BOATMAN's USS NIMITZ CVN 68 BUILD IN 1/144 SCALE

[boatman]

HI all well I have finally managed to convert all the build pics from bitmap to jpeg some pics wont be as good as as others as I had an old camera at the start of the build but they will get better as I bought a new one a little later .

Now this is a 7yr scratch build using a limted plan an to try an scale it right a ( 1/7OO I THINK ) plastic model of this super carrier an on the r/c it had 19 functions that work different things on the ship an the first pic is the keel without which there wont be a ship here we go

 

[boatman]

Nxt pic the hull frames cut from 1/4" marine ply with HULL JOINT FITTED

 

[boatman]

An its built upside down as the keel an some hull frame are screwed down to build board to stop the mode twisting or becomein a banna hull only good for goin round corner's an here in the nxt pic I had fitted the 1/4" quadtron's to give the hull strength

an I don't do a bread an butter covering as I think it takes up to much filler an creates more wheight so I opted to do what I call a 1/32" ply wrap round

 

[boatman]

 

[Steven000]

Beautiful project
It sure takes commitment to work on it for 7 years.
Cheers, Steven

 

[boatman]

Now the covering or skinning as some calls it is under way I used PVA wheather proof glue an small tack pins to hold the ply in place while its glueing

 

[boatman]

Here at this stage of covering it got very awkward as the ply skin has got to be bent three different ways to give the curves of a carrier

 

[boatman]

Beautiful project
It sure takes commitment to work on it for 7 years.
Cheers, Steven

Thanks Steven I must admit that I dint realise what I had let myself in for as my friends were sayin go on an build it as no one eles has done it around my area so I thought ah a challenge here an it most certainly was (PHEW)

 

[boatman]

Still covering nr a week later workin on it every day as I thought ive got to get stuck in or it will never happen

 

[boatman]

nearly there

 

[boatman]

HULL now cut in half an I sweated bucket's doin this as it was make or brake time but it all turned out ok (PHEWEE) then I did a little dance around it to celibrate LOL

 

[boatman]

Here building the bow

 

[boatman]

An now here she's lookin like a super carrier

 

[Mickc1440]

That looks very impressive.

 

[boatman]

Thanks mick but it will get better as it goes
chris

 

[boatman]

An now she looks like a flat top

 

[boatman]

 

[boatman]

An after a heck of a lot of sandin an painting the hull with 6 coates of sandin sealer I sprayed her with about 10 coates of first red pimer an then gray an then finished with grey to make her water tight an firbre glassin her in side an out I then fitted all 4 prop shaft's an 4 rudders the real ship don't have 4 just 2 but I needed to make her do tight turns as I still found that on the crowded boat pond when she was sailin she still went over the top of smaller craft as this ship couldn't be stopped on a sixpence due to her wheight

 

[boatman]

NOW here after about a yr an a half of costrucion my mate an I took her to the pond with about 50 pounds of batts wheight in the hull to see how she sits in the water test an she passed with flyin colours ( did a little dance again to celebrate people were lookin at me very strangely lol )

 

[Jakko]

Good to see you’ve got the pictures sorted That is one impressive model. I’ve seen plenty of large ship models built from wood, and this looks better than many already.