I have 35 boxes of Veteran Models accessories, 3 boxes of some other crowd's 20mm Oerlikon cannons, at least 5 boxes of aircraft & various turned brass gun barrels from 2pdr Pom-Pom up to 8" cruiser guns.

And, once I've finished my current 1/35 Merkava build, I'm going to dig out my two stalled 1/350 ship builds & finish them!

A few pictures below that show preliminary plans for changes to the aircraft carrier hull.
This is only preliminary and could change at any time in future days, weeks, and months.

Not a massive difference in plan view, is there.

The changes in deck area make sense in both construction & use.

Will you be including flat angled surfaces for the stealth features? All those notches and angles on the flight deck edge must be a radar foghorn! Just a thought.

Quote from: Gondor on May 25, 2023, 10:07:33 AMAs for the placement of your VLS system, you need depth equal to but generally more than the length of the missile that will be launched from it. Are your missiles containerised or magazine fed? Are you really sure that haveing things that can go boom should be placed on the outside of the ship, where if something hits them they go boom!

If you are modifying the first designe you showed in this thread then I would suggest that one of the forward lifts on the Starboard side of the ship could be replaced with your VLS system, either in part or full.

If you go with my idea for the location of the VLS system location you could also position one of your Lasers there as well. The other two could then be at somewhere near the aft of the Port side which covers in-comming aircraft pretending to be part of the carrier group. Laser number three would be on the opposite side of the first laser and the VLS system.

Just my take on what you have put forward here.

Gondor

I still hopefully intend to put VLS at the aft port and starboard locations on my model carrier. I'd also like to install a small 8-cell VLS at the forward port or starboard weapon sponson areas, but I haven't figured out how to do it yet.
As for the aft areas, take a look at the sample picture below of the aft of the Gerald Ford carrier. Carriers are mostly fitted with either RIM-7 NATO Sea Sparrow missiles or RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missiles (ESSM) in Mk.29 octuple (8-pack) launchers. An 8-pack octuple launcher in my opinion is too limited. ESSM's are quad packed with 4 missiles inside a single VLS cell. ESSM's are 12 feet in length and 10 inches in diameter.
The yellow horizontal line on top of the Mk.29 launcher is the length of the launcher. The red vertical line is the approx. height of the aft port weapon platform.
The yellow vertical line would be the approx. height of an ESSM missile (Not the VLS cell itself.) if it were placed vertically inside that platform. And there would still be enough length left over.

And that's why your building this and not I. You know the systems you want to install and I do not. I am simply putting forward ideas with the information I have and with my own way of looking at things. If you say something will fit I have no option but to take your word for it because the only information I have is provided by yourself.

Gondor

Quote from: kerick on June 02, 2023, 07:52:51 PMWill you be including flat angled surfaces for the stealth features? All those notches and angles on the flight deck edge must be a radar foghorn! Just a thought.

Wherever possible, I will try to make as many features on the carrier as angled/stealthy as possible. But there may be some areas and features that I can't for various reasons. The Ford class carrier is NOT a stealth carrier. It may have angled features to deflect enemy radars and sensors from detecting it, but it is not 100% stealthy/undetectable.
My model carrier I am building will be maybe another decade or two later than the Ford class. Possibly 2030's or 2040's. Will it be more advanced and stealthy than the Ford class? I can try. But it's hard to say how far advanced technology and ship building will be 10-20 years from now.
For example: I don't like the way the catwalks along the flight deck edge have a lot of "ribs and supports" on them in the below picture. Doesn't look very stealthy, know what I mean? I'd like to try and make all the catwalks and weapon sponsons more angled like in the second picture with the red arrows. But whether or not it happens, I don't know.

Quote from: Gondor on June 03, 2023, 07:32:19 AMAnd that's why your building this and not I. You know the systems you want to install and I do not. I am simply putting forward ideas with the information I have and with my own way of looking at things. If you say something will fit I have no option but to take your word for it because the only information I have is provided by yourself.

Gondor

I'm only taking a guess with everything. This is just one big what if fantasy model. I'll try to stay "technically believable" wherever possible. But sometimes, I like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole so to speak and playing with people's minds.    Makes going to model contests all the more funner when you see people do a double take and go "What the bleep is that?" 

Quote from: seadude on June 03, 2023, 07:55:59 AM

Quote from: Gondor on June 03, 2023, 07:32:19 AMAnd that's why your building this and not I. You know the systems you want to install and I do not. I am simply putting forward ideas with the information I have and with my own way of looking at things. If you say something will fit I have no option but to take your word for it because the only information I have is provided by yourself.

Gondor

I'm only taking a guess with everything. This is just one big what if fantasy model. I'll try to stay "technically believable" wherever possible. But sometimes, I like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole so to speak and playing with people's minds.    Makes going to model contests all the more funner when you see people do a double take and go "What the bleep is that?" 

That's just the way I look at it too. Make it believable, yet out there!
Your pictures show just what I was thinking of. Looks like you have a solution in that second picture. If there is anything outside the stealth side of the hull just say it's made of the ultimate low cost stealth material, wood!

I think I may have solved the laser defense system issue. Maybe? 
The US Navy has been experimenting, testing, and installing some new laser defense systems on various ships over the last several years.
Two such systems are named HELIOS and ODIN.
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/41525/heres-our-best-look-yet-at-the-navys-new-laser-dazzler-system
Searching through the Shapeways website, I did find the ODIN laser defense system.
https://www.shapeways.com/product/39P9SS627/odin-laser-system?optionId=193828914
You get about 20 pieces either in 1/700 or 1/350 scale. Bad problem is the price. By the time you select scale, type of material you want it printed in, and purchase it, the total cost plus shipping could be in the $50 range. Maybe I'll buy it and maybe I won't. We'll have to wait and see.
But it would solve my issue of having enough laser defense systems to cover all sides/arcs of the ship.
Another issue is that I can't tell if the Shapeways website picture shows the system in the stowed position (Optics facing downward) or not. It looks like it is, but I can't tell.

It does look as if it is stored nose down as it were. Shapeways is always a problem on price.

Gondor

From the image it looks to me like half of the Shapeways bits are deployed (upper) & half are stowed (lower).

I need help.
I'm asking for ideas, suggestions, designs, etc. for designs for the island superstructure for my carrier.
I don't want to copy anything from the Ford, Charles de Gaulle, or any other class of current carriers.
I'm trying to think of and look for a newer angled stealthy design. I kind of like the look of the design in the below picture.
But as usual, I'm not sure if I'd use something like that.

That design is very intriguing. The whole ship is very curious. What website was the picture from?
Have you tried deviantart website? It's always full of ideas.
https://www.deviantart.com/theocomm/art/Conqueror-class-Guided-Missile-Cruiser-700168090
This is a cruiser I found.

Quote from: kerick on June 04, 2023, 08:59:31 AMThat design is very intriguing. The whole ship is very curious. What website was the picture from?
Have you tried deviantart website? It's always full of ideas.
https://www.deviantart.com/theocomm/art/Conqueror-class-Guided-Missile-Cruiser-700168090
This is a cruiser I found.

Don't remember where I found the pic. Wasn't really paying attention.
That cruiser design is nice, but I don't like the mast/tower. Looks too much like those WWII era Japanese pagoda style towers on Japanese warships.