1/350 scale CVN-90 USS United States Stealth Aircraft Carrier

[seadude]

The E-2C Hawkeye early warning and control aircraft are done except for decals which will be added later.
Next on the To Do list will be 2 or 3 V-22 Osprey aircraft used for cargo and personnel transport.
After the Osprey's are done, then it'll be time to work on all the flight deck vehicles.

[Gondor]

Nice! I would have thought that the E-2's would have had the multi-blade Scimitar like props though. I take it that availability of them and ability to make them got in the way.

Gondor

[seadude]

Nice! I would have thought that the E-2's would have had the multi-blade Scimitar like props though. I take it that availability of them and ability to make them got in the way.

Gondor

What I built are the older E-2C's. The newer E-2D's are the ones with the 8-bladed props you are talking about. If I wanted E-2D's, I'd have to buy them from 3D-Wild, but I don't have the money for that. So I'm stuck with using the older type aircraft. To the best of my knowledge, I don't think Trumpeter makes E-2D's.

[Captain Canada]

Very nice. For sure some of those modern props would be a better fit for a modern carrier, but half the people wouldn't know anyway.

[seadude]

A slight update. Where am I at right now?

Been taking a break from this large model to concentrate and work on a smaller aircraft model in a different forum. But now that the aircraft is finished, I will get back to work on the carrier.
Currently getting back to work on painting about 3-4 V-22 Osprey's. Hope to be done with those by next weekend or sooner.
Still need to order half a dozen MQ-25 unmanned refueling aircraft and also a tilly crane vehicle from 3D-Wild. But don't know when that will be yet.
Painting of the flight deck for the carrier will hopefully be sometime soon in May.
Other items to finish are:
Need photoetch flight deck edge safety nets.
Display case and base made.
Build and paint flight deck tractors.
Add four arresting wires on flight deck.
Fix the flight deck area where the island superstructure sits as the island does not sit "level" on the flight deck.
Add white flight deck edge "bumpers".
Paint flight deck.
Add decals to ship.
...........plus lots of other small details like decoy launchers, 25mm chain guns, hose reels, ordnance jettison ramps, life raft racks, etc., etc.

[seadude]

The CMV-22B carrier on-board delivery aircraft are done except for decals.
Next on my long To Do list is either put decals on all the aircraft, or start work on building/painting all the flight deck vehicles, then go back and work on aircraft decaling after that.
One thing I hate about the flight deck vehicles is that they need to be painted white and/or yellow. Two of the hardest colors I have trouble with.     

[NARSES2]

That's an impressive line-up   

[Old Wombat]

That's an impressive line-up   

It certainly is!

[seadude]

That's an impressive line-up   

It certainly is!

And it'll only get bigger once I add a few MQ-25 unmanned aerial refueling aircraft...........whenever I get around to buying them that is.
Weeks ago, I thought about buying more F-18E/F aircraft as I needed a few more of each. Now I'm not so sure anymore. With "he who shall not be named" and his tariffs, buying anything that comes from C**** just doesn't seem likely anymore as I'm afraid of what the cost will be.
So I'm probably just going to stick with whatever aircraft I currently have.
If I'm not too mistaken, I think the MQ-25's are 3D printed from some place in Pennsylvania. At least that's good.

[seadude]

I think I'm going to skip painting the deck tractors and forklifts myself. They're so small that if I were to spray can paint them myself, I fear I'd overspray them and get too much paint on them. Instead, I'm going to try and commission somebody near me to airbrush the vehicles instead as I need a more "delicate" painting job on them.

In other news..........

I'm going to try and detail the aircraft carrier catwalks a bit more, particuarly at or near all the refueling stations.
The first picture below shows what a refueling station typically looks like on a US Navy carrier. I have all the refueling hose reels assembled and painted already for my carrier and I wrapped black thread around the hose reels to simulate the hoses. What I can't detail is all the small piping at/near the reels as that would be too small for my eyesight.
The second pic below describes several firefighting stations that are located around the circumference of the flight deck for a typical US Navy carrier. I'm going to try and scratch build/detail these stations. These firefighting stations are at or near most of the refueling stations.
The third pic below shows what one AFFF firefighting station looks like. All AFFF hose reels (or hose racks) are green. Near the reels are also two different types of fire extinguishers.
The fourth pic below shows a green AFFF hose reel and hose rack indicated by the left and middle yellow arrows. The far right arrow is a red colored firefighting hose rack for normal water.
Most firefighting hose racks will be made from Gold Medal Models photoetch fire hose racks. All green AFFF hose reels will be made from spare model parts and/or round styrene tube/rod. The fire extinguishers (If I can add them as they'll be so tiny.) will be made from thin styrene rod.

[seadude]

The following items are done.

[seadude]

And another tiny detail done.

[Captain Canada]

Very cool. So many little details being added ! I'm assuming the blue barrels carry soap or detergent. No hazmat symbols on any of them.

[seadude]

Very cool. So many little details being added ! I'm assuming the blue barrels carry soap or detergent. No hazmat symbols on any of them.

Seems like every day and week I learn something new that I need to add to my model which keeps pushing back the finish date.    I'm beginning to wonder if I'll ever finish this beast this year.   As you said, so many tiny details. And those details do add up in the long run.
What's in the blue barrels? I have no clue. Some other people have said potable water, or solvents for cleaning the flight deck. But I really don't know. I've tried checking the Net, but can't find any information.

[Captain Canada]

Might also be cooking oil or old grease from the galley.