The Ship Model Forum

Excellent work, Ryan. The one thing I always find lacking on ship models -- and I'm guilty of it myself -- is the clutter. A ship underway, especially just leaving on deployment or just after an underway replenishment, has stuff stacked, stored, and crammed into every internal open space possible. And then all that stuff is tied down. You've nailed the look and feel precisely.

Looking good Ryan! I really like the look of all the stacked material, boxes, and containers. I have kind of been working on the same thing trying to create my own "stowage material", but after looking at yours, I really like the look of the aftermarket additions you have added. That's pretty dang sweet dude. Keep it up man. Can't wait to see all the figures painted and added.

Hangar bays look great. The seascape is very convincing as well.

Thanks guys!
Devin, that is exactly the feel I was hoping to achieve, and if someone who has actually sailed on ships says it looks the part then I am happy as a pig in sh*&!

DWD, in the past I did the same as you are talking about, made the boxes and stuff myself, but these things are just so crammed with detail, yet so tiny, I don't see how I could even come close to the level they are.

Boomstick, welcome back, I thought you took the IKE and sailed off to parts unknown!


Well the hangar interior is done! This is my best one yet, and it is a shame that it is going to get all sealed up and so much will be nearly impossible to see. The ceiling is just about done, just need to add the UNREP post folded up, and a few more pipes and doo-dads for some character.

Work on Lincoln is slowing a bit for the next week or two, as I am working on the finishing touches for Reagan that I have been putting off for a few months now, but she needs to be 100% done in time for the IPMS nationals. This includes ginishing her COD and Prowlers, scratching the tilley crane, and adding about 100 more crew on deck. Crew are all ready, as is the COD, so it is just the crane and Prowlers, along with correcting a few flaws that some of the judges pointed out to me as she made her trips around the Northeast competition circuit.

You are not gonna want to part with this when done.

I never want to part with em! Well except for the Ticonderoga CG kit. But I think the Reagan will go a long way to easing the pain I feel when I have to let this and future CVNs go. At least I have a decently built carrier that I am proud of in my OWN collection now. But yes, to the level Lincoln is done so far, she beats Reagan out in every aspect, detail and construction.

Been a while since I updated Lincoln, I took some time off to put the final details on Reagan before Nationals. Her stern area is just about done, which will be a big step since the flightdeck will be added once it is complete. Lots of scratchbuilt additions in here. Other work has been just removing all of the catwalks and nets from the flightdeck and doing all of the final checks on wiring and seams/fit on the hangar before it is all sealed up with the deck on top.

Ryan,
As always excellent work. looking forward to more on this one. How many does this make now? Is this one yours or another commission build?

Thanks Jim. This one will make 7 when she is completed, plus 2 more that are in my workshop that are for my collection (early Ike and Desert Storm Truman) that I started and then stopped when this one was ordered, as Lincoln is indeed another commission.

Slow going lately, I am in a bit of a modeling rut, as the nice weather keeps calling me outside, but I am making progress, and puttering around with an OOB build that takes no planning when I need something easy to get the creative juices flowing. The Ceiling is done, just need to weather it and install the folded unrep post that goes on the starboard side above the elevator opening.

Very nice work. Please tell me that's a waffle-pattern sheet you started with and not that you scribed all of it.

Great work, Ryan. I hate talented people like you.

Well I have been soooo inspired by seeing all these awesome aircraft carriers , and you seem totally obsessed Ryan , that I have ordered my own Nimitz now and extras . I think I am going to call you "Flat Top"from now on

Jenny

Devin, I am a little on the insane side, ok, a lot on the insane side, but yes, I did find some waffle pattern styrene that seemed to fit the bill close enough. for me to bother scribing all those lines would have required an amount of alcohol that would have been counter-productive to the straight and uniform effect!

Thanks Martin, love you too! You know, it is a funny thing, the way our skills develop and ebb and flow. For instance, over the past years I have gotten so used to and comfortable scratch building, that I now find my ass getting kicked a little while trying to build a very small LCS completely out of the box. I am frustrated as hell trying to make a couple of the kit parts fit correctly and eliminate the seams, when if I were not adhering to the IPMS out of box rules, I would have tossed the whole assembly in the trash and just scratch built the damn thing and been done with it long ago.

Careful Jenny, once you get bit by the carrier bug, it can be a loooong road to recovery! And I have certainly been called worse than "Flat Top" that's for sure!

Ok boys, I am back at Lincoln full speed ahead.

The flightdeck is getting a lot of attention, the fit of the 3 deck parts was awful! A lot of sand, fill, prime, repeat went into this one.

I want a heavily weathered and used deck, so I tried a different painting method, and more drastic color differences. I tried some of these on Reagan, but the weathering blended them all together. This deck is going to look like it did in 2003, right at the end of a very long combat deployment, so there will be some really used and abused spots around the landing area and the cats.

As usual, all deck markings were painted on, and as you can see, touch-ups are next in the chute.

Looking great. can't wait to see more

Dude...I tip my hat to you. That looks like the real deal. Amazing work.

Great work of course, Ryan!

SGT RYAN simply outstanding.. This deck will look like ship that been in combat for years..

How are you not burnt out on building CVNs yet?!