Shelf Queens. Time to Go! USS Enterprise

[modelfreak72]

Thanks T! Decals coming very VERY soon!

Thanks Ian! Okeydokey sir.

Thanks Cee Bee! Yep in war conditions Enterprise could carry a max 120 aircraft. As far as 80 on deck that's down to 53. I wasn't smarter than a 5th grader when I ordered the decal sheets. I was thinking that I would do Flight Ops, Two Toms on cats 1&2 , a Sh-3 ready for takeoff, and a F-18 being moved toward the catapults.

Thanks Bill! Gettin there buddy!

[modelfreak72]

Ok guys I couldn't wait. got the decals on two Tomcats, one Hi Viz the other Lo Viz. The lo vis decals are super tough to see. hope with a flat coat they will show up a bit more. Ok tease time HEHE!










Here is the comparison shot for Ian. The Hellcat is 1/48. Sorry couldn't resist the Grumman Cat thing!


Thanks for looking!

[TRM]

LOL...nice comparison shot!! Wingy things looks fantastic!!! Lovely dec work!!! Getting close now!!!

[Leon]

Awesome job on the decals.This is looking really cool.

[deafpanzer]

Love the decals on those tiny planes... they do make huge difference!

[wbill76]

I suppose the low vis are working better than intended! Nice job on these tiny guys. The shot of the 1/48 'Cat on the deck really gives you an idea of how big this ship model really is!

[406 Silverado]

Looking great Pete. Like the comparison.
Flight ops with a plane inthe air would be cool. I did the Tarawa with a helo inthe air above the deck, looked pretty cool.

[modelfreak72]

Hey there everyone! After a rather long absence I have returned with a vengeance! First up is the decaling of 50+ aircraft. I can say without a doubt that I am still decal shell shocked! That aside I will say that the Gold Medal decals are a must when building this beauty! The aircraft would look way too plain without them. As you will see the aircraft painted flat gull grey have the Hi vis decals on them. The decals did not sit very long in water before they were ready for transfer, but you will have to keep them very,very wet as to keep them from breaking. That doesn't work all the time either! To say things turned ugly from plane to plane would be an understatement. But I think you will like the results when done.

Now the aircraft painted in dark gull grey and light gull grey would have had the lo vis decals on them except that( as Bill points out and from a pic from above) they worked to well. Not that this is a bad thing if you were able to get the right angle to see them, but that will be a bit difficult sitting on the carrier. Thankfully I saved my Tamiya decals, they show up much better but still give the lo vis fell to the planes. I also had to use the hi vis decals for the squadron markings on the tails. Sad to say not much was used from the lo vis sheets. I think if a different shade of grey were to be used the lo vis might show up, something to tinker with later. All the canopies are decals also, some fit rather nicely, but some needed a little bit of trimming. The a-6's and ea-6's for the most part, the wind screen decal is a bit big. Oh before I forget The tail markings for ea-6's on the left side are printed backwards. All of my sheets came this way and after checking other builds it seems to be something Gold Medal Models has not fixed yet.

The carrier had a bit of weathering done, not alot just some rust streaks and skid marks. As of right now I am starting to work on the display shelf and base. Once they are done I will be able to close the book on this awesome build.

Right! I hope you all love pics because I got lots! Going to start with the airwing.









































Here's the carrier!













And the shelf so far, before and after sanding.




Thanks for looking!

[Deleted]

Hey Pete,your efforts to do this Lady proud have definitely worked fella!!!! All that work on the AW was worth it,and the subtle weathering you've applied,shows a Lady that gets looked after!!!
If I had a big enough Mancave,I might STILL consider getting mine down from the loft insulation one day!!

[modelfreak72]

Thanks Cee Bee! She is well worth it! She is a great build, and one I've been waiting to do for a long time! Let you in on a secret, I asked the Boss lady if I could put my big lady in the living room, and to my surprise she said Yes and took the time to see which wall it would look good on!

[Deleted]

....I'm not even allowed to build downstairs,let alone display anything!!!! ...I did notice,you have all the deck stantions up,so you must be showing her in cruise,not flight ops?

[deafpanzer]

Holy smokes! Those TINY planes look lovely especially the Phantom with yellow lighting markers. Glad you are back with vengeance!!!! LOL

[bbd468]

Damn Pete, you been a busy fella!   Dude, those wingy's look fantastic. Man, i forgot how big this Carrier was!

[Leon]

WOW ,awesome work on the wingies and carrier Pete.She is one mighty fine looking lady.

[wbill76]

Very cool progress, so many tiny decals, no wonder you're shell-shocked! Congrats on scoring some prime real estate to display this baby.

[modelfreak72]

Cee Bee The wifey likes ship models, although she told me she didn't like the weathering. She likes the clean look on the ships. I guess if I want to be able to keep adding in the room the ship will have to be shipyard fresh! The deck stantions are up because where I have her sitting is only 12in wide. Gonna be in flightops when done.

Thanks Andy! Will have some WIPS and queens coming up soon.

Thanks Gary! Busy, crosseyed, along with the shakes and the, Why did I do this to my self?!

Thanks Leon! There were some tense moments ever now and then but the end result was worth it!

Thanks Bill! Just did some math, average 600 decalsgve r tsk.... SEE! I still get twitchy thinking about it! LOL!!!

[Tojo72]

Wow this is really looking goods,great paint job on the planes,bringing them to life.

I remember doing this one back in the 80's,its long gone now,but it couldn't touch yours for sure.

[modelfreak72]

Thanks Dicky! I still look at her and wonder how the heck did that! The wingys are half the model, an empty deck even at this scale makes you go, whats missing.

Thanks Tojo! Back in the 80's? I think it's time for you to do another one my friend! Come to think of it, if I had gotten this kit back then I can honestly say it would be no where near as nice as this! I wouldn't have thought about filling in the seams or weathering it. And the aircraft......hand painted, silver canopies,and stock decals only.

[modelfreak72]

Hey there everyone! Well after a total time of a year and a half The U.S.S. Enterprise is finally done! Ok first on the list is the display base. Because of bad planning on my part I to figure out how to secure to carrier to base with more than just glue. I thought toggle bolts would be the best answer. But the hole drilled to slip the toggle is bigger that the screw. What I came up with was to drill the holes in the hull and the base at 5/8 ( counter sunk in the base) and use a piece of 1/2in copper pipe to keep the ship from moving.


After doing a final once over to see if I missed anything I noticed that I hadn't finished the fresh air ports on the bow of the ship. Some copper wire came to rescue!


And some weathering...


After Enterprise was secure and not going anywhere, I glued the aircraft and vehicles to the deck using gator glue. This has been a build of a life for me, the research, the checking and double checking of photos, paint schemes, aircraft lists, the ups and downs of building process, THE DECALS, ALL THE DECALS!!!!!! I hope you enjoyed watching the build as I had building! Here she is! Oh one more thing I did a tribute to another namesake, lets see if you can find it.






















And her new home in the living room.


Thank you to everyone for the helpful hints and words of encouragement I couldn't have done it without you!

[ceresvesta.]

Your dedication to the hobby is one to reckon with my friend! This is a titan's project that you've acheived with great skills!
Congratulation is in order.

Plainly frekin sweeeeeeeeet!

[deafpanzer]

FANTASTIC!!! It took you only a year and half?!?!? Love the shelf just for the big E.

This is my fav pic...


You did great!

[bbd468]

WOW Pete!!! Im in awe dude! I cant even imagine the patience it took for you to do this. Looks incredible bro....very impressive!

[modelfreak72]

Phil, Andy, Dicky, And Gary Thank you guys!

[dupes]

Dang, man - that looks GREAT! No wonder we haven't seen you putting out much armor lately. Heh.

Word to the wise - you're going to want to make a plexi cover for Big E, or before you know it, you'll be removing the entire air wing to dust the flight deck.

[Leon]

Pete congrats on a very impressive looking lady,Your time and effort really show through.She looks right at home on the base.

[modelfreak72]

Thanks Dupes! Been pricing the stuff out. Will be getting some next week.

Thanks Leon!

[Deleted]

A year and a half well spent IMHO   , when you look at it carefully, it's actually a collection of innumerable smaller models!  
Great job buddy 

[modelfreak72]

Thanks Steve! And to think, the Tamiya aircraft have half as many parts as the Trumpeter offerings.

[wbill76]

Hat's off to you getting this one done for sure! Love the shots of the airwing and all the other little details you put into this one. Definitely deserves its own shelf, congrats on finishing this massive labor of love.

[modelfreak72]

Thanks Bill!I think I am in Love LOL! Can't help but keep looking at her, I think am still don't believe that she's done!