any 1/18 US Navy Carrier style diorama pieces out there?

[astronut1885]

Hey guys. I am getting my first 1/18, a JSI Tomcat, and I was wondering about any display accessories to really dress it up. I have a 1/72 collection, and the centerpiece is a catapult diorama from Dragon Wings that has a raised JBD and painted in cat with a VF-2 Tomcat sitting on it. I added some 1/72 flight crew I painted up along with 1/72 deck tractors and fire engines and it looks awesome. Do they have any stuff like that for 1/18? Honestly, I am handy with wood and I might consider scaling up the 1/72 diorama with plywood and such. It might not be EXACT, but it would look cool... I could probably turn some random GI Joes into deck crew and such with ease. Thanks for the info!

[tmanthegreat]

JSI was going to make some 1:18 flight deck crew and deck accessories, but that was back in late 2009/early 2010 that they announced that and we've seen nothing since. I assume that project was a no-go. I have seen members customize passable deck crew using some of the old S1 BBI Navy Seal figures and you could probably find some old GI Joe vehicle that could work for something.

[astronut1885]

I remember seeing the prototypes in the BBI teaser pics from that toy show. Damn they should have done it.

[Nugget]

Slightly off topic, but do you have any pics of that 1/72 diorama? It sounds awesome !

[astronut1885]

I will snap pics tomorrow after work. It's nothing museum quality, but I dig it...

[pickelhaube]

That pull tractor would be easy to do.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=18696&hilit=carrier+deck

[astronut1885]

And with minor modifications it could be re-done as a fire engine too. From what I read around here, Pickel, you seem to be the fabrication god of the forum, so all I can say is: If you build it, they will come! I'm sure there are plenty of guys on here who already dropped large sums of money on a JSI Tomcat and/or a BBI Hornet that would love some 1/18 diorama pieces like in those photos. How much do you think they would cost if you built them? You could probably sell a fire truck/ pull tractor combo pack and they'd fly off your shelves.


Damn, I never noticed the fire truck sitting right beside it in the pictures, it kinda blends in with the background and chair being white. Yeah, Pickel, I could see every JSI Tomcat owner on here flooding you with orders for those! Those figures look like they could easily be made from some basic BBI or GI Joe figures.

[DocTodd]

Those do look pretty cool. It adds a lot to the cat.

[granch]

Wow, PH, are these pieces 1/72? I really love the guys and the vehicle!

[pickelhaube]

Those do look pretty cool. It adds a lot to the cat.

No they are 1/18. Those pics are Merits' pics promoting the accouterments that were to go with their F-14.

But never did.

[astronut1885]

As promised, here are some pics of my 1/72 diorama setup. It's a much smaller version of what I had done at my previous apartment, all the jets and helos shown here were on display along with an EA-6b, A-6A, and F-14A Top Gun version that I had built. Since I am low on space, I shrunk the diorama down and used my favorites, then just displayed the rest on my dresser. The F-8 is a take-off configuration edition from Century wings with flaps extended and the wing riser is also poseable. The F-14D is a E-Hobby Dragon Wings exclusive from VF-2 Bounty Hunters. The two Super Hornets are also Dragon Wings, one is the regular release VFA-2 Bounty Hunters with nose number 101, the second is a E-Hobby exclusive with nose number 100, and that second superbug came with the carrier base piece with the raised JBD along with one of the fire trucks. The F/a-18Cs are Witty Wings for the Blue Diamonds bird with the flag/flame paint on the nose, and Air Command for the VMFA-232 Red Devils. I actually saw this squadron flying for the 3 months I lived on the outskirts of San Diego and right in MCAS Miramar's back yard. The A-1H Skyraider is a model kit I built that has battle damage details and is the only plane I built that I am proud enough of to display. The wings were not meant to fold but I cut them and actually used red paperclips to support it and give some kind of a hydraulic actuator look to the model, and I like the way it came out. All the figures were also hand painted from kit pieces along with the bigger fire truck. The Helos are a CH-46 Sea Knight from New Ray and a SH-60 SeaHawk from an unknown company. Both are close to 1/72 scale, I think one was listed as 1/60 and one 1/55, but that is the closest I can get for those. The background that isn't part of the small catapult base is printed from an online image.

Anyway, enjoy and let me know what you think!

[astronut1885]

Oh, and I am aware that at no time an F-8 Crusader and F/A-18F Super Hornet were ever on the same deck together, but it's kind of an all-star carrier assortment I also know that the boarding ladder and platform aren't accurate, but they don't have integrated boarding ladders on the 1/72 stuff and I wanted it to look like the air crews were gearing up for a mission.

[astronut1885]

I forgot the one in my living room, an F-14A from Dragon Wings in the 1976 U.S. Bicentennial celebration scheme. I bought this one because it was flown out of NAS Miramar back when it was Top Gun, and I was living right there in Fightertown USA.

[Nugget]

Wow, that is amazing! That battle damaged Skyraider is really neat, it came out really well. I think once I get a summer job I'll have to get myself some 1/72 planes and carrier figures . Thanks for those pics!