Calling all Nimitz-class CVN fans

[Mark McKinnis]

I like the Trumpeter Aircraft with a few exceptions. The F-14D's suck. Get the F-14 A/B's. Trumpeter went back in and did the landing gear correct on those Tomcats. The Hornets, Intruders, Prowlers and Hawkeyes are really good and so are all of the Helos. The Tamiya 350th aircraft kits are not bad ( 25 year old molds), except the Tomcat wings are swept for flight and not the over sweep they would have parked on deck. If I were to do a fly over Dio along with my carrier, I would use the Tamiya Tomcats. The Trumpeter Kits provide drop tanks and jamming pods for prowlers and the Tamiya kits do not.

If you are not attached to doing Nimitz, a 1991 Desert Sorm Roosevelt had the Super Airwing. Starfighter Decals has the Airwing Decals Sets and you can get a 700th scale Roosevelt to have an idea of what you are going to have to scratch build on the 350th scale kit. The airwing had 2 F-14 sqdns, 2 F-18 sqdns, 2 A-6 sqdns, S-3's, E-2's, EA-6B's and SH-3's. They took some real firepower to war on that cruise!!

[domi13]

Hello everybody,

I read the Navair doc : Navy Training System Plan reference N88-NTSP-A-50-8509D/A and I noticed page I-9 that Nimitz class carriers have 3 different types of jet blast deflectors.
They are all Mark 7.
For cat 4, they are all Mark 7 Mod 1, because this cat JBD has only 4 panels.
The other 3 have 6 panels, but Nimitz and Abraham Lincoln have Mark 7 Mod 2 and all the others have Mark 7 Mod 0.

What is the difference betwenn Mod 0 and Mod 2?

Best regards,

domi13

[richardyoung]

If you are not attached to doing Nimitz, a 1991 Desert Sorm Roosevelt had the Super Airwing. Starfighter Decals has the Airwing Decals Sets and you can get a 700th scale Roosevelt to have an idea of what you are going to have to scratch build on the 350th scale kit. The airwing had 2 F-14 sqdns, 2 F-18 sqdns, 2 A-6 sqdns, S-3's, E-2's, EA-6B's and SH-3's. They took some real firepower to war on that cruise!!

That would be useful. Like i said i havn't done much scrach building, and the 91 nimitz has some pretty scary looking stuff to do. If i was going to do a Nimitz, where do i get the info/pics for it at the time, I really don't have a clue.

Would a 1:700 be an easier build, there not that expensive are they? Don't relly want to make a mess of my 1:350

[Mark McKinnis]

Trumpeter has several 1/700 Nimitz Class ships of various era's.

Nimitz & Ike................Early '80s
Nimitz.......................2005
Roosevelt...................2006 Can be made into Carl Vinson as well. For earlier versions leave off the SAt Domes
Lincoln......................Early 2000's Can be made into George Washington as well. For earlier versions leave off the SAt Domes
Stennis.................... .Early 2000's Can be made into Truman as well. For earlier versions leave off the SAt Domes

These are really sweet kits! They are actually better done than there 350 scale Nimitz. There is a complete detailed hanger bay. Extra aircraft are available from Trumpeter as well. There is still no Nimitz for the mid 80's to her RCOH in 2000-ish.

For Ship and Airwing Decals look here: http://starfighter-decals.com/1700-de.html
For research pictures go here. http://navsource.org/
For airwing research go here: http://www.gonavy.jp/AirWingsf.html
or here: http://navysite.de/ships.htm (this site has lots of spam that comes with it).

Ray Bean sells CD's with lots of ship pics and I recomend getting his shots of the Nimitz Class if you are doing hard core research on these ships. They are not too expensive and he took them with the eye of a modeler. http://www.stillmotionsphotographics.co ... ographics/

Well, lots of info to keep you busy for awhile.

Good luck,
Mark

[Solomo]

Stringing Xmas Lights on the Reagan
Hi all:
Took a tour of CVN 76 today - was interested to see the deckhands stringing the Xmas lights - I'll post night photos of the completed lit-up ship when I can take them this weekend. Yes - it rains in San Diego!
Merry Xmas to all.
Cheers,
Solo

[Cliffy B]

Hey guys, I was browsing through Navy Newsstand when I came across this photo of an Aeronavale Rafale landing on Ike. Blow up the photo and take a look at the flag bags on the top most level of the backside of the island. Notice her four-letter call sign painted on each bag? I've never seen that before, anyone have any info? Was it standard practice at one time should I just chalk this up to unique markings? Just wondering. I thought it was neat so I figured I'd share it with you guys.

http://www.navy.mil/view_single.asp?id=74169

[Thundergrunt]

Hey all

I have been reading thru the thread, & Marks last post, but im still a little lost. I want to buy my first carrier. 1/700 and build as either

Nimitz 07
Vinson 05
Stennis 09

What would be the best kit OOB with little to no modifactions. Nimitz 05, TR 06, or Stennis kit. I saw the stennis at LHS for 50$

[Mark McKinnis]

Nimitz 2007- I would use the Trumpeter Nimitz 2005 kit. It should be pretty close out of the box.

Vinson 2003- I would use the Trumpeter Lincoln or Roosevelt. I think both of these kits are pretty close to Vinson in 2003

Stennis 2009- I would use the Trumpeter Stennis kit.

There may be some subtle differences from the kit to the exact time period you are looking for. Take a look at the kit and compare what you have to navsource pics. If you can get the Stennis for $50, then that is as good a place to start as any. I also think that it will be the closest out of the box to what you are looking for.

Hope that helps,

Mark

[Thundergrunt]

Forgot to ask, Are there any reviews I have only found one, Nimitz one but none on the others and I have looked all around.??

[Timmy C]

Look harder

Nimitz '05: http://www.modelwarships.com/reviews/sh ... eview.html
Lincoln: http://www.modelwarships.com/reviews/sh ... eview.html

[Thundergrunt]

Mark or Kidcurrie

Hello, I was curious as if you guys would be able or willing to make some ariwing decals in 1/700, as Mark at starfighter is no longer doing them, It is for the Carrier Air wing 9 on Carl Vinson in 03 or 05 I have all the information on the aircraft and squadrons and have pics of the aircraft as well. Let me know a price if you would like to help a new carrier builder, secondly have you guys used the ship decals for your 1/700's what mods are needed as they were for the 1/720 carriers.?? Thanks in advance.

Eugene

[Mark McKinnis]

I have done a couple of CVW-9 sets for my own builds that I can send you. They may not be correct for the period you are looking to do. Shoot me a PM and I will send you my email address and see what I can get done for you next week. I am looking at doing the Stennis 2000 but I would like to have some decals for the period you are doing. I will need the pics that you have.

Talk to you later,

MM.

[Shiprat]

Hi guys,

Can anybody tell me when CVN68 changed it's antenna mast from lattice to an enclosed mast?

[Mark McKinnis]

Hi guys,

Can anybody tell me when CVN68 changed it's antenna mast from lattice to an enclosed mast?

From the photo's I have looked at, I think they did that change when she was in Newport News in 1999-2001 getting her comprehensive nuclear reactor overhaul. That is when she got the new mainmast and a lot of other changes.

[Shiprat]

Hi guys,

Can anybody tell me when CVN68 changed it's antenna mast from lattice to an enclosed mast?

From the photo's I have looked at, I think they did that change when she was in Newport News in 1999-2001 getting her comprehensive nuclear reactor overhaul. That is when she got the new mainmast and a lot of other changes.

Thanks Mark,
I think I'm going to have to bring forward the date of my project; I like the closed antenna myself. Which leads to the question: which time frame of CVN 68's life would be the most interesting to model (or offer the most interesting possibilities? )

[Mark McKinnis]

I did mine as a 1975-77 because that is the kit, so no scratch building required, and Nimitz was the only one of her class to fly Phantoms so I figured that I would capture the modifications the Nimitz Class went through over the years with other ships. Having said that, I will have to do another one 1991 time frame when I cruised her. That is going to require some mods though.

[Shiprat]

I did mine as a 1975-77 because that is the kit, so no scratch building required, and Nimitz was the only one of her class to fly Phantoms so I figured that I would capture the modifications the Nimitz Class went through over the years with other ships. Having said that, I will have to do another one 1991 time frame when I cruised her. That is going to require some mods though.

Note to myself: Mark has been on the ship.

Mark,

what is a ship of that size like when the weather is rough? I suppose if you're below deck, you don't really feel it.

regards,

Shiprat

[Mark McKinnis]

The Indian Ocean between India and Africa gets really rough in the summer. Our second day out of the Persain Gulf on the way home we hit 60-80 ft waves. We had white water over the bow! It sucked. Half of the ship got seasick. I was surprised that I did not get sick! Nobody had their sea legs since the gulf is like a lake and it is like being in a building unless you make a big turn. Then the ship rolls. They are big ships, but it is a big ocean. Even on a nice smooth day, you could stand on the fantail and look over the bow and see the deck going up and down. Do it long enough, you can make yourself sick.

So they move. Working on the Carrier and flying off of it was the coolest thing I have ever done. Living on it was the worst. The highest highs and the lowest lows within hours of eachother.

[gtbred]

[gtbred]

1/350 Nimitz i did 4yrs ago.