1/350 CVN-65 USS Enterprise 2001

[LE BOSCO]

Ok, summer is almost over, back to work you!

Yep !
agrees with William!!I look forward to see more! at work!!!!
cheers
nicolas

[DWD]

Work on the hangar ceiling continues......although it is still somewhat summer here. Anyway, I have most of the I-beam structure completed for the ceiling. I just have some of the smaller pieces to make for cross stiffeners as you can see in the photos below. I've also started construction on the fuel tank racks. I just decided to scratch build them myself. I didn't have any measurements to go by, just photos. I took into consideration the spacing on the I-beam structure as well as the fuel tanks that are provided with some of the trumpeter aircraft and used both of these to gauge the size of these racks. So these things are nowhere near accurate, but still look like Enterprise's fuel tank racks and work within the hangar. The fuel tanks in the photos are shaped from toothpicks. I have will have to make a total of 17 of these racks. Once I get the racks all completed, I will try and tackle the AFFF sprinkler system, and scratch build the two RAS posts that are attached to the ceiling in hangar openings 2 & 3. These assist with underway replenishments and moving things between ships while at sea. Anyway, just thought I would show what I've gotten done, since it had been a while since my last update.

Also, the last two photos I added as an update to my update. I had forgot to add the recesses on the fuel tank racks. The next to last photo shows a picture of an Enterprise fuel tank rack and what I am talking about. I just used a round file to create these recesses for the racks.

[Brian001]

Wow, always impressive Doug.
I sure hope fall comes soon to Idaho!

[Joe Simon]

Wow this is an impressive build! Just started following it and I am truly amazed!

[davetwin]

Awesome work, a bit lost for words

[sgtryan13]

I think those are the best fuel tank racks I have yet seen anyone scratchbuild. I say that having thrown more than a few attempts at those in the trash and skipped them all together, so I definitely appreciate the work it takes.

[JimVarnellABH2USN]

Very Impressive work on the drop tank racks, Look forward to more details coming out in this build. Keep up the great work.

[ModelMonkey]

Truly exceptional work. Bravo!

[LE BOSCO]

hello Doug

I missed the last advanced !as always,it's beautiful
cheers
Nicolas

[gtbred]

Is your flightdeck going to be clear. Because that is the only way we can see your beautiful work.

[anyahajobuzi]

Well Doug I for one am super happy about you not wasting your time with soft-ball and other nonsense and being back into the modelbuilding!!!! YEEEEEEEEEAAAAHHHH

I never said this to a guy before , but those are some nice racks man! You have some very talented 3D printers on the end of your arms !!!! In fact, your stratchbuilding is sooo nice and accurate and obviously time consuming that I am really starting to worry about your health Doug!

I am impressed right out of my mind once again. But you do realize that there is a whole ship to build around this hangar, right? I can't wait to see this hangar starting to look like a ship!

Very excellent work my friend!!!!!

Cheers: Laci

[Medic08]

doug this may sound crazy cause i've never seen any other type tooth picks but your drop tanks they just seem a bit larger then normal tooth picks would be or is that just the picture?

[DWD]

Thanks a bunch you guys. I really appreciate all the comments from everyone. Things are still obviously progressing slowly...... I have been working on creating my own drawings for the hangar ceiling so as to get better placement on the drop tank racks, AFFF sprinkler system, and the RAS posts, which I still plan on adding. It's not going to be near 100 percent accurate, but it will go a long way in providing good representation and should look pretty dang cool. I promise to post photos as soon as I have anything significant built.

Laci, I appreciate your interest in my racks! HAHA and rest assured, I am fine......no crazier than any of the other excellent flat top builders on here.

Ryan, I appreciate your confidence in my work man. I have watched your builds on here for some time now and have watched you getting better and better with every build. Pretty damn inspiring man. We can all benefit from each other with the stuff we share on this site, so thank you.

Hey medic08, it is possible that the fuel tanks in the photo could be possibly made from bamboo skewers. I know I used those too because they were a little thicker, but I kept running into them falling apart and splintering when I was trying to shape them so I just scrapped them altogether. I may have had just a few that turned out alright and they may have ended up in my photos. I attempted to use Mr. Surfacer 1000 to coat the wood/bamboo so it wouldn't be so porous and grainy. That is the case with the grey tank in the photo. The majority of the ones you see are in fact regular round toothpicks, so it must just be the photos. I think I may even try plastic rod, if I can find a suitable width.

Happy Modeling everyone!

[Calebgilmore]

Thanks a bunch you guys. I really appreciate all the comments from everyone. Things are still obviously progressing slowly...... I have been working on creating my own drawings for the hangar ceiling so as to get better placement on the drop tank racks, AFFF sprinkler system, and the RAS posts, which I still plan on adding. It's not going to be near 100 percent accurate, but it will go a long way in providing good representation and should look pretty dang cool. I promise to post photos as soon as I have anything significant built.

Laci, I appreciate your interest in my racks! HAHA and rest assured, I am fine......no crazier than any of the other excellent flat top builders on here.

Ryan, I appreciate your confidence in my work man. I have watched your builds on here for some time now and have watched you getting better and better with every build. Pretty damn inspiring man. We can all benefit from each other with the stuff we share on this site, so thank you.

Hey medic08, it is possible that the fuel tanks in the photo could be possibly made from bamboo skewers. I know I used those too because they were a little thicker, but I kept running into them falling apart and splintering when I was trying to shape them so I just scrapped them altogether. I may have had just a few that turned out alright and they may have ended up in my photos. I attempted to use Mr. Surfacer 1000 to coat the wood/bamboo so it wouldn't be so porous and grainy. That is the case with the grey tank in the photo. The majority of the ones you see are in fact regular round toothpicks, so it must just be the photos. I think I may even try plastic rod, if I can find a suitable width.

Happy Modeling everyone!

Holy cow man... You are setting the bar awful high for me to try and do something with my 1/350 Nimitz! Where do you buy your plastic for making the stiffeners and additions? did you make the sponsons too? I'm going to have to modify/create sponsons for the CIWS on mine to make it look like the Carl Vinson from 01 (when I was on board). I also have a few pics of the Enterprise from 01 when we did a vertrep with them

[boomstick68]

A Smithsonian piece in the works. The drop tanks and racks look amazing!

[anyahajobuzi]

Thanks a bunch Doug!
I guess none of us needed to feel good about our hangars in our CVNs. I sure don't feel good about mine. I never actually did, but looking at the progress of yours, I can honestly admit: Yeah, I botched my hangar. But I thought then and am thinking now: who is gonna see all that? Don't get me wrong: I am saluting your every move with this magnificent modelbuilding masterpiece, but I think you are going to cry a little bit when it will come to closing it all up. But you know what: I will cry with you! You are making the best CVN hangar EVER, and I know for one I will die a little inside when it will all "go away" . But we all know it's all there!

Never cutting a corner! You are a modelbuilding hero!
This Enterprise is already one for the record books! Love it! KEEP! IT! UP!

Cheers: Laci

[Mgunns]

Hello Doug:

I have to echo the sentiments of the others here, truly outstanding work and workmanship. I like the idea one of the forumites had of making a book. How about a CD? You could take all of your work, filter out the comments and put it on a CD. Just a thought.
I finished mine in 1999 after about three years of off and on work on it. I did put in a hangar deck as I just wanted to add some depth, put a few planes in there and called it good. At that time there were a few articles in Fine Scale Modeler or some other magazine and of course the Bert Kinzey book. I did in about a 1980 scheme with the "E" on the Island. I was actually on the Enterprise when it was in Alameda, but only made it to the fan tail. My neighbor was a cook on it when it ran aground in San Francisco Bay. Some good stories there. But I digress. After seeing your work I am tempted to take mine off the shelf, dust it off and re do it. Inspirational work to say the least.

Best Wishes

[ModelMonkey]

After seeing your work I am tempted to take mine off the shelf, dust it off and re do it. Inspirational work to say the least.

Hear, hear!

[subhunter1]

Doug,

Do you or anyone else on this thread have any details/pictures on the brows/gangway sponsons called out on page 7 "No.3 Elevator Sponson", and "No.1 Elevator Sponson". None of the photos that I have give me any detail as to what the recessed area looks like. Furthermore, none of the photos that I have provide the sort of detail I am looking for regarding the fuel transfer equipment on those same sponsons.

Nice job on the boat by the way! I'm still working on the overhead of the hangarbay. I lost count, but I'm easily over a thousand pieces between the beams, and door tracks. When you did your math regarding the height of the bulkhead walls what did you come up with? I spotted mine at .944"

I deployed on the Enterprise out of the yard after the 1982 refit and thus that is the period that I am working towards. It was the only deployment my squadron (VS-37) had on that particular birdfarm over her entire life. What is even more odd is that the painting depicted on the box cover for the model shows the tail markings of VS-37 as well. Guess I was destined to sail on her, and build her in scale some 30 years later.

[DWD]

Where do you buy your plastic for making the stiffeners and additions? did you make the sponsons too?

Hey Caleb. The plastic is Evergreen sheet styrene in various sizes and purchased from local hobby shops and online hobby websites. And yes, I had to scratch build the sponsons. Thanks for the photos man and following my build. Good luck with your Nimitz!

Do you or anyone else on this thread have any details/pictures on the brows/gangway sponsons called out on page 7 "No.3 Elevator Sponson", and "No.1 Elevator Sponson".

If you still haven't found any photos of the areas you are looking for, let me know and I will see what I can come up with.


Again, thanks for all the comments guys.....and Laci, you are probably right about that; I just might cry a little when I close up the hangar! Seeing all that detail disappear.........so with that, I have added more detail!! HAHA I have continued work on the hangar ceiling and have completed the drop tank racks and have installed them. I have also started adding the AFFF fire suppression system. I've only got about four of the lines installed in the photos so I still have a ways to go. It's just been quite some time since I last posted and thought I would share these.