Postwar navy.

[Mastercaster]

Why did they remove the deck structure on the South Carolina and not the California? Was the structure the ASROC reloading station?

[kidcurrie42]

John, there is no reason that you cannot build her as USS South Carolina, She had the ASROC launcher and magazine/handling area during Desert Storm, eventually losing it during refueling and NTU upgrade.

Happy Modeling

John

[Nektarios]

My JAG Belknap class kit is finally finished.

Here is my USS Josephus Daniels CG-27 circa 1992.

Fantastic model Carl. I hope mine will look half as beautiful as yours when finished.

[Nektarios]

Why did they remove the deck structure on the South Carolina and not the California? Was the structure the ASROC reloading station?

It was indeed the reloading station for ASROC and it was useless after the removal of the launcher. I guess that not removing the deck structure on California had to do with lack of money or due to the fact that both ships were to be deactivated very soon. Seeing this conversion makes me ask myself if it would be possible to fit a 64 cell VLS where the deck structure used to be.

[J Goodacre]

John, there is no reason that you cannot build her as USS South Carolina, She had the ASROC launcher and magazine/handling area during Desert Storm, eventually losing it during refueling and NTU upgrade.

Happy Modeling

John

I added the CWIS platforms already, finding a descent picture is difficult. I start looking through the various normal sites like navsource and navysite and found this http://www.navysite.de/cg/cgn37_2.jpg. It looks like that the California class will be the South Carolina.

Thanks,

John

[Sauragnmon]

Alright, it's been a little quiet, and I figured I'd take a break between aircraft projects for a moment. So here's my latest piece - the Project 956M Sovremenny II. Enclosed launchers, enclosed torpedo tubes with retracting door, VLS for Shtil SAM including enhanced number. I'll move the salute guns to the forward 630 positions, since I'm going to modify the aft positions for Kashtans. I'm considering modifying the aft radar setup for a Hot Flash dome, but I digress.

So far, I've got the hull and decks done for the most part - I'll have to come back and add some louvres around the launcher area for blast ventilation. Anyways, enough yapping, pictures!





As always, questions comments queries and rude remarks are welcome, appreciated, and invited.

[Tom@JAG]

John, What do you need pics of on the CA, SC ? I think I have what you need, I just need to know which areas to send your way. It pays to have friends in low places

[J Goodacre]

John, What do you need pics of on the CA, SC ? I think I have what you need, I just need to know which areas to send your way. It pays to have friends in low places

Tom,

Thank you for the offer, the main area of interest is reloading station for ASROC and the launcher. Then the area between the two super structrures. I truely would like to build the South Carolina. I have the upgrade portion from JAG already installed so the time frame would be early 90s.

Any help would be appreciated,

Thank you

John

[Sauragnmon]

Alright, plodding right along, I've been working on it more. I got the guns down, the forward launchers detailed a little more, more paintwork, progress and such. Not sure on the helipad lines in neutral gray, I'll probably pick them out with something lighter. Kashtans courtesy of a DML Peter the Great kit, etc. Pics!



As always - questions, comments, queries and rude remarks are welcome, invited, and appreciated.

[Nektarios]

Alright, plodding right along, I've been working on it more. I got the guns down, the forward launchers detailed a little more, more paintwork, progress and such. Not sure on the helipad lines in neutral gray, I'll probably pick them out with something lighter. Kashtans courtesy of a DML Peter the Great kit, etc. Pics!
As always - questions, comments, queries and rude remarks are welcome, invited, and appreciated.

Looking great as always Simon.

[GTDEATH13]

Alright, plodding right along, I've been working on it more. I got the guns down, the forward launchers detailed a little more, more paintwork, progress and such. Not sure on the helipad lines in neutral gray, I'll probably pick them out with something lighter. Kashtans courtesy of a DML Peter the Great kit, etc. Pics!



As always - questions, comments, queries and rude remarks are welcome, invited, and appreciated.

Lovely Simon... Carry on...

P.S. I am working on it, we may be lucky with the casting...

[Sauragnmon]

Thankyou, gents, for the words as always. I've been working more, got the faces on the new launchers, some of the radar and ECM sets are down, worked on the mast, etc. No pics yet, I'll show when I get further along, as this is getting into the detailing section.

Nikos - I made a study of it, and just on a hint tested an AK-76 with the new barrel, looks pretty promising. I have a feeling I might want to use the bigger AK-100's for something a little... beefier. They should be pretty big turrets, and it might be a very interesting idea all together, I just need to find suitable looking barrels once I get the turrets. I don't think an 8" would do the 1/350 AK100's proper justice for the scale. I'll know better once the turrets arrive. Thanks for the help though.

[Tom@JAG]

John, I will e-mail you the USS California pics Monday morning. I've got to send them to the office from home first. I'll send what I have in your area of interest. Not sure it will really help you, but it's the best I can come up with. Wish we had these when we made the kit. We didn't get photos of the California or Arkansas until both kits were finished and on the market.

[J Goodacre]

Tom,

Thanks, you should be getting an email with an order form from me for some little things. I was also able to find some other pics online and I had some spare time this weekend to build pics, below. I finally dcided to make it the South Carolina. I still have many things to do with her, but it was a great weekend.

[Sauragnmon]

Continuing on the plodding along, another update on the Sovremenny II. More paintwork, more detailing. Some of the life rafts are on, most of the Fire Control and ECM sets are in place. Base for the Top Plate is on, and the Kashtans are finished. I also took my first try at a brass mast - I was unsatisfied with the original plastic mast, so I took a whack at one of the brass masts in the kit - nine pieces to build it, but it looks good I think. I didn't add the extra fiddly bits, satisfied with the austere basic of the mast itself. Anyways, pics!





As always - questions, comments, queries and rude remarks are not only welcome, but invited and appreciated.

[Timmy C]

Is that a Horizontal Launch System?

[Sauragnmon]

not entirely horizontal, since it's at an angle, but yes. Basically it's where the Moskit tubes used to be, I actually used the bases for the moskits as part of that - I just puttied over them to enclose the launchers and reduce RCS by removing the rounded edges, and then fitted new launcher faces to those, since if I recall, the Brahmos/Oniks are smaller than the Moskit, and would improve the capacity. I also enclosed the blast deflector area, and have it vented out through the louvres on the side, as the curve of the blast deflector would have a high RCS return. Similarly, I enclosed the deck where the torpedo launchers were, and gave it fixed tubes, which would allow it to use SS-N-15's for ASW, improving the capacity there. I had intended to facet the AK-130 guns, but got ahead of myself when I mounted them in place, to reduce the returns off those.

[Neptune]

Yes Yakhont is smaller, but not THAT much... Theoretically on a Nanuchka they replaced the triple launchers for Malakhit with a 6 cell launcher for Yakhont. Although I never saw the racks fully loaded with missiles, one or two was more common for testing. That said, I think 8 cell Yakhonts would fit in place of the quadruple Moskits, but I doubt anything more could be fitted in that place.
Technically speaking, except for these horizontal launchers, I think your plan would actually be feasable. Given the amount of missiles stored below the single arm launchers, I think going horizontal and less protrusion vertical would be possible. Add to it that the Kashtans are mounted in that place on the Chinese Sovs and of course the Ak-130s are also present on the regular Sovs.

[Sauragnmon]

Eight cells in place of the Moskits, there's about nine there, three by three, in place of the moskits - there was space that bled over from the structure for the other three. The cells are a little bigger than the Mk41 by comparison, and have length comparable to a little longer than the Moskit to fit the round into. I figured dimensions were roughly similar to TLAM for diameter, give or take.

Kashtans were inspired by the 956EM, and the VLS is actually a little higher than the original rotary launchers for the Shtil missiles, and they've got a VLS for the missile itself - China fields a version of that on one of their frigates. AK-130's are in the original mounting, I tried to keep it for the most part plausible.

I knew to expect your criticism in time, Roel, and it's very appreciated.

[Nektarios]

Tom,

Thanks, you should be getting an email with an order form from me for some little things. I was also able to find some other pics online and I had some spare time this weekend to build pics, below. I finally decided to make it the South Carolina. I still have many things to do with her, but it was a great weekend.

Another great ship from you John. Keep up the good work.