Wanted to do one with a reasonable level of detial, but have never done much scrach building. This would be my first carrier, mabye i should start off with a simpler kit?

Any tips or must have kits to get it looking reasonably well?

Thanks

Richard

[Mark McKinnis]

The first cruise for Nimitz with both F-14's and F-18's was March 1991-Aug 1991 with CVW-9. It was what I used to call, "The Desert Storm Bench Carrier Cruise". We got there as that war ended.

The biggest difference would be to add the CIWS Sponsons to the Trumpeter Kit. Nimitz and Ike were different than their later sisters in the way that they got modified through the years so pay attention to that.


Good luck,

Mark

[sgtryan13]

Hello all,
Was thinking about building a CVN 68 in 1:350, if i can find a reasonably priced kit. Was just wondering what year i would need to base it on if i want to have f14 and f18 in the air wing? Wanted to do one with a reasonable level of detial, but have never done much scrach building. This would be my first carrier, mabye i should start off with a simpler kit?

Any tips or must have kits to get it looking reasonably well?

Thanks

Richard

If you have not done scratchbuilding, you are in for a bit of a challenge, but it is not impossible. The sponsons for the CIWS and such are not the easiest things in the world to get right when you scratchbuild. I am doing a conversion of the 1/350 Nimitz to the Truman around 2001-2002, you can see a lot of the pictures of the type of work involved in updating the kit in my progress thread here: viewtopic.php?f=59&t=59076 .
Again, it's not impossible, but it is a daunting task, I was a little nervous myself, but I am very happy with the results so far.

If you decide to try the conversion, feel free to message me with any questions, I'm happy to help if I can.

My only other suggestion seeing as this is your first carrier is this: If you can afford it, build the Nimitz first in her earlier fit so you get familiar with the kit, then build a second one that you modernize. The Truman is my 3rd build of this kit, and i know that having become very familiar with the kit's ins and outs has helped me tremendously in the conversion process.

Ryan

[richardyoung]

The first cruise for Nimitz with both F-14's and F-18's was March 1991-Aug 1991 with CVW-9. It was what I used to call, "The Desert Storm Bench Carrier Cruise". We got there as that war ended.

Problem with CVW 9 and Nimitz in 1991 is can you get decals for the air wing anywhere, as i can't seem to find any.

If not then does anyone know if there are any decal kits for a CVW with F14 + F18 on Nimitz. Just think it might be easier to know that i could get air wing decals, and build her in the appropiate year.

[Mark McKinnis]

I am doing a set of CVW-9 decals for myself to do Nimitz 1991. I can send them to you in a word document. They will be done soon and I am fitting them to the trumpeter aircraft. I am using all of the normal references and my cruise book from 1991. To print them, I just use a Lexmark printer on clear decal paper and gloss coat them after printing with a clear gloss acrylic spray. Then you use a very sharp X-Acto to cut them and apply with water. I gloss coat the aircraft first to give them a nice glossy, smooth surface for the decals to adhere to and then dull coat after they have thoroughly dried.


Let me know if you would like to have a copy. Starfighter Decals has some really nice sets of late 90's early 00's low viz decal sets for other airwings that are pretty sweet as well. I might end up getting one of those sets and using the tail flash of CVW-9 that I do and the aircraft details they do to make some sweet looking jets!

The botom line, do not let lack of airwing decals slow you down. We can do that. The hard part is actually doing a 1986-2004 Nimitz correctly from the Trumpeter Kit. The rest is easy!

[richardyoung]

The hard part is actually doing a 1986-2004 Nimitz correctly from the Trumpeter Kit. The rest is easy!

Oh what have i let myself in for.

am I correct in thinking that i will need a complete new airwing - if so trumpeter or other