Calling all Oliver Hazard Perry-class FFG fans

[Timmy C]

That's the new Fire Scout unmanned helicopter. They've been deploying them on the FFGs for the last couple of years.

[sundowner]

Thanks for that, just shows how out of touch i am! Is that other structure do do with control of the Fire Scout?

[Timmy C]

Maybe - if it is, it's a more recent addition. Here is FFG 8 operating the Fire Scout in 2010 for the first time - the antenna in the location you circled is different: http://www.navy.mil/management/photodb/ ... 8E-513.jpg

[sundowner]

Here are so me more that I found of different arrangements.

[HvyCgn9]

The launchers were deleted so that the remaining stocks of SM-1s could go to other navies that still use the Perrys, like Turkey, Australia, etc. The American Perrys are being fitted with a bandstand on top of where the launcher used to be, and on top of the bandstand is a remote-controlled 25mm Bushmaster.

The guidance radar for the Standard missiles was removed - compare the section just in front of the 76mm gun in the following:
1997: http://www.navy.mil/management/photodb/ ... 8W-150.jpg
2012: http://www.navy.mil/management/photodb/ ... 79-006.jpg

The RAN FFG's have been upgraded to fire SM2 from what I have learned about our ships...plus they have upgrade sensors, ESSM's, etc.......

Cheers Bruce

[Raven]

Hello

Could You tell me the difference between the antenas

[Cliffy B]

I believe the one on the left (OE-82) is simply a newer version of the one of the right. I forget the designation of the right hand one but I've seen plenty of them on Cold War era ships and I think they were some of the first SATCOM antennae we used. They were replaced with the OE-82 sometime in the 1980's I think.

[ryu1940]

I believe that dome is for internet and phone lines. Some frigates that don't have that use an older system of internet and phone lines at sea. That dome is for ones with an upgrade. I was on a FFG for part of my time in the navy and that's what I remember. I maybe wrong but if my memory serves me correct that is what it was used for.

[sundowner]

For those that maybe wondering If I'm going to post my Perry in the Works in Progress Forum, I would love to but my Camera has been misplaced by one of my kids It is going well though some of the pieces had been damaged from the ejector pins. Right on the Bridge canopy which is a pain!

[Raverdave]

Looking for some close-up photos of the rigging.....can anyone help?

[Tracy White]

What are you considering close-up? Medium distance where you can see everything, or are you looking for the actual connections to the Yardarms, etc.?

Stuff like this?
http://www.navy.mil/view_image.asp?id=157719
http://www.navy.mil/view_image.asp?id=156038
http://www.navy.mil/view_image.asp?id=152229

Or like this? (Lower right corner)
http://www.navy.mil/view_image.asp?id=154177

I found all of those by searching the US Navy Image Galleries for "FFG."

[Willie]

Hi there Raverdave and all,

Looking for some close-up photos of the rigging.....can anyone help?

I have uploaded some pics of the rigging --with my idea of what a close up should be-- in the process of my own construction, in case you find them useful :

viewtopic.php?f=49&t=21745&start=40

Scroll down the whole page. American and Australian FFG�s have the same rigging arrangements, as far as I know.

Best regards from Spain,

Willie.

[Raverdave]

Great thanks everyone!

[Willie]

Hi all,

One more update on my F81 Santa Mar�a, which are the net frames on the flight deck.

This is what had to be done :

As you can see there are 11 frames per side, one of them, at the height of the HIFR, split in two to make easier and safer the handling of the refueling hoses.

I have tried millions of methods for this, and basically insisting on a hard frame with a soft net, made from lace, which seems the best solution. But no way : the frames have to be identical in the short distances, and the nets have to be firm so that they do not break during the continuous manipulation that they have to go through. I was not able to do it.

At last I considered this battle lost, and I reversed the process : hard net with soft frames, cutting a piece of PE with scissors (they cut incredibly well) to get identical parts :

Then I had to glue all the Evergreen frame sections on both sides of the PE :

The result of the whole process is a kind of sandwich of PE netting and Evergreen strips :

Once the frames were finished, I simply had to sand the borders, to make them look round :

I was able to make the whole lot without letting CA getting into the net holes, what would be painful to see, as of a careless job. I would lie if I told you that it was a a pleasant job, because it was quite boring, dirty, hateful and exasperating, but it is done, and it is the important thing.

So are things now :

That�s all for now. I hope you like it, and best regards to you all,

Willie.[/size]

[Tracy White]

Always good to see your work, Willie! At the risk of drawing out a hateful job, are you going to "sag" the nets at all?

[Willie]

Hi Tracy and all,

At the risk of drawing out a hateful job, are you going to "sag" the nets at all?

It would be great, but honestly, I have not the least idea how to do it. I think the PE is too hard for such little sections... Any suggestion ?

Best regards from this side,

Willie.

[Tracy White]

You might make one more segment as a test -if the brass is soft enough you can simply press down on it with a finger and it will stretch. What I'm not sure (this is why I suggest a test segment) is if the pulling from the sides will also pull it free from the frame. Stainless steel is too hard to do this with, but brass is softer, and some PE is soft enough that you can form sags with your fingers.

[Willie]

Hi all,

The problem of attaching the nets to the flight deck is an interesting one. All the elements should be placed in parallel, and I would not be able to do this using CA, so I thought that it would be a better solution to set a couple of plastic pieces in every frame, that will be useful for attaching the two "legs" of every frame as well. They are like this :

For the same reason I had to add two stripes on both sides of the hull, so that I can set in place every frame one by one with liquid poly, what will allow some minutes for making the necesary corrections. These elements are not in the original ships, but they will be virtually invisible when the process is finished.

I made the small auxiliary RHIB that is used for little reparations and paintjob of the hull:

I used a test one that I had done some months ago for the bigger RHIB these units are fitted with. I simply had to cut it to the suitable size.This was the process :

And these are the results :

The other piece in the picture is a rack for flammable stuff that goes on the main deck on the port side.

I hope you like it, and best regards,

Willie.[/size]

[Willie]

Hi again,

I have made as well the stabilizers that are aft the bilge keels. I don�t know where they are exactly, so I have placed them in an approximate position. I really enjoyed making them.

I have finished the handrails in the RHIB deck, something that gives the model much realism. They are placed in and out board, something that I cannot understand.

And I finished the SAT aerials as well :

Brgds,

Willie.[/size]

[Willie]

Hi once more :

And at last I got into the hull paint. For the Spanish Navy the best colour, as far as I know, is Humbrol Matt 64 . I paint with brush, thinning the paint to a proportion of 60-40%. It received four hands. The first one bad enough to get scared, the second, way better, the third one perfectly well :

The fourth one was simply to be sure that the job is well done, but I see no difference after the third one. I can see no brush marks nor shadows, and only a couple of dust specks that disappear in a general view of the hull. The drills in the hull are perfectly marked too :

The real adventure started with the numerals in the hull. For this 1/300 scale, the size are 17 x 9 mm. and 13 x 8 aft. As I am not very gifted with PC�s I made a template in paper, to dry brush the numerals.

I had to make some (many) tests using paint thinned in different proportions:

To paint this was not too easy, as I had to rest the stern in something solid without damaging the delicate peak that it has, and dry brush very softly so that the brush hair did not get under the template. It is not 100% perfect, but I didn�t want to tempt fate, and I preferred to finish the job with the fifth hand.

The borders are reasonably sharp anyhow when seen with natural light, not with strong light and macro.

Port and starboard numerals are made using the same process :

These ones are way easier to paint as the surface is easier to control as well.

This is the final product :

It is possible to add an additional touch, because the templates are framed with tape, and are tolerant to some extent.

I could be better, no doubt, but I can live with it.

Best regards from this side of the Atlantic,

Willie.[/size]