My first project 1/700 scale Los Angeles sub

Ok I fixed the pictures. My wife is so much better at forums than I am.

Nice job on the 688. You are right about the mast camo, the black on gray is being phased out for some reason.

Is this the hobby boss kit? I just started building that one, along with the Greenville (688i).

Question about the hull color: Box art shows the antifouling red on top (above waterline) of the hull at the bow sonar dome, but all the pics I've found online show no red above the waterline. And I've seen some where the bow sonar below waterline is all black (but red the rest of the way back). Sub revolution's is black all over (great looking model, by the way!), which I thought the US didn't do. Help!

rsog2000 wrote:

Is this the hobby boss kit? I just started building that one, along with the Greenville (688i). Question about the hull color: Box art shows the antifouling red on top (above waterline) of the hull at the bow sonar dome, but all the pics I've found online show no red above the waterline. And I've seen some where the bow sonar below waterline is all black (but red the rest of the way back). Sub revolution's is black all over (great looking model, by the way!), which I thought the US didn't do. Help!

The sonar domes are, indeed, black (actually a very dark gray). The hulls (waterline) are no longer being painted red as in the past, but a satin black. The areas around the stern section and the torpedo doors are a kind of gunship gray. The topsides are painted the same as the rest of the hull. What it basically boils down to is that the anechoic tiles and sail are the satin black (very similiar to boot topping black, in fact, it might be the same paint) and the rest is a patchwork of gunship gray. It actually is kind of a good looking paint scheme when first applied but it's soon spoiled as soon as the drydock is flooded and the seagrowth goes to work on it. 

Thanks for the info! I guess the LA is going to be inactive as of November. Did she ever get painted all black or has she retained the red underside?

It's a pretty safe bet that she got the new paint scheme, subs are in drydock a lot more frequently than surface ships. If you ever do a heavily weathered 688, the red paint does show up in patches as the black wears away.