Time for a good weekend post.
Here is the Sierra class. Haven't really sorted through it yet, looks like they are slightly mixed Sierra I and Sierra II (with SOKS again).
Here you can see the communication device on top. It's mounted inside the two doors on the back. Same device can be found on some Delta class as well as the Akula class (also behind the sail in a double door). Works like a paravane, goes up and stays just below the surface on a wire. As you can see it has a bent-down antenna which is raised to just above the surface to communicate while staying submerged.
The doors for that device on the back.
View of the forward part, note the two half-submerged drop shaped SOKS sensors, one on both sides just in front of the sail (only half of it is visible on the pics).
Hatches on the conning tower:
Sail hatches from different view point:
Placement of escape pod, a similar pod is mounted in Alfa, Akula, Oscar etc.
Note the "odd" shape of the shape on the bottom of the aft side of the sail.
SOKS mounted on Sierra II, she has a notably more blunt sail shape.
Unfortunately no prop on these pics.
And her strange creeper arrangement. I'm still wondering why they did it like that and not like on the Akula with fully retractable pods. No real indication what was most efficient since there are no real follow-on classes to these subs yet. On Severodvinsk it is still unknown what her creeper arrangement is, I'd bet on retractable azipods (like Typhoon class).
Hidden behind the canvas aft of these creepers are the scoops for the cooling water.
Note this is a Sierra II, but SOKS is removed (you can see the footprint) from the sail.
Fuller view of the bow:
Sierra III was planned and reportedly under construction when USSR collapsed, she was supposed to have the Mars spherical bow array with midship torpedo tubes, much like the Severodvinsk today. There were several under construction, but none completed.
Are there any good models of Sierra's around already?
Viper,
I've checked Patricio's Victor again and indeed those ballast vents are slightly oversized in height. I guess it could be solved with some nice (non-existent I guess) PE hatches for those vents. Not sure if making them wider would make it more realistic? Perhaps overall they become too big then? Or are they slightly too narrow in the kit?
All of these pics were actually posted on Airbase.ru, but they're scattered all around. In order to find thing I'm looking for, occasionally I stumble upon some interesting ones. It's surprising with what easy one can find nice pics of all this equipment, while searching for anything Royal Navy, old and new appears to be much harder up till now. I guess one just has to be lucky and find a treasure!
