Calling all Skipjack-class (SSN-585) fans!

[D-Boy]

The April Fine Scale Modeler rag has an ad for the USS Skipjack on Pg 8.
Skill level 3, availiable June 2012 at a SRP of $119.99.
I'll be getting at least one.
Thank you for all involved in this and Moebius Models!

Freetime Hobbies has this at pre-order pricing for $83.99: http://www.freetimehobbies.com/MOE-Skip.aspx

[DanCinSD]

Thanks for the info D-Boy.... I finally got mine on pre-order!

[stevegallacci]

I've got a test shot sample for a review build. The molding looks good, the inscribed lines may be a bit heavy for us who usually do 1/72 planes (think old Matchbox kits) but doesn't look out of place here. The basic assembly is viceless, needing only minor work to tidy up. The kit has the original five-blade prop, which goes together very nicely. I'm doing a progress build report on Hyperscale 's ship chat with photos and the review will appear in Internet modeler.
A question here for you guys, the kit has an inscribed waterline line, should that go away for the Skipjack, as it doesn't seem to be a color demarcation or other thingy?

[James Noblin]

Steve, I looked at the pictures you posted on Hyperscale and I believe the line you are asking about is where the color demarcation was for most of the Skipjacks when launched. To my knowledge none of the boats were in active service with the hull red that high up on the hull. So the line does look correct for as launched but I would fill it in and paint her as in service with the red/black transition at mid hull.

James

[stevegallacci]

That was my guess, and the kit instructions also show the midline red demarcation, but I thought it wise to ask, just in case. The kit is going along just fine, may have a first coat of paint by the end of the day.

[Tom Dougherty]

I would say fill in the inscribed water line mark with putty and smooth. There are a set of inscribed lines on the deck and sail which represent storage lockers, sail access panels, etc. The forward torpedo tubes also could be represented by inscribed lines. However, modern US submarine hulls (Skipjack on) are the pressure hull. Hence the last thing you would want would be an inscribed panel line on a pressure hull!

This is a common complaint with the Dragon Ohio class SSBN kits, that routinely have circumferential "Panel lines". Modern subs are built in sections, welded together (over a period of several days, to build the weld up to full hull thickness) and the weld bead is then ground down to within 1/16th of an inch of the hull, to insure good hydrodynamic properties, the painted (or covered with special sonar absorbing hull treatment). Nothing is visible in the way of panel lines. Would you want to go to sea in a submarine with grooves inscribed in its pressure hull???

Quick question- Does the model include ballast tank free flood vents on the bottom, as well as MSW openings?

[Tracy White]

Steve's a friend of mine and I saw most of the kit on Saturday. Yes to the flood vents; not 100% sure what the MSW openings are, but there were some staggered depressions closer to the mid-line of the hull that were to be covered with PE pieces I didn't see.

[Tom Dougherty]

not 100% sure what the MSW openings are

Main Sea Water openings. The openings through which seawater enters and exits the boat to cool the condensers, which return the secondary loop condensed (former) steam to the primary loop. There are also ASW (Auxiliary Sea Water Openings). These are usually fairly large, and covered with a grate.

[Tracy White]

If circular and closer to the mid point of the hull in height, then yes. There was some discussion of this as the "detail" inside was definitely impacted by mold design, but Steve said there was PE to cover that, which I didn't see.

[Tom Dougherty]

If circular and closer to the mid point of the hull in height, then yes.

Yep, that's where it should be!

[DanCinSD]

Moebius oh Moebius, where art thou??????? The wait is killin me!

[herrmill]

I heard from a very good source that they should be on their way to dealers in under 2 weeks.

David Merriman will be publishing his cabal reports on RC'ing the Skipjack shortly. Here are a few pics of his prototype at a recent sub gathering last month in Newport News, VA.

[herrmill]

Here you go, folks!

David just released some of his recent work on the fittings kit to whet your appetite.

Enjoy!

[herrmill]

A few more of David's work on the conversion kit. He plans to have the masters this weekend and then will start on the mast kit. Caswell will offer 2 kits for the Skipjack that David is developing that will cover both RC & static modeler markets:

The 'R/C conversion' fittings kit will be all the items needed to convert the kit to function as a practical r/c model submarine -- included in that fittings kit will be the foundations I showed last night to mount a torpedo weapon system if the customer desires.

I will develop a separate 'detailing' kit that will include refined masts, scopes and antennas, detailed door and deck hatches, main ballast vent flanges, cleats, mooring lines, figures, and other small parts to make a more presentable display piece.

Details can be found on http://www.sub-driver.com.

[aptivaboy]

Any chance we'll see some aftermarket stuff for late Skipjacks? I'm thinking of things they would have picked up late in their careers, like different mast and antenna arrangements, a towed array, and perhaps a late model prop. They reportedly lost the power prop by the late seventies or early eighties, which quieted them but also reduced their speed, reportedly.

Thanks,

Robert

[herrmill]

Contact David at Sub Driver.com & put in a request. He is going to start shortly on the mast kit & I am not sure who else is planning on aftermarket kits but if there is interest from enough, why not.

[Carter]

Do you have a link to the thread these pics were taken from?

I'd like to get a look at the Caswel Skipjack fittings kit for R/C conversion, as well as a thread showing the conversion.

Thanks!

[herrmill]

Here are more from yesterday's work.

David's too busy to post his usual cabal reports but has been sending me photos as he developed the fitting kit & runs production as he is now doing. The mast & detail kit comes next. Am sure he'll put one up on the Sub Drivers site once he's completed both kits but for now there is no conversion thread, just the details of either kit over on Sub-Driver. http://www.sub-driver.com.

[herrmill]

A few more photos of the fitting kit. More can be seen over on the RC Groups submarine forum.

[Carter]

Man-o-man. Dave really does great work!

A Skipjack landed here last week. I have it taped together and I have been looking it over. The detail is very impressive. I'd like to see a video of Dave Merriman going over the hull--sort of a guided tour--pointing out and describing the equipment represented in the model, as well as discussing some of the finer points of both the ship's design and the various issues and problems he solved getting everything represented correctly.

Some well-done photo etch parts come with the kit, but with the ballast tank vents and holes at the bottom, the variety of openings all over the hull, as well as hatches and deck equipment, there is potential for much much more. This is certianly the most detailed plastic 1/72 scale kit I've ever seen. While I am thinking of radio control at this scale (and size of ship) there is potential here to make a pretty amazing super-detailed static model I hope a modeler will someday build it up with a finely-detailed interior.