Calling all Forrestal-class & Kitty Hawk-class fans

[Timmy C]

Don't know if these are of use, but it might help for dimensional purposes; the last one is especially sharp and well-lit:
http://www.defenseimagery.mil/imageDown ... 9a73785be2#
http://www.defenseimagery.mil/imageDown ... 932d2d157b#
http://www.defenseimagery.mil/imageDown ... 3c0d6c8ace#

[gtb -red]

Thanks Mr.C, but i need the photo during Nam.

[DBlack]

Don't know if these are of use, but it might help for dimensional purposes; the last one is especially sharp and well-lit:
http://www.defenseimagery.mil/imageDown ... 9a73785be2#
http://www.defenseimagery.mil/imageDown ... 932d2d157b#
http://www.defenseimagery.mil/imageDown ... 3c0d6c8ace#

Thank you very much!! That third pic, especially, looks like exactly what I need.

I thought I'd picked that site clean, but either some slipped thru the cracks, or I'm thinking of a different site. I'd better give it a(nother?) look when I have a chance...

[Cliffy B]

Hey guys, I need some help IDing some ribbons on the Independence circa 1983. I'm building her as of 1984 so these are the closest I can find.

The photo is in black and white but it is high-res so click full size.

I can make out the Navy Expeditionary Medal with Star and the Vietnam Service Medal Column 3, rows 1 and 2. I'm at a loss for the others.



Any help is appreciated as always guys.

[OS1880]

1st row Navy unit commendation, Meritorious Unit Commendation,Navy Exped Medal
2nd row National Defense,Armed forces Exped. Medal, Veitnam Service medal
3rd row Sea service deployment ribbon, Rep of Vietnam Gallantry cross unit citation,Rep.of Vietnam Campaign Ribbon

[Cliffy B]

Awesome! Thanks man!!!

[gtbred]

are the Forrestal,Kitty Hawk,class all the same size?

[Timmy C]

Not according to Navsource - Kitty Hawk is 8 feet longer and displaces 4100 tons more.

[gtbred]

Thank You Timmy C!

[gtbred]

was the black stripe on the portside on the Sara during her time in Nam. any Sara vets. around?

[gtbred]

flightdeck and hull almost done.

[Bigdaddy Mark]

Has anyone built the USS Ranger CV-61 1-800 Arii?

http://www.megahobby.com/ussrangercv-611-800arii.aspx

I've been looking for a Ranger model for years now, and was wondering if this would be better than modifying the USS Saratoga CVA-60 1-542 Revell Germany

[Hippy Ed]

Has anyone built the USS Ranger CV-61 1-800 Arii?

http://www.megahobby.com/ussrangercv-611-800arii.aspx

I've been looking for a Ranger model for years now, and was wondering if this would be better than modifying the USS Saratoga CVA-60 1-542 Revell Germany

Well Mark, I have the ARii kit of Ranger & Forrestal. Both are post SLEP and I'm gonna git around to converting them to 1965/66 and 1959-61 respectively.

[gtbred]

welcome back Ed. what about that 1/350 Ranger you got?

[Hippy Ed]

welcome back Ed. what about that 1/350 Ranger you got?

I'm slowly getting back into the swing of things as far as building goes. I'm hoping to get something done on her before too long. My hands were heavily affected by this rash I've been dealing with, blistered up bad & very painful, loss of grip, etc so, it's a slow process of recovery.

[gtbred]

understood!

[JasonW]

Hi all.

I'd like to try to build a JFK in 1/700, preferably backdated to around the time of her commissioning. I have the Fujimi and Italeri USS Kittyhawk kits. Seems the group here leans toward the Fujimi kit, but I'd like to know which would be easier to convert and backdate. My second question is does anybody know where I can find some plans of the JFK as commissioned?

Thank to any and all in advance.

[Mark McKinnis]

That is a more complex scratch build that it appears!

A 1/720th scale Nimitz is actuall about the right size to do 1/700 JFK. . The Fujimi kit is a good start, however the hanger openings on Kittyhawk and Conny do not have the rounded sponsons underneath the opening like America, JFK and the Nimitz Class and the deck is a wrong. The 1/720 Kitty hawk Class kits are a good starting point for the most acurate JFK with the least modifications.

Here is my JFK attempt,
http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... index.html

The nice thing about the Italeri kit is that it is really the America boxed as Kittyhawk and Conny so that the catapults are layed out correctly and the hull is about right. The major build effort is the end of the angle, the aft sponsons, and the island. The thing I disliked about the build is that it is 1/720th scale, not 700th so I attempted the America using the Fujimi kit as the starting point.

Here is my attempt at America,
http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... index.html
I like the results except that the catapults are located wrong for America with the relationship to L-1.

I am holding out that JAG is going to do a 1/700 JFK in resin and I will be at the head of the line to get that one and a second to scratch build an America. If not, I will revisit the scratch build effort again.

Good Luck,
Mark

[JasonW]

Mark, thanks for the heads up. I was comparing the deck shapes and looking at some of the pics of JFK posted earlier on this thread and realize this will be quite the undertaking. Did you work from some plans or drawings? If so, where did you come across them?

I know this may be a bit much, but if I were able to find them in a CAD file that would be something. That being said, I'm not picky and would like anything that I can get my hands on.

Did you do an in progress topic on your JFK build?

[Mark McKinnis]

Most of my reference pics were on NAVSOURCE. Unfortunately, I did not take pics as I built them. What I could not figure out was whether the Elevator #1 is positioned differently on the JFK and America than the other two. The Cat 1 JBD is located in front of L-1 on JFK/America and beside L-1 on Kittyhawk. If you look at an overhead pic of both and compare them, they are a little different. That is what really makes doing a 1/700 kit bash difficult. The fact that the Italeri Kits are really the America Deck makes it easier to do a JFK conversion.