SEA > CV / CVN
1/72nd radio-controlled scratchbuilt aircraft carrier - USS Nimitz
falo:
Hi Dougie,
what a project!!!!
Thanks for sharing and regards
falo
dougie47:
Hi Falo,
Thanks, I may be a bit overambitious with this one. Very steep upskilling required but it has been really fun so far.
A really talented modeller (Gabriel Suranyi) took 19 years to finish a 72nd Enterprise. It is a stunning model with 11,000 tiedowns. The model was so good he was flown in a C-2 as a guest aboard the real Enterprise for two days. Here are some photos -
https://www.carrierbuilders.net/gallery/20070318_USS_Enterprise_1-72/20070318_USS_Enterprise_1-72.htm
Although this is inspiring there is absolutely no way my effort will be anything like Gabriel's masterpiece. I have made a decision not to add loads of detail as I don't fancy taking 19 years to finish it and don't have his level of talent. Plus there is the opportunity cost. If I spend the remainder of my life on this project then it will cost me the opportunity to build other models. There is a 72nd IX coming out this year, for example, and I'd rather build that than add interior lighting to the hangar deck of the Nimitz.
Here are some more images of the 4mm marine ply added to the hull of the midsection. This one shows the strips added prior to the application of wood filler -
This one shows the other side of the hull after filler was added and sanded -
This thing is so big it is essentially a small boat in its own right. Never having built a boat or even a model hull before, I'm a complete novice at this. But even I know that it is preferable to keep the hull from leaking. It will weigh a lot so if it sinks to the bottom of the pond it will ruin my day so much that I'd probably want to end up at the bottom along with the boat. I'm completely making this up but I reckon there are three areas regarding waterproofing. The first is ensuring there are no leaks through the 4mm ply skin. The second is the addition of epoxy over the skin to keep it waterproof. The third is the interior. If I get number one and two right then the interior waterproofing would be unnecessary. However I'm not entirely impressed with my own skills, as evidenced by repeated niggling failures when making and sailing my 96th scale HMS Vanguard sub. So I'm going for the addition of loads of bathroom sealant on the inside of every join on the interior. The sealant is comparatively cheap and added easily with a caulking gun. It might look a bit messy but I've gone for too much sealant rather than too little -
Next up was the hangar decks. The Nimitz class has four huge blastproof steel doors between the hangar deck and the elevators which allow the planes to go up the upper deck. I decided to go with all four doors open, thus permitting a view of the hangar deck. The hangar deck will have no detail whatsoever and I've so far resisted the temptation to add lighting. Two of the doors are on the stern section but two are on the midsection. To cut out the oval shapes from the 4mm ply I started by rolling out one of the 15-foot long plans so I could determine the location of the doors on the hull -
Then I used carbon paper to draw the oval shape upon the ply. Next I cut out the oval shape using my bandsaw. I could have drilled a line of holes and then filed it to shape but due to the size I preferred to use my bandsaw. This required me to cut a line in and out of the oval shape, as can be seen here -
The additional cuts were not a problem as it did not take long to glue the join and add filler to hide the join. Then it was time to add the panel with the oval shape to the hull and tidy it up.
As for the two hangar deck areas, for each area one bulkhead was added at the back and a floor added along the same level as the bottom of the oval. Both the bulkhead and floor are removable so I can gain access to the interior of the hull in order to add ballast (the ballast will be placed under the hangar deck floors).
Last thing for tonight. There is a long panel on the port side which has nine rectangular shaped gaps and four compartments. I needed to add boxes for each of the compartments and these were made out of 4mm ply. Two of the compartments hold lifeboats but I will deal with that later.
That's the initial stage of the midsection done. Since I added lots of strength this 6.5 foot long midsection is quite heavy already.
Cheers,
Dougie
42rocker:
Good Luck with this interesting project and hope that you keep sharing pics with us.
Later Tim
dougie47:
Hello,
Here is the next instalment in the Nimitz build. I'm onto the bow now as you can see below. Firstly here are the frames cut out from the plans. The holes are for the metal poles to fit through. And the rectangles cut out around the edge are for the stringers to fit into.
The spacing between the plan frames was too large so I decided to add extra frames in between. I did this by drawing freehand on the carbon paper using the plan frames as a guide. When I cut out the extra frames, I then added them in place between the main frames. Since I have the steel poles to hold them all together, I was able to move the extra frames back and forth until I judged them in the correct place. The following image shows them all in place with CA glue and then car body filler. The wood strip has not been glued yet. It was used to ensure the extra frames were in the correct place (I used a few of these on both sides to determine where the extra frames should be positioned).
Then I added some of the stringers in place on either side. Of note in the image below is the bulbous bow which was built and added early on. I did this by sandwiching together several layers of marine ply, each slightly wider than the next, and then adding wood filler afterwards.
Adding the skin to the very bottom of the bow was next. This was quite difficult as the marine ply decided to be really awkward and not bend easily. The curve is tight at the bottom as you can imagine. In some place I added a deep score (more like a groove) to get the ply to bend. Where this was inadequate I simply cut the wood and added them in a series of strips.
As with the midsection, sealant was added over all the joins in the interior.
What gives the bow its characteristic aircraft carrier look is the near triangular shape. I cut this shape out from the plans, adding a couple of layers (each slightly wider that the other). Then I glued it in place after using a protractor to get the correct angle. The image below shows this piece in place at the bow. Lower down you can see that wood filler has been added over the joins in the ply strips.
Below shows the bow from another angle. Here we can see the wooden strips which spray out behind frame 10. These will reach past frame 9 all the way to reach frame 8 (both 8 and 9 are on the midsection). Much later, when I add the bow section to the midsection, these will be glued in place and the marine ply skin added over the top.
The above image also shows the grey metal poles which will extend back to holes drilled within frame 9 on the midsection. These poles will help to secure the bow section to the midsection in the hope that they don't break apart. If these don't work and the bow breaks off the midsection I imagine I will be somewhat disappointed.
Cheers,
Dougie
dougie47:
Hello,
Photos below show progress on the bow section -
I now have to improve the bow, particularly the stem area which needs to be thinned.
The big hole isn't because I went mad with a drill. Rather it is for a bow thruster which will be necessary for a hull this big. Although I will have the ability to turn using the propellers (for example, two port motors ahead and two starboard motors in reverse), the addition of a bow thruster will help as well.
Before I fit the bow thruster, I want the four motors, electronic speed controllers (ESCs) and bow thruster all working with the transmitter and receiver. Only once this is done will I be confident to fit the bow thruster. Once the thruster is in place I won't get access to it to fix it or play around with it so I need to get it right first time.
I'll post photos of the electronics another time.
Cheers,
Dougie
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