RKR Varyag by RGL - FINISHED - Trumpeter - 1/350 - PLASTIC - Slava-class cruiser

[RGL]

Moving forward in the later 20th century, my next build, the Soviet (now Russian Navy) Varyag.

 

I found this on ebay along with a cruiser and a Chinese set of PE for the Varyag for a hell of a lot cheaper than anywhere in OZ.

 

You can see from the 1904 version, she got a bit bigger and I think was primarily an aircraft carrier killer.

 

There are a LOT of photos online for her him and his brothers (Russian ships are boys apparently), and I have as usual ordered up some more extras. The Gold Medal Models PE is just lovely and incredibly detailed.

 

The hull is very smooth and I will be doing a fair bit of work to etch in some panel lines, scuppers, dents, all to aid in weathering it.

[RGL]

A few photos of her in the flesh

[Captain Slog]

Looking forward to following something a bit different and seeing what you come up with.

 

Cheers

Slog

[mtaylor]

Count me in.  I'm finding these steel navy models fascinating to watch even if my eyes won't let me build one.

[popeye the sailor]

cool looking ship Greg........count me in as well!    really nice!

[Canute]

Greg, another interesting build. I vaguely remember studying this beast because of those missiles, while work for my Uncle Sam. I'm pulling up a chair, too.

[cog]

Darn, missed the start and front row seating Nice bit a PE ... interesting build too ... not much weathering as far as I can see from the "live" images

Edited November 8, 2017 by cog

[RGL]

There will be weathering and some modulation of colour otherwise it will be very boring. 

[Old Collingwood]

1 hour ago, cog said:

Darn, missed the start and front row seating Nice bit a PE ... interesting build too ... not much weathering as far as I can see from the "live" images

We could pull that bench up that greg keeps outside, sit at the back but hope greg puts some screens up so we can see.

 

OC.

[Old Collingwood]

10 minutes ago, RGL said:

There will be weathering and some modulation of colour otherwise it will be very boring. 

Dont foreget the bottles of vodka on the deck - that will cheer it up.

 

OC.

[cog]

4 minutes ago, Old Collingwood said:

We could pull that bench up that greg keeps outside, sit at the back but hope greg puts some screens up so we can see.

 

OC.

 

Thanks I like the big screen addition, as my eyesight does deteriorate !

 

14 minutes ago, RGL said:

There will be weathering and some modulation of colour otherwise it will be very boring. 

 

A little weathering ... and in the end it is a heap of rust and chipped paint, ready for the scrap yard

[RGL]

the is utube footage of it this year in Hong Kong looking fairly spiffy but where is the fun in that?

[RGL]

And it starts.....

[cog]

You do not even have to paint it !!!!!!!!

[popeye the sailor]

believe me Carl........if that's not the correct anti foil paint color........ paint it      I would!   

[RGL]

It’s a pretty safe bet that I’m going to paint it. 

[cog]

Thought you would ... so predictable!! I've got an IJN I-400 from Tamiya with the same bottom colour ... yes, that one too will be repainted when I start on it.

[RGL]

Main hull joined up and rudder/ shafts and stabilisers added. As you can see there is a massive gap in the deck, it has to be amidships or the gap at the bow or stern would just be messy to fix. It won’t matter or be visible when the deck housings go on.i have also filed off the molded anchor chain (really, is this the 1960’s?). 

 

I intend to give her multiple layers of primer (after a quick sponge bath with metho to clean her) to I can scribe in hull plates. 

[cog]

Quite some welding to do on your deck, a bit sloppy work from the supplier.

 

What's "metho"?

[RGL]

Well it was Soviet Times. Probably drunk on the job. 

 

Metho is methylated spirits

Edited November 19, 2017 by RGL

[popeye the sailor]

you could probably get away with adding 1/16 or 1/8 strip to one of the deck edges and sand down to fit.  the other problem is those two raised areas....if something is to fit on them,  they are not going to fit very well.  I'm sure that if any of those problems arise......your more than apt to handle them   

[RGL]

Well I haven’t posted for a while as I’ve been slowly working on the funnel section which will be one of the 3 main superstructures. 

 

Like a wooden ship, I’m trying to plan ahead as much as possible but unlike a tall ship, I have to preplan what gets painted in situ or painted off ship then placed on after. 

 

The Gold Medal Models PE is dated, expensive compared to what comes out of Asia and presumes a LOT of knowledge with PE. That being said it’s lovely and no one else makes it for this kit. 

 

The plastic Trumpeter pieces are nice enough but just not  Tamiya standard for accuracy and fit. 

 

After the last 5 days of nightshift I have researched all I could for what extra needs to be done and there is a lot of small  not in the kit or explained by GMM. 

 

It’s going to be a bastard to paint. 

 

Anyways, I drilled out all the vents and placed the covers provided by GMM, small railings and ladders that will go into vet the radar thingys. This has been a surprisingly large amount of work with still a lot to go. Railings everywhere and belaying points for cage antanne and big gaps to be filled. 

[RGL]

The first of the top pair radars, quite simple 

[CDW]

I really like the idea of doing a contemporary ship model. It's actually one I recently considered doing myself but am glad to see you doing it instead. Will be looking forward to your future posts and progress photos.

[RGL]

Cdw don’t hold back! There are a few more ‘recent’ ships I have my eye on. 

 

The crane section done, I added winches and backstays but will rig it once painted. 

[RGL]

The garage for the helicopter. I’ve added a few cables than run to the ECm and spotlights out of stretched spruce. There was a molded ladder on top which I’ll replace later. Lots more detail to add to the piece yet but after painting. Someone flew a drone over her in HK earlier this year and posted it on U tube so there is a HD reference which also confirms from the still photos that the Top Done fire controller is very very wrong, requiring some filing and a bit of scratch building and added some doors from spares. 

 

It also includes some clear pieces which I have seen from other forums are universally hated. 

 

Off to the front of the bus next. 

 

Question; does anyone have any clue how to make 1/350 speakers/Pa’s?

Edited December 3, 2017 by RGL

[RGL]

A quick dry fit over the massive gap in the deck. The quick fix will be to file the inside of the superstructure so it drops on flush. Then the two outside platforms that hold CIWS guns will cover the rest of it. 

[RGL]

The SS-N-12 launchers. The kit provides a little bit of PE that sirlts at this he front which is supposed to be a platform. I used these and added some platforms and railings from the Ise spares. There are also exhaust railings on the side and some offcuts of brass thingys to make up some hinges which are fairly non existent 

[RGL]

The last main superstructure, this clear stuff is such a pain, you cannot see gaps, so after I glued it I used some Mr Surfacer on the edges to see where the gaps where. I sanded in the small box es and used some plastic strip on the big ones. 

 

There is a LOT of small details to add to this. I found some speakers in 1/350 (coming from France) and have ordered some Accupuncture needles to uses as the multiple whip aerials. Apart from the GMM set there are a lot of cables and handholds to add all over. 

 

Dry fit;

[cog]

Does the clear plastic have any real use, or is it just for a few (very few?) windows ...