The Ship Model Forum

With FRUNZE heading for completion in 2018 I've decided to build some escorts to go with her.

Back in 2007-2008 I built the Krivak I class frigate STOROZHEVOY. It was my first serious attempt at building a 1:72 scale model warship. I enjoyed it so much that I've decided to do another one. Not to mention needing something smaller and easier to handle than a Kirov and which doesn't require me to hire a van every time I want to go for a sail.......

I really like the Krivak class. They're sleek, fast, good looking ships that punch well above their tonnage in terms of weapons and sensor fit out.

The ship I've chosen to build is the BEZZAVETNYY (811). This particular Krivak made a name for herself in February 1988 when she intentionally rammed the Ticonderoga class cruiser USS YORKTOWN (CG-48) in the Black Sea in one of the more notorious incidents at sea in the Cold War. Apparently the Soviets were a bit grumpy that the USN were in their territorial waters so they sent her out to show them what's what. Like everything these days it's on YouTube and you can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SME4w037FgA.

Here's where she's at. A hull (by Allan Pew), a pair of motors (from Michael Brown) and a plan. Allan is also providing some of his excellent cast fittings. The build will be conventional using my tried and tested method but with the added benefit of 3D printing for the fitout.

Over the last couple of weeks I've had a lot of fun kicking off BEZZAVETNYY's build. Photos below. The jobs completed so far include:

1. Marking out and drilling all of the 2 and 3 Deck portholes;
2. Installing the running gear including sterntubes, 'A' brackets, shafts, propellers and rudder. The running gear is from George Sitek in the UK. I really like it, have got a similar (albeit larger) set for the Kara;
3. Marking out, making and fitting the bilge keels and stabiliser fins;
4. Making and fitting transverse and longitudinal hull braces; and
5. Marking and cutting out the main deck sections.

Working with bog is always fun. As usual, I managed to mix up far more than I could use before it cured and got more of it on me than I did inside the hull.

Currently I'm waiting on the shaft couplings to arrive. Then I'll design and 3D print a pair of mountings for the main motors which will be fitted and the motors coupled to the shafts. After that, I'll finalise the internal hull layout for the batteries, rudder servo and RC gear and mount it all up.

Then I'll do a general clean up, the decks will be fitted and sealed in place and I'll start building the styrene superstructure.

Also had a bit of fun today laying out some of the 1:72 scale kit supplied by Allan on the main deck, which will be supplemented by 3D prints when it comes to fitting out time.

I'm enjoying this build a lot. Can't wait to get her into the water for a test run.

Today I took BEZZAVETNYY out for a test run on Lake Ginninderra to prove the propulsion, steering and RC system setup in real time conditions. I'm happy to say that she ran beautifully and I enjoyed seeing how she handles. It's always a nice payoff when, typically after a lot of work and expense, you get a new build to the point where you can sail. Albeit without any superstructure.

One of the things I love about ships with bulbous bows is the way the water rides up and over the bulb, then cascades down the other side. It always amazes me just how similar our 1:72 scale ships are to the 1:1 scale versions in terms of hull hydrodynamics and performance. The Krivak class in particular have a really nice bow wave at speed. Like many models she is massively overpowered and only needs a fraction of the available power to cruise at 30 knots in scale speed. But you're always better off having too much power rather than not enough.

I had a bit of a play with ballasting today as well. She's riding a little bit high in the water, but will set this up properly once I've built the main superstructure blocks.

Now that I've proven the propulsion and steering setup, I can now move ahead with finishing off the hull interior, attaching the main deck pieces permanently to the hull, waterproofing everything and then commencing the superstructure build and fit out.

Looks good Carl. I look forward to a run with you one day.

_________________
Building
1/72 Admiral Kuznetsov
1/72 Frunze Russian Battle cruiser
1/72 Steregushchy-class corvette

Mick
Tumut Australia

HI Ozpirate I have sent you a pm an carl your build is lookin good

chris

Here are some current photos. Building model ships is a great hobby for the time of year when it gets too dark and too cold too soon after work to do much else in the evenings. We're well into the Canberra winter and I'm already looking forward to the warmer spring and summer months.

Fortunately, BEZZAVETNYY is much smaller than FRUNZE. She fits nicely onto my dining room table without also taking up the majority of my living space. The Kirov was a great project, but I must admit I am loving working on a ship that's smaller, easier to handle and far less complicated.

Over the last couple of weeks I've completed all woodwork on the main deck and AX and waterproofed it with resin. Also been preparing the hull for the next major phase of the build, which is superstructure construction. I always enjoy this part of the build process the most. Methodically analysing the plans and photos followed by measuring, cutting and fitting the styrene superstructure piece by piece with a good movie, some music or a podcast in the background sends me to my happy place. It's during this time that she starts to take on her basic form and you get a sense of what she'll ultimately become.

The Krivak 1 design has 6 seperate structures on the main deck. They're all different shapes and sizes designed for very specific purposes. I'm working from the stern to the bow getting these major building blocks in place, over which the rest of the finer detail will be added. For this build I'm doing things slightly differently by adding in 3D printed structural elements into the styrene superstructure, which is something I haven't done before. It works quite well though.

I've also started adding some of Allan's beautiful fittings including the AX capstans and bollards, aft gun turrets, SA-N-4 ASM launcher and the twin quad heavyweight torpedo tube mounts, which include a 3D printed mount underneath.

Even though I've built one of these ships previously, the build is still challenging me every step of the way. I've really had to think about things a lot and do just as much planning. As usual I don't always get it right and I've had to back track and do some re-work. But it's good fun all the same.

Here are some current photos. The foundation blocks of the superstructure are all complete and in place and ready for additional decks/structures, fittings and detailing to be added. These are made primarily from styrene, but with some 3D printed sections included, particularly parts that have circles, arcs or semicircles.

Have also had some fun designing the CAD models for and 3D printing the massive bow mounted SS-N-14 quad launcher and structures on the forecastle. Getting successful 3D prints for these was quite a challenge but the effort paid off, they've come up nicely. Taking time and being patient with the CAD models results in better 3D prints and it's always well worth the effort.

I've also steadily been making up and mounting Allan's kits for the SA-N-4 launchers, RBU-6000's, 533mm torpedo tube quad mounts, 76mm gun turrets and have also added in the capstans and bollards and a couple of ladders and doors. I love it when a project gets to this stage where she really starts to look like a warship.

Most of the ship's major weapons are now fitted. I'm always amazed that the Krivak's designers managed to squeeze so much firepower into a comparatively compact design. Well, it's compact compared to a Kirov, as the shots with FRUNZE in the background show.

Still have a lot of superstructure construction to do, particularly over that gaping midships hole. This will be the focus for the next stage of the build, as well as adding detail as opportunities present.

Here are some photos taken tonight. The superstructure has been built up to 02 Deck level. From there up it's all masts and sensors. Now that the bones of the primary superstructure are complete I can move into the long process of adding secondary structures and all of the finer details.

This model really is challenging me every step of the way. Any hope I had that this would be a 'quick and easy' build because I'd previously built STOROZHEVOY are well and truly dashed!!

A couple of tips for people new to the hobby that may be following this blog:

1. Measure and mark out your jobs very carefully. Check the measurements. Then check them again. And once more. Probably one last time to be sure before you even think about going for the knife and glue. Because then you'll avoid the mistake I made with this ship the other night, where I built the entire 01 Deck structure behind the bridge about 20mm too narrow because I didn't measure and check properly before I dived in and started building. I didn't realise the mistake until after it was all finished. There was nothing I could do to disguise this glaring oversight and thus had no choice but to get the Dremel out, cut it all out and start again. It's fixed now but it was a set back and lots of re-work that could have been avoided if I'd paid a bit more attention to what I was doing.

2. Don't be too concerned if, after you've built fresh superstructure, it looks a bit odd from certain perspectives or angles. As long as you've been faithful to the plans and reference material, checked your measurements and work as you went and ensured everything has been correctly aligned, all will be well in the end. Remember that all warships (possibly apart from the USS ZUMWALT) have a lot of kit on them. It's always surprising to see how things come together and what the finished product looks like. So hold your nerve and keep progressing.

Cheers

HI Carl a very nice build im really enjoyin following it AN Is there any chance of you putting a bit bigger pictures on here as its a job to see the detail. An im building HMS TIGER REFIT on here an the big rukkie ship in the background in your pics is that build on here ?
chris

Hi Chris, thanks. Yes my Kirov build is on here at: viewtopic.php?f=13&t=154890

It's also on the Task Force 72 forum 'Projects' page too.

Hi everyone. Been a while since I've posted an update.

Thanks to the combined onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and Canberra's weather getting increasingly colder over the last few weeks, it's been a perfect excuse to stay home and do some model building.

I'm making steady progress on the Krivak. After rebuilding the bridge for the third time I've switched to doing CAD designs and 3D printed fittings for the superstructure and am slowly adding detail piece by piece.

This is always quite a process and a real challenge, particularly when relying almost exclusively on surveillance photos taken of Krivak frigates at sea during the Cold War. It's frequently hard to work out what's what in a photo taken by someone hanging out of a helicopter above a ship from a distance, particularly when the Soviets never quite believed in the concept of Configuration Management and every one of the 30+ Krivaks was different. This was a challenge when I was at the same stage with FRUNZE in 2017/2018 but it's proving even more so with this model.

That said - it's hugely enjoyable and a nice way stay occupied at this very weird time. She's coming together nicely and it's always exciting when a model starts to look 'real'.

Photos below. Still got lots to add on the superstructure blocks before kicking off the masts and radars. Hope to have her finished later this year but we'll see how we go.

Any updates on this project?