RE: large scale war ships
 

Hi Folks.

I will need to clear them off for pictures. I have not done anywork on them in over a year, but now I have a bunch of supplies on the way. Because of their size, they can become tables, when the budget is down. lol.
Within the next two months I will post some more pics on top of what I wil post today or tomorrow, to show you what can be done with these models.
But as of now, They have an LONG, LONG way to go.

Tom, You basically build from the skeleton to what version you want. The preformed superstucture skeleton is just 01-03 lvl, but you have to build all the bulkheads, decks, tower, masts, and fittings up. You can either build it up to the WWII model of the Modern(Awesome) Iowa Like I am doing. The superstructure as it comes out of the mold, Looks nothing like anything on a battleship until it gets some decks built. many parts such as the bridge, I made entirely out of plexiglass. Most of what is not fiberglass is plexiglass in my models. I like working with it. it is cheap, sandable, and no filler is needed before paint, unlike wood. The 16in guns, tomahawks and other stuff I made up in a few hours, and will be trashed when the REAL ones come in, I was just playing around since my bb-61 had none. I am about to order some brass guns, and all the weapons systems are on the way. I am working on a way now to make my model shoot those small bottle rockets. they are about the smae size as scale tomahawks/harpoons.


Greg

RE: large scale war ships
 

Here are some pictures of my Battleship. You can email me for some pics of the Cruiser. I placed some of the dummy parts on the ship so you can get a general idea of how it will lok one I put the real deal on it. The Superstructure is not secured to the main deack, main deack is not sealed or planked, and weapons are not installed. I am just now working on the inner stuff and will begin to make the ships on board electrical system, once I finish my design. Both of My ships are active in "my Shipyard" after a year of dust... I also Have a picture of the of Sterling model battleship(ship pictured in the Water). It was once the WWII model USS Missouri as in the original kit, but I have since then cut it down and rebuilt it as the modern Uss Wisconsin from scratch. There are no plans for the Sterling modern bb, I built it from reference (in my head.lol). I know the real one really well. All my models are built fully R/C.
see next tab, more pictures. you can also email me for specific pics.
Greg

RE: large scale war ships
 

Pictures, pictures, pictures....

I have more upon request.

Greg

RE: large scale war ships
 

Thanks, Greg.

While I'm not a ship builder, (yet) the Iowa project interests me. I'll watch Tim build his Narvik, and then maybe I'll dive in.

I know the Iowa isn't a beginner's project, but I've been building models for 40 years. Experience should be of some value.

RE: large scale war ships
 

They are not too bad to build. Just allow yourself plenty of time, and mesure twice cut once. I could not build one in under a year, as I already have hundreds of Hours in what you see in the pics, and hundreds more are needed. The BB weighs about 50 lbs fully UNLOADED. It will be about 200 lbs. Loaded .IT takes lead to get the job done. I did it in my pond, and I though I was going to have to put my truck on it to get it down to the waterline. I do not trust in ballasts, plus the weight keeps it Scale. I scale everything. You should give it a try. I promise youll love it. :D

Greg

RE: large scale war ships
 

Greg, I like Tom have great interest in that iowa class. What a project and well worth all the time put into it. The Narvik class destroyer is my first warship and then I'm going to build up from there. My space is a little limited so and iowa class is to big for me right now. Maybe once I get that house scratch built I'll have room for it. Your stuff looks great, I love the shot of the iowa class tied up to the rocks. The bigger they are the more they look like the real thing


Tim

RE: large scale war ships
 

Hi Tim,

I know what you mean about the Iowa. it is really big. I want a Nimitz class Carrier, but at this point I am not that crazy. It is 13 ft long in scale. Besides, I have my work cut out for me. As you can tell I am an Iowa class lover, and weep to see the see mighty ships out of service. I am in a strong Navy family, and study the modern needs of the Iowas. But for now, there is the imagination. It is out of my control.
I know the ships inside and out, and really believe I could build one from deck up with no plans. Not the hull though.
The USS Wisconsin is the one tied up to the rocks. It is only 55", and is my fist ship. It looks totally differnt in WWII setup. it is about 13 yrs old, but I rebuilt it from 01 deck all the way up with new insides, and recovered the hull. Even its small size will turn heads at the Lake, The rotating Radar really gets the Ahhs. The wake and bow wave of it looks awesome; so much like the real one. I cant wait to get my 111" Iowa at the Lake, with turning radars, training guns, and then fire of some exploding missiles from the tomahawk lauchers(modified mini-bottle rockets). Operating anchors will be a blast too.

Here are a few more pics of the BB 64. The Ship out of the water is the Nine foot BB-61 showing slight anchor detail. The stock was drilled and a new stock was put in after some machine work. The new stock is secure by a bead of weld at the end.


Greg

RE: large scale war ships
 

My Narvik destroyer is 52" long but I'd like to go up to something around 72-80" I think I could find room to squeeze that in. If I do an Iowa I'd do it up in WWII dress. I've always been partial to that era.

Thanks for the great pics. I bet you have a bunch of cool photo's of the real iowas eh!.
Tim

RE: large scale war ships
 

Gees, I go flying for a few hours, and more neat pictures appear.

RE: large scale war ships
 

Good job Tom -- I think you should go flying again today so we can see more of Greg's ships! ;)

Great stuff Greg -- thanks for showing them to us! BTW, I drive one of those little made-in-ohio kind of cars, so I'm a cruiser guy (at least for the time being) -- what's your cruiser like?

RE: large scale war ships
 

You're right, Al.

I'm going flying tomorrow morning, so maybe by noon tomorrow Greg will post some more pics.

RE: large scale war ships
 

Hi Al,

Well my Cruiser took its first set of trials today, now that its propulsion is almost completed. I should have taken some pictures of it in my pond. My pond is my testing area. No room to maneuver a ship but suitable for stress tests. The Cruiser diid very well after adjustment and a tad bit of welding. I fabricated the shafts, bearings and struts myself, and wanted to impose them under worst case scenario load factors. They were smooth as a jewel. I will have to make minor adjustments on synchronizing the engines. It was so nice to see this thing run for the first time. it is a good feeling after so much work. The Cruiser is 71" long, and like my Battleship, its hatch, and deck are not sealed. it also has temporary weapons since I have ordered them in Nov 03, and they take forever to get in. I will beworking on the CG71 and my bb61 once this semester is over in college and the summer is here. The ballast was tricky on the CG, since it is so top heavy and that the hull is not deep, I placed Stainless Steel 1/8" squares in the bilge. Now I just have to make it "pretty" by routing wires for the ships electrical system.

I can understand what you mean about being a cruiser man. I am that way with battleships. I know them inside and out. I just love them. Well, I love our Navy, Military, and Country. When I become a Naval Flight Officer, I will have to build a model of the USSCVN 76(Ronald Reagan). But I will always be a battleship man. I go and see the Real USS Wisconsin twice a year, I hate to leave it. I am a true Navy man.

Well here are some pictures I took a few minutes ago. It is still wet!!!

RE: large scale war ships
 

Here is the a few more, and also the Real ship, of the one I am building.
Well I am going ot the beach to take my boat out for a run.


Greg

RE: large scale war ships
 

well the f-18 is there too.

g

RE: large scale war ships
 

Greg,

I assume the F 18 is RC. Any details?

RE: large scale war ships
 

Greg, love the photo's, your cruiser is looking really good and I'm sure it will be a real beauty when she's done. The f-18 looks damn nice too! Can I assume that it's powered with actual jet engines. Now all you need is the Ronald Reagan to launch it off of. I hope to get to the workshop to work on the Narvik class tonight. I'm working on the superstructure right now.

Tim

RE: large scale war ships
 

Thanks Tim,



The Modlel of the Ronald Reagan Carrier, is a long ways off for sure. I really do not have room for what I have; not to mention the 13 ft long 1/96 scale nimitz carrier. It truely is a beautiful ship though. I was at the commissioning ceremony. As far as the model.. There is no telling what it would weigh. We are talking about a canoe size ship....
The F-18 is not turbine yet. It is Fan. Once I fly it around some and get a "turbine- budget" then it will for sure beconverted to turbine. I bought a F-14 kit that will have twin turbines in a year or so. Here is another pic of the 18. Guys ---I know, I know, this is a SHIP THREAD, but this is a ship based aircraft....lol

Hope your ship is coming along. send some pics.

The other is the side that Sadamn never saw.... This is the safe side.lol






"I have to many irons in the fire"

RE: large scale war ships
 

what's the deal with that first shot of the carrier, I'm guessing it was out at trials since it looks completly bare. It looks like the deck was awash or am I seeing things? That must have been some wave!

I'm guessing the last shot is of the iowa class firing those bb cannons. Lets see some photo's of a real ship in action LOL!:) Obviously I'm kidding, don't take that comment serious. That's some very serious firepower. It's my understanding that when the iowas fired all her guns simutaniously it would move the ship sideways.[X(]

RE: large scale war ships
 

By the time I posted my last message the photo's of the carrier were gone, why did you remove them? I really liked the first one you had there.

Tim

RE: large scale war ships
 

If you mean this picture, I think you're right, Tim... I can hardly see the fore deck at all;)!http://www.rcuniverse.com//forum/thu...54/Va70805.jpg

Seriously, though, about that cruiser and the F-18 -- Sierra Hotel!

I love the sharp bow entry on the Ticonderogas... they look like they're going fast even when they're standing still.

The one I'm modeling is almost half a century older -- late WWII vintage light cruiser with the zillion 5"-38 dual-mount multi-purpose gun batterries. (Well, 16 mounts, but I'd think that would look like a zillion when you're trying to attack it from the air.) I guess I'd say my cruiser in the embrionic stage -- I'm past the conception stage, but there's nothing recognizably cruiser-like on the ways yet. I carved a good half by quarter half hull (it checked out true, fair, and faithful to what's visible in the big bunch of photos I've gathered), but AI was hoping to verify it against lines from the Archives -- which I haven't been able to swing so far. I'm almost ready to verify it against commercial model plans and press forward.

The F-18's one of my some-day projects, too. I got a set of RCM plans for a .60 size pusher a couple of weeks ago. When I was fresh out of officer training (I went Air Force), I was stationed real close to the factory and I wangled a tour fo the facility and sat in the first production F-18 airframe. (Wanna guess the year?:eek:)

BWT, I salute your career choice Greg. Regarding my career, it was a great way of life!

[edit] -- Oops... I didn't mean 16 mounts on the Atlanta Cruiser, I meant 16 guns (in 8 mounts). I get carried away...

RE: large scale war ships
 

Hi .

I have hundreds of picture, but I think these were the ones you saw. Here are also more Pics of the USS Ronald Reagan on It's Final stage of sea trials. The carriers washdown system is being tested. It is used in for emergencies like chemical or nuclear fallout. As you can see it is a LOT of water. This ship can circulate water quickly with its huge capacities. It's water capacities are nothing new though, it holds 3.5 million gallons of aviation fuel and houses 100 jets and 6000 people. The other shot is from the bow. 3 pictures are on sea trials, a one commissioning day. What a Day. I was excited to be there.


The battleships do move sideways a little, about nine feet when all nine 16 inch guns fire, accompanied by all five inch(broadside). That is a long way for a ship this heavy. Just One, 16in turret on the Iowa class weighs slightly more than a entire WWII DESTROYER.
One shell from a 16 inch gun actually hit a tank head on one time; the observer said " From what's left of that baby they cant even make carpet tacks". This was a high-velocity shell, and there was really just a huge hole where the tank once was.....One second you see a tank, then a Hole- "no tank". That is the firepower I like, and it is a heck of a lot cheaper than a missile, and is feared by the enemy much more. Ask Sadamn. lol.

Greg

RE: large scale war ships
 

Hi Tom,

I overlooked your question re the F-18. I have mentioned some about it, but it is RC. It is a byron model before they went under. It is Iron bay model company now.Anywas I have been doing on/off builing on it for a year. It is almost flight ready once I get the Speed brake, and fuel hoses installed. I am not too sure about taping the engine for pressure so that is the hold up. But I am in no hurry. I have not flown a plane in several years. I love to build them and make them flight ready. I dont have a suitable field right now either for a jet. Realflight is about all the flying I do right now, not considering the Cessna172. I am going to build an F-14 turbine soon.




IF ANY OF YOU GUYS NEED SOME MODERN IOWA BATTLESHIP PICUTURES, I HAVE A FEW HUNDRED OF THEM, ABOUT 70 OF THE USS NEW JERSEY (SEEN HERE). I BELIEVE I READ SOMEWHERE THAT SOMEONE NEEDED SOME. I TOOK THESE IN MARCH 2003.


Greg

RE: large scale war ships
 

Greg, I knew the wisconsin had been modernized but could not remember the other one, now I know it was the new jersey. Thanks for the refresher. Wasn't the wisconsin the last one in service? It seems a shame that these great ships just sit as museums now, however the reality of it is their's just not a use for them now. I would love to visit one, if I had to pick I would want to see the missouri, not just for it's historic value but because it's still in WWII dress. If I remember right, isn't it stationed in Hawaii? What a trip that would make!

Thanks for more great pics. They'll never build em like that again.

Tim

RE: large scale war ships
 

Hi Tim,

As far as the Iowas are concerned, The USSIowa(BB-61), USS New Jersey(BB-62), Uss Missouri(BB-63), and USS Wisconsin(BB-64)were all extensively modernized in the 80's. The WWII version of all four Iowa is only a memory, since all four look almost the same. The New Jersey was reactivated and deactivated for Vietnam and received a slight boost in technology enhancements, and was the First one reactivated in the 80's. The Iowa was next, and then the missouri followed in 1986. The Wisconsin's modernization was about canceled after it was apparent the cold war was almost over, but in 1989 the final word was given to bring here out of the 30 years of sleep, and to modernize it like the other three with missiles, electronic warfare systems, improved living quarters, improved engines, a/c, and totally rewired. The Iowa has an accident in 89, kind of kicked the wind out of the bb program, and cause the Iowa to be decommissioned, and two yrs later the NJ. The Navy knew what is had in the ships, and since the Former USSR, said that these ships caused a huge immediate unsolveable threat to them, the Missiouri and Wisconsin stayed in service to fight the Gulf war. The wisky, and the Mighty Mo hammered Iraq with is tomahawks and then fired over 1900 16 inch shells next. The fear of these guns caused some of their army to surrender to a observation RPV flying around.
The Battleship program was also secretly testing new munitions for the 16 in guns that would use sabot filled munitons that were also search and destroy capable, and would also extend the range of the guns from 23nm to 75nm and 100nm. This sytem was temporary and secretly tested on the Missouri and Wisconsin, but did not become declassified until after 1997. The tests, hit dead on accuracy ever time, and proved a worthy investment to install on the ships that would extend their range of service for many years.But the ships were striken before the plan became active. However future plans of modernization, which will most likely never happen are still classified and are still on the table using Vertical lauch Tomahawks. The wisky and Iowa are still in the inactive reserve under maintenence "B" category, and would be the first to come back if they ever do. It is argued by some that we dont need the guns, but they dont know what he battleship program had found or porbably dont care.(willingly ignorant). These are the ones that oopse the cost of our military which is unaviodable expensive. It is the cost of freedom, to have a military strong enough not just to be able to fight, but strong enough to DETER war. I hate to see the ships of of service since the ships are in excellent shape. I have some pics of the insides too. These ships cause enemies to just dissapear once they are spotted on the horizon without firing a single shot. What a Weapon.. The Missouri is not in WWII dress, it is just like the other four, and its sister the NJ that was donated were donated with exception that they are subject to being recalled in event we need them. God bless Ronald Reagan. He ordered the old ships to become new. He knew what we had, and the Navy still does. They say they dont want them, and that is only because they cant afford them since we are still fixing our new ships from lack of funding from the Clinton era. That is why our ships are going into drydock so much sonce Clinton has left. uIt is costing a lot to get waht we have in "ship shape" again. That is why Congress avoids the BB subject. The Navy would take them back in a flash. Just ask anyone that has seen these ships fight. We need them, but we all have our opinions.


Greg

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USS Wisconsin Pics.

Taken in 2000 homecoming.