My first 1:350 build, Trumpeter CVN-68 USS Nimitz

[DEBVD]

Thanks Jim
It's tough to see in this photo, but this particular A-6 has all the PE bits to include nose & main gears, gear doors, scratchbuilt nose gear door, ejection seats with face curtain handles, wing hard points, tail hook. She'll get the drop tanks tonight with the VA-35 markings and the rudder aerial.

Woow

But how did you make the canopy?

Greetz b.

[NWarty]

Thanks Jim
It's tough to see in this photo, but this particular A-6 has all the PE bits to include nose & main gears, gear doors, scratchbuilt nose gear door, ejection seats with face curtain handles, wing hard points, tail hook. She'll get the drop tanks tonight with the VA-35 markings and the rudder aerial.

Woow

But how did you make the canopy?

Greetz b.

Thanks! It's just the regular Trumpeter canopy sliced with a razor saw at the windscreen. The canopy was dipped in future and set aside to dry for a couple of days.

Yep, they definitely look better with drop tanks on

[anyahajobuzi]

Hi Blake!

those aircraft blow me away! I know I put a lot of effort into my ship, but I don't know if I can can do what you did on your airwing! How did you get the paint onto the Intruder canopy so gosh darn straight and flawless? there is no way you used masking did you?!?!?
Yeah, they all look so much better with droptanks.
I dunno, I might try to lower the flaps and the elevons.... I am known to do some crazy s%it when it comes to detail....but I can easily see myself giving up, like you did with the cockpits...I am only opening up the canopy on 2 Tomcats only, that's for damn sure!!!!
Nice work!!!!! MORE! MOOOOOOOOOOORE!

Cheers: Laci

[NWarty]

Laci,
Thanks bud and believe me, I thought about cutting the flaps...But then sanity got the best of me

The more and more I look at my airwing, the dirtier they look. I'm okay with that since I know the aircraft were pretty gross by the end of the tour. The canopies are done by freehand. All of the Corsairs are finished minus ONE, due to me being slow and goofing up a diamondback decal. But that one orphan is 99% done, minus gluing on the already-completed canopy, adding the decal and spine aerial. I ordered an extra set from Starfighter, so it should be good in the next day or so. Ah heck, I'll just take a pic of all of them tonight for S's & G's.

The Intruders at this point are all assembled (7 total on the topside), washed and gloss coated. I'll start adding the PE to them this week.

Will finish in this order: Intruders, Sea Knights, Vikings, Prowlers, Hawkeye, Crusader & lastly the Tomcats. Still need to order an extra Trumpy Viking set, VS-24 decals for them, Trumpy Hawkeye set and extra Prowler set since I robbed the drop tanks off of them for the hangar deck.

Just slow going with summer going on and the kids out of school.

[NWarty]

For the most part finished. Sorry for the crummy iphone photo.

On to the wrapping up the Intruders.

[Bigdaddy Mark]

Serious detail, but the drop tanks make it.
Like I said before, I'm still a huge fan of the High Viz paint.

[NWarty]

Serious detail, but the drop tanks make it.
Like I said before, I'm still a huge fan of the High Viz paint.

Me too Mark. I'm also excited about doing the S-3 Vikings in the VS-24 scheme as I've seen so few done throughout various Nimitz builds. The red on the Viking's rudder really pops out.

[NWarty]

Finishing up the Intruders.

PE parts are complete, drop tanks on, wings are decaled, canopies Future'd, another day or so to go. Also decided to put a KA-6 Tanker in the group, his refueling boom got busted, so it'll get replaced with a PE version. Four of them will have their canopies opened (with seats and curtain handles of course ), the other three in the closed position.

Enjoy!

~Blake

[simon b]

Looking very good indeed.
As for future on canopies. Do you just apply a thin coat on the outside, or is there more too it?

[NWarty]

Simon,
I take a shot glass and fill it with just a tiny amount of Future and brush on the outside and inside of the canopy; let dry for two days.

They're done and onto the SH-3's!

[simon b]

Awesome !

I've got a start coming on my Enterprise soon (ish) been on the cards for about 5 years but the modelling bug deserted me for some time.

I'm going to build late 80's (My favourite period for the Big E, Maximum detail and no daft looking domes anywhere)

Your build is providing much to think about, even if the aircraft will be somewhat 'greyer' in appearance.

[NWarty]

Simon,
Thanks and I love that era for the Big E as she still carries the wide compliment of aircraft of that era. Can't wait to see ya get started.

I'm almost done with the SH-3's, but ran into a decal issue. I ended up ordering the correct HS-9 "Sea Griffins" decals from Blue Ridge Models so they should be wrapped up by the end of the week.

Guess I could start on the Greyhound

[Bigdaddy Mark]

Wow

[boomstick68]

Looks good. I didn't know the a/c had the stripes on the wings. In all my reference pics I used for my Nimitz build, I hadn't seen that. I guess it was a later scheme than 1975-76.

[NWarty]

James,
Thanks. They (the stripes) were only used for "Operation Eagle Claw" in early 1980. The USS Coral Sea which was also supporting the operation, had its air wing painted with stripes also.

The cruise book from 79-80 Med and Indian Cruise has the photos of the stripes painted on. It's available from navysite.de as a pdf.

[NWarty]

Well, sorta in a pickle with the C-2 Greyhound...(started it last night). VRC-50 "Foo Fighters" is the correct COD Squadron for the C-2 during this time frame but no decals exist for them and boy have I looked high and low. It would be a huge task to piecemeal them, but don't want to go that route since the C-2 needs the correct "RG" tail flash, inboard rudder US flags, Correct Airwing Flash and MODEX numbers on the wings and nose.

I've never made decals this small so does anyone have any experience making 1:350 aircraft decals?

Needs to look like this (ahem, minus the USS America and Enterprise ):

Well, the good news is at least Mark over at StarFighter has the RECCE decals available for VFP-63's RF-8's and Corsair Armada has the correct model.

Sea Kings are sitting idle awaiting decals, but they've been washed, brushed and gloss-coated. Work began on the Greyhound last night and she is base painted at this point and inboard flaps cut and positioned.

[boomstick68]

Nice job on the drop tanks. I can't wait to see what you do with the Tomcats.

[NWarty]

Yeah, glad I decided to do it

The Tomcats will get the semi-full boat, WEM PE (which I think is probably the most complete PE set for the Cat) and possibly GHQ weapon sets (shoulder hard-points at a minimum). The biggest challenge will be getting the AIM-54 rails correct and how far I'll go with it. In my opinion, Trumpeter omitting the missles and rails on the belly, really porked the look of them.

[Bigdaddy Mark]

Man I can't wait to see this!!

[gtbred]

Great build man! Also nice work on the A-7's with the open tops. A carrier with a full deck will always look better.