Trumpeter 1/350 USS Nimitz By Gary Meinert

Overview

The U.S. Navy's first nuclear powered aircraft carrier, USS Enterprise (commissioned in 1961), was a pioneer that demonstrated the many advantages of nuclear propulsion. Mainly for cost considerations, the next two carriers were conventionally powered. It was not until 1975 that the Navy commissioned the first in a class of new nuclear propelled carriers, the USS Nimitz. Named after the famous admiral who commanded the Central Pacific Theater in WWII, the Nimitz featured many improvements over the Enterprise. Since only two reactors were needed by the Nimitz (compared to eight in the Enterprise), considerable internal space was freed up for munitions, aviation fuel, and other stores.

The Kit

Trumpeter has made a big splash in recent years with its 1/350 WWI Hornet and Essex aircraft carriers. Now Trumpeter tackles a modern carrier with the release of the USS Nimitz. It will be a giant project indeed for the naval modeler, as there are 962 parts plus the lower hull, upper hull, and waterline plate. This gives the option of building a full hull or waterline model. A stand is also provided. The kit is enclosed in a sturdy box with bubble wrap bands and cardboard inserts, as well as separate plastic bags for the part trees. My overall impression is that the parts are crisply molded with excellent detail--just what I would expect from a top tier model company. A quick dry fit of the lower hull(molded in red plastic) to the upper hull reveals a good fit . Metal plates and screws are provided to keep the upper hull rigid and in proper alignment. I noticed numerous ejector pin marks on the underside of the catwalks. I think that the tie-down wells and catapault tracks are a bit too large and too deep, but they should look OK after painting. The directions are clear and easy to follow, and a full-color painting guide is included.

Options

Other options include retracted or raised jet blast deflectors, positionable elevators, and open or closed hangar deck openings. You can leave off the hangar doors to reveal the interior hangar deck (detailed with tie-down wells) but there is nothing else--no internal walls or ceiling. This will pose a major problem for those who like detailed hangar decks. Trumpeter also includes "rope" (actually string) to use in constructing the optional barricade and for use in making the arresting cables, which loop through pre-drilled holes in the aft flight deck. Very thin wire or nylon thread might give a more realistic scale appearance for the cables.

1975 CONFIGURATION

Trumpeter has produced the Nimitz as it looked upon commissioning in 1975. Starting in the mid-1980s, noticeable changes were made, including the addition of three Phalanx 20 mm gun mounts on new sponsons, and the replacement of the Mk 25 Sea Sparrow launcher boxes with more advanced Mk 29 units. It is likely that Trumpeter will eventually release a later version of the Nimitz or some other ship in the class. The second ship of the class, USS Eisenhower, was delivered in almost the same configuration as the Nimitz. It is possible to build the Eisenhower from this kit by simply omitting the port bow and angled deck catapault overruns (of course, you would still need decals for the Eisenhower and its air group).

Aircraft

The kit's 22 aircraft are packed in a separate box and include an assortment of F-4J, A-7E, A-6E, S-3A, and EA-3B jets. There is also a one SH-3 Helicopter, one E-2C, and one RA-5C. Each aircraft is a mini kit by itself, consisting of multiple gray parts with black landing gear and clear canopies. The SH-3 is molded in clear plastic with black rotors and landing gear. All aircraft can be assembled with wings either folded or extended (rotors folded or extended in the case of the helicopter). Note that if the aircraft are positioned for flight operations, the deck edge antennae should be installed down-not up as per the kit instructions. The aircraft are accurate and well detailed for their scale, but have recessed panel lines which are simply too large in 1/350 scale. If extra aircraft are wanted, they are available for purchase in separate sets.

Decals

A comprehensive decal sheet (printed by Cartograph) is included for the ship's markings, most of which are for the flight deck. The various deck stripe markings are lightly engraved into the flight deck, so you will know exactly where to place these decals. A separate decal sheet contains makings for the aircraft, but not all squadrons in the air wing are represented here. Hopefully, more aircraft markings will be available from the aftermarket companies.

Conclusion

I am pleased to see the release of this subject as a plastic kit. The 38-inch-long Trumpeter Nimitz, with its single piece molded hull, is an impressive product of modern plastic engineering. The inevitable aftermarket photo-etch sets for railings, saftety nets, radars, etc. will allow the builder to dress up an already good model and create a maritime masterpiece.