Trumpeter 1/350 USS Nimitz Converted to USS Carl Vinson build photos. These are the build photos of the website banner ship. I used Gold Medal Models and White Ensign photo etch sets for the ship, Tom’s Modelworks photo etch sets for the 86 aircraft, Veteran Model’s weapons for the ship, Black Dog resin deck tractor set, Shapeways 3-D printed accessories from BaconFist, over 500 feet of fiber optics, 40 LED’s, EZ-line for rigging, Model Master paints, Gold Medal Model’s ship decal set, and bags of Evergreen styrene stock in this build.
For more information on adding lighting to your model ship see my post in Tips and Tricks section. Lighting Model Ships
Need Hangar Bay decals for your 1/350 US Navy modern carrier build? Check out my decal section. Modern Carrier Hangar Bay Decals
You can see all the final professionally taken photos in the Gallery section USS Carl Vinson Project
Start of build
Port CIWS Sponson
Port CIWS Sponson view
Port CIWS Sponson top
Stern CIWS sponson
Aft port sponson
Aft port sponson view 2
Aft port sponson top view
Starboard sponson extension
Starboard sponson extension view 2
Stern holes for fiber optics
Stern details
Stern details view 2
Stern details view 3
Stern landing lights
Stern light check
Stern light details
Boarding ladder
Forward hangar bay 1
Hangar bay 1 port wall
Hangar bay 1 building
Forward tunnel light check
Fiber optics for forward tunnel
Hangar bay 2 port wall
Hangar bay 2 port wall
Hangar bay forward fire doors
Hangar bay aft fire doors
Hangar bay 2 port wall completed
Forward fire doors
Hangar bays 1 and 2
Hangar bay 2 view from elevator door
Hangar bay 3
Hangar bay 3 view 2
Hangar bay 3 View 3
Hangar bay 2 starboard side wall
Hangar bay 2 starboard wall view 2
Hangar bay 1 starboard wall
Hangar bay 1 starboard wall View 2
Hangar bay 2 starboard wall view
Hangar bay 1 conflag station
Hangar bay 3 upper deck
Hangar bay decals in work
Hangar bay decals in work
Hangar elevator door decals
Hangar fire door decals
More hangar decals
More hangar decals wide view
More hangar decals view 2
3-D printed elevator doorway
Hangar bay 3 decals
Forward tunnel lights
Forward tunnel lights close up
Hangar bay 3 conflag station
Hangar bay 2 conflag station
Adding weapons elevator markings
Hangar bay view looking aft
Hangar deck details
Hangar deck markings
Aft hangar deck markings
View thru elevator doorway
Hangar deck top view
Fresnel Landing Lights
Fresnel landing light check
Fresnel landing light check view 2
Starting flight deck fiber optics
Top view of flight deck fiber optics
Flight deck fiber optics close up
Holse drilled for fiber optics
More fiber optics.
Fiber optics glued down
Fiber optic bundles
Flight deck fiber optic completed
Flight deck light check
Flight deck light check looking forward
Flight deck light check bow
Hangar bay 3 light check
Hangar bay 3 light check view 2
Hangar bay 2 light check
Hangar bay 1 light check
Hangar bay lighting placement
Kit deck tractors
Flight deck stripes painted
Painting flight deck stripes
Kit deck tractor details
Kit deck tractor
Captains launch details
Captains launch
Island lighting started
Island number hole drilled
Fiber optic island light check
Fiber optics for island numbers
Holes drilled for fiber optics
Island deck modification
Island lights being added
Island numbers completed
Island numbers completed view 2
Island numbers completed view 3
Island painted light check
Island light check details
Island numbers completed
Island lighting all decks
Island aft view
Island forward view
Routing of fiber optics
Aircraft decals sheet 1
Aircraft decals sheet 2
A-7 being detailed
A-7 decals
A-7 staged in hangar bay 2
Top view hangar bay 2
Light check hangar bay 2
Hangar bay 3 with F-14’s
F-14 details
F-14 assembly line
F-14 decals
VF-111 F-14
Hangar bay 2 and 3 top view
Hangar bay 3 elevator view
Hangar bay 3 elevator view light check
Hangar bay 2 looking aft
SH-3 Helo with ref photo
Sh-3 helo details
Sh-3 helos in hangar bay 1
S-3 being detailed
Hangar bay 1 and 2 top view
VS-29 decals added
Hangar bay 1 light check
VAQ-134 details
VA-52 A-6E details
A-6E with tow bar
E-2C VAW-114 being built
Hangar bay one filling fast
Hangar bay 1 top view
Flight deck installed
Island and flight deck light check
Adding flight deck safety nets
Flight deck catwalk details
Catwalk starirs added
Port aft catwalk details
Stern flight deck safety net
Adding CIWS units
Stern CIWS added
Crane details
Catwalk details starboard
Starboard forward CIWS details
Elevator safety stripes
Coloring deck padeyes
Deck padeye details
Flight deck decals added
Elevators detailed and painted
Hose reels being built
Arresting cables and weathering
Flight deck weathered
Island details being added
Island rigging with EZ-Line
Radar tower being built
Whip antenna and forward weather pole
Radar tower – Kit location
Radar tower corrected location
Light check side view
Light check aft view
Sponson light check
Awaiting aircraft for flight deck
3-D printed Tilley Crane
Tilley Crane detailed, rigged and painted
Tilley crane details
Tilley crane completed
Tilley crane on deck
Black Dog resin deck tractors
Resin deck tractor details
Resin deck tractors completed
Adding deck tractors and aircraft
SH-3 helo on deck
VA-105 and VA-37 A-7E
A-7 details
A-7’s on teh bow
Brass nameplate
Final light check
Installed in display case
Case cover removed for photos
And it is now featured in the IPMA magazine!
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Nice work, well done!!
Thank you!
This is amazing! The detail is incredible! I was stationed on the Vinson with HS-8(CAG 9)for the 2004 World Cruise and ships company from 2009-2012. Was onboard during the Haiti humanitarian mission (2010 Southern Seas Deployment) and burial at sea for Osama Bin Ladin (2011 Deployment). Would love to have one of these one day!
Thank You!