Calling all USS Seawolf SSN-575 (the other nuclear Seawolf) fans

[Tom Dougherty]

Seawolf SSN 575 prototype model. Using newly uncovered details about the stern design; different from Nautilus. Iron Shipwrights kit, 1/350 resin hull and 3-D printed parts.

[CC Clarke]

My first set of Seawolf hulls, (original and modified) ready for detailing. I leave a few inches on my bases to protect the bow and (very delicate) stern from accidentally making contact with anything before an acrylic cover is installed. The open spaces on the ends are great places to bond challenge coins or place ship's patch decals too.

[Nino]

That's a Great Collection.
Love SSN-575. Wish we knew more about her operations.
Thanks for posting.

[CC Clarke]

Thanks!

A lot has happened since that picture was posted. I'm in the process of painting upgraded sails for both the commissioning and Special Projects versions.

The sails are in two-parts to allow the bridge interior to be painted white and a separate, black-painted bridge deck and lower viewport level to be installed afterwards, since there is no way to effectively get a brush into such a tight space.

The bridge also has a splash bulkhead included as well as clear resin viewports. The resin viewports are covered with Kapton tape inside the bridge and the clear resin is applied from the exterior and cured with a UV wand. The only sanding needed is on the exterior followed by masking, priming, and painting.

Each sail version gets a full set of masts and antennas for each time period. I've been taking WIP pictures during this upgrade and will post the set when the custom waterslide decals and overcoat are applied.

[CC Clarke]

Since that batch was delivered, I went back to the drawing board and made a number of modifications to each of the sail versions, (original and post-conversion version) to make them easier to produce and provide interior supports for masts and antennas. The original version received an accurate set of masts and antennas, and both versions have clear bridge windows with white bridge interiors.

The final boat from the original batch that was awaiting the updated sail and topside paint was shipped out last week in a new shipping container I came up with and arrived in its new owner's hands unscathed!

As soon as I modify the Seawolf's 3D files to incorporate numerous updates and lock them down, I'm off to the next set of boat designs - the Skipjack and George Washington class, which have a few external similarities, so there won't be as much modeling required. I get asked for 598 hulls more than any other, so I have a line of submariners waiting, which is never a good thing.