FRUNZE - 1:72 scale Soviet Navy Kirov Class CGN

[CarlLinkenbagh]

One question? why are you using the scrap steel as ballast??

For one very good reason Bruce. It was free!!!

[Ticonderoga]

Looking pretty good Carl

Andrew

[CarlLinkenbagh]

Hi everyone, it's been a while since I've posted an update.

I've steadily been working away on the ship when time has allowed. I've had to back track to correct some mistakes and do some rebuilding, but I'm currently focused on the fit out and finishing off the last superstructure sections. She's well and truly on the road to completion. Recently I've gotten on the 3D printing train and have taught myself 3D CAD modelling, purchased a 3D printer and have been developing prototypes of the ship's fittings. This has proved a challenge but a very enjoyable one and well worth the effort and expense. As the fit out proceeds I'll produce the final prints of everything, glue it all in place, then I'll move into final painting and finishing.

She's coming along nicely and is starting to look like a Kirov. I'm really enjoying the build.

[Ticonderoga]

Looking good there Carl Good to see more 3D printing going on. I am really enjoying the experience. Perhaps at some point we might be able to swap some files.

Andrew

[CarlLinkenbagh]

Construction update. Over the last few weeks I've been plugging away doing a combination of styrene and 3D CAD work. The styrene work has included rebuilding/replacing/repairing further superstructure sections and adding some further detail. This has required further backtracking and re-work, but it's worth the time and effort. On the 3D CAD front I've been refining the designs I've done so far, working on new ones and doing test prints. Here's a couple of current photos of the model with some of the kit laid out. I'm nearly ready to start producing the final prints of fittings and to start attaching everything permanently. I'm really looking forward to doing another test run and getting her into her Soviet Navy colours.

[CarlLinkenbagh]

Here's some photos as of today.

After messing around endlessly with CAD drawings over the past several months, making prototypes and learning to get the best out of my 3D printer I've moved into producing the final fitting set for the ship. This is combined with permanently attaching the cast fittings made for me by Allan Pew (various topside sensors, weapons and liferafts) and Brian McCrowe (missile launcher hatches). I'm enjoying getting stuck into detailing the model and she's looking more and more like a Kirov every day.

Somehow I still keep finding structural styrene work that needs doing, but hey, that's the fun of scratch building. There are always surprises and 'oh s**t' moments just waiting for you to discover as you go through the build.

Major upcoming jobs are to produce the final Top Pair and Top Steer bases and antennas, design/produce the myriad of ESM equipment that goes on the masts, start working on the forecastle and quarterdeck fitout and design/produce smaller things like external doors, hatches, liferings, deck lighting, HVAC inlets/outlets, cranes, davits, the ship's boats and tenders.....the list goes on. I'm planning on 3D printing as much as possible but one thing I've found is that it's not suitable for everything and sometimes the 'old fashioned' ways are better.

One other thing I've had some fun with is choosing a pennant number for the ship. Most navies will allocate a number to a ship that stays with her throughout her commission. The Russians, at least in the Cold War, had a curious policy of changing the pennant numbers of their fleet, particularly their big ships, on a regular basis which makes life interesting when you're trying to work out what number a ship was carrying at a particular time.

FRUNZE is known to have carried the numbers 190, 050, 028, 014 and probably more. As ADMIRAL LAZAREV her current number is 015. Anyway, I was going to go with 014, but I've changed my mind to 028, as this was the number she had at one point in the 1980s when the Soviet Navy was in its prime.

And now that they're stuck on the bow with about 2 tonnes of Zap, I won't be changing them again!

[CarlLinkenbagh]

I took FRUNZE out for her second test run today. After a lot of effort over the last few months building, detailing, repairing and modifying I'm pleased to say she ran well and I'm quite happy with her. Though it always surprises me that even a big model like this one somehow looks quite small when it's on the water......

David joined me and brought along his beautiful Krivak III VOROVSKY. It's the first time I've seen her in her blue and white Border Guard livery and I have to say I was impressed. The two ships looked good together and we had fun.

[Rc boat crazy]

Amazing ship!but is it top-heavy?(sorry if this appears twice I�m just double checking my comment got here)

[CarlLinkenbagh]

Here are some current photos after a big day of building. The major jobs of late have been designing and making davits, fitting out the port and stbd waists, installing mile after mile of guardrails, commencing the quarterdeck/flightdeck fitout and preparing the model for painting. I've also been doing further 3D CAD designs of the ships boats, cranes and radars which is proving to be a bit of a headache, but they're getting there. Still got a lot of work to do and somehow I keep finding new jobs, but it's good fun. I'm not too far away from painting the model in her Soviet Navy colours and I'm looking forward to that very much.

[CarlLinkenbagh]

Over the past week or so I've painted FRUNZE out in her base livery of grey, orange and black. This turned out to be a much bigger job than I first thought! I'd forgotten how time consuming and frustrating this particular aspect of model building can be and it was all the more of a challenge because I've never painted a model this size before. Yet another learning curve.

Trying to match the orange coloured lead oxide paint that the Soviet Navy used to paint their decks was a real headache. Thankfully I found a good photo of a freshly painted deck in relatively neutral light, so this made the colour matching a bit easier. Even more thankfully - the lady at Bunnings was very patient.

This paint job is only temporary. Much of it (particularly the grey primer) will either be rubbed back or totally removed to make way for more fitting out - but it was worth doing to get a taste of what she'll ultimately look like.

Here are some photos of her at the Task Force 72 Regatta today. It was a perfect day of sailing.

[CarlLinkenbagh]

Here are some photos taken this evening. Am slowly plugging away with the long and evolving process of fitting out the ship and have been tackling 1-2 jobs per week in between other things and when the mood takes me. Most of the work has been associated with 3D printing and doing new CAD designs and also replacing or improving other items. While I've had some good wins of late it's still a case of 'one step forward, two steps back' at times which is annoying, but that's the fun of scratch building. She's generally going in the right direction and every newly completed job brings her closer to completion.

Currently I'm designing, making and testing 3D printed prototypes of the Top Pair and Top Steer radar arrays. Making radar antennas has never been my strong point but these big radar antennas are very distinctive features of the Kirov class and they sit high on the ship in a very prominent location, so I'm hoping to get them as good as possible. This is proving a real challenge but at the same time it's good fun too.

I've also been progressively rubbing back the grey and orange paint I 'slapped on' for last year's Regatta in preparation for painting the model in her final colours once all the building work is complete.

[Neptune]

She really looks the part Carl. Great, sharp and very detailed build so far!

[CarlLinkenbagh]

Here's some current shots of the ship taken this evening. I've slowly been plugging away at various things, but as always, whenever I finish one job, I seem to find about a dozen other things that I've either overlooked or forgotten about.

After months of messing around I finally got the ship's 4 large boats designed and 3D printed. Doing the drawings and getting good prints of them was a nightmare, but I got to an acceptable result in the end. Here is a list of the the other new additions:

- Fitted out the bow with the anchors, cables, hawespipes and cable brakes;
- Made that rack thing on the port FWD deck that they use to load the SS-N-19 launcher;
- Made the two guards that run down either side of the forward deck;
- Re-designed and replaced both Top Dome arrays (again);
- Made the Top Pair and Top Steer radar bases and antennas, fitted them ready for final finishing;
- Chopped off the styrene Flyco I originally had and replaced it with a better looking 3D print;
- Replaced lots of guardrails (again);
- Added SA-N-4 missiles to the launchers;
- Made and fitted the FWD double barrel chaff launchers; and
- Progressed aft superstructure fit out.

There's probably some other things. Still got a ton of work to do but she's getting there. Here's some current photos.

[HvyCgn9]

She's progressing well mate!! Nice!!

Cheers Bruce

[englishgunner]

Hello Carl,
fantastic build. My V and W Class Destroyer is only 2.7 metres long and you are so right that they don't look that big in the water, though mine hasn't touched it yet.
.
Where did you source you shafts, props, A-frames etc plus your radio gear. Did you get them here in Australia or overseas. I have been putting off starting on that side of my scratchbuild.
.
How much ballast did you need, I would say quite a lot given the size of your hull. All the best,
Cheers, Will

[CarlLinkenbagh]

Hello Carl,
fantastic build. My V and W Class Destroyer is only 2.7 metres long and you are so right that they don't look that big in the water, though mine hasn't touched it yet.
.
Where did you source you shafts, props, A-frames etc plus your radio gear. Did you get them here in Australia or overseas. I have been putting off starting on that side of my scratchbuild.
.
How much ballast did you need, I would say quite a lot given the size of your hull. All the best,
Cheers, Will

Hi Will. My running gear was made by Allan Pew of APS Models, motors were supplied by Michael Brown through Task Force 72, speed controllers came from Electronize. The radio is a simple 4 channel 2.4GHz model aircraft controller I got from a local hobby shop.

I've never actually measured the mass of the ballast in the ship but I use two medium sized lead acid batteries and some scrap metal. Probably about 20-30kg in total.

[CarlLinkenbagh]

Here are some current photos. Now that the warmer weather and longer days have arrived (thanks to daylight savings) I've moved the ship back into the garage where I can work on her properly. I've been tackling lots of the smaller jobs and detailing of late. Still got a lot to do but she's getting there.

[CarlLinkenbagh]

..

[CarlLinkenbagh]

Here are some photos taken this arvo. She's basically complete. All of the major jobs are now finished, just got a handful of minor details to add around the superstructure and main decks and she'll be ready for final painting within the next few weeks. I'm really looking forward to taking her out for another run soon.

[CarlLinkenbagh]

Over the last week or so I've been going over the ship doing a general cleanup of joints, gaps, raggy edges, dust and debris as preparation for final painting out in Soviet Navy Pacific Fleet colours. Today I completed that work (which was tedious and not a lot of fun) and painted her in the base coat of grey primer over which the final top coats will go.

I have to say I'm really chuffed with how she now looks. I was a bit worried about how the various parts which are made of a combination of 3D prints, styrene, cast resin and metals were all going to come together on the finished model, but I'm pleased that even with this base coat of primer, they've all 'blended' together and you can't tell what is made of what.

I'm now planning how to complete the painting which is a combination of various colours including grey/green, black, white, orange and grey....the same livery FRUNZE wore in the 1980s when she was active in the Pacific.