Man fulfills dream building a 23-foot USS Nimitz with 32 planes and a working catapult system

Inspired by The Final Countdown, one builder has recreated the USS Nimitz with radio-controlled planes, turning a childhood movie dream into a floating reality.

The 1980 cult classic left a deep mark on aviation fans with its mix of Cold War tension and real US Navy hardware.

Its carrier scenes, filled with F-14 launches and deck drama, remain unforgettable decades later.

For one dedicated creator, those moments became the blueprint for an ambitious real-world project.

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The USS Nimitz is an actual aircraft carrier

At the heart of The Final Countdown was the USS Nimitz itself, portrayed as both a technological marvel and a dramatic centerpiece.

Filming took place on the actual aircraft carrier, long before digital effects took over blockbuster filmmaking.

For many viewers, it sparked a fascination with flight decks, catapults, and the controlled chaos of naval air operations.

While most people don’t do anything with this fascination, YouTuber Julius Perdana isn’t your average person.

He decided to satisfy his obsession with the USS Nimitz; he needed to create a massive radio-controlled aircraft carrier model.

He spent years designing and refining a scaled-down Nimitz-class deck that goes far beyond visual accuracy.

The island structure, deck markings, elevators, and safety nets are all carefully reproduced.

More impressively, the carrier is fully operational on the water.

This isn’t just a static showpiece

The model features working catapult systems and arresting gear capable of launching and recovering radio-controlled planes.

Planes accelerate down the deck, lift off cleanly, and later return for arrested landings that demand precise piloting.

Even at scale, timing, wind, and approach angles make a real difference.

The aircraft are purpose-built for carrier duty.

Scaled fighter jets wear liveries inspired by the movie, and are tuned for low-speed stability and short takeoff runs.

Their performance highlights how challenging carrier aviation is, even when the deck is measured in feet instead of hundreds of meters.

Projects like this show how a single movie can inspire decades of creativity and technical problem-solving.

In an age dominated by CGI, seeing real machines perform real tasks feels especially rewarding.

If you want to see the full process of building this impressive scale model, you can do so here:

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