My attempt at a Russian Typoon- Revell 1/400 SSBN

Fatalgrace, I don't know anything (at all) about submarines, but I like the way you've finished it.  The build looks neatly done, the paint and weathering is subtle yet effective.  I like what you've done with all those panel lines (if that's what they're called on subs).  Looks outstanding to me.

Now, is this one of those Soviet subs that skulk around in Tom Clancey novels?

The Typhoon is the ultimate submarine nuclear missle platform and they are HUGE. They make our Ohio class look like bath toys. There are only a handfull of them in the Russian Navy because they are so big and expensive, the Russians still rely on smaller and older platforms like the Delta class. The Red October (from Hunt for Red October) was a fictional heavily modified Typhoon sub.

Oh, and the panel lines you refer to, I believe are the Russian version of SHT tiles. Don't ask me what SHT stands for (don't know) but they are basically rubber tiles stuck to the hull to make the sub quieter.

If you are interested in finding out more, there is a very excellent book called Rising Tide by Walter Boyne. It is about Soviet submarines in the Cold War. Not much about Typhoons in particular, but tells a lot about their subs and the missions they did.

By the way, nice model! I would say the side rust is a little heavy, but I have never seen a Russian sub so who knows!

Thank you, sub revolution.  Now I know something about subs. 

The term is actually Anti-Echoic Tile it basically performs the same job as the Radar Absorbant Material on the F-117 stealth fighter meaning it actually is supposed to absorb sonar instead of reflecting it back. What makes a sub quieter as opposed to say a surface ship is that machinery in the hull are installed on shock absorbing platforms which are supposed to reduce vibrations which reduces the subs noise signature. Also alot of deck area inside a sub also are covered with rubber tile which cushion the sound of people walking and the sound of dropped tools (metal on metal contact can be heard a long ways underwater).

BTW AET tiles have to be replaced usually every year as they sometimes fall off either by themselves or contact with another sub or the occasional seamount.

sub revolution

The Typhoon is the ultimate submarine nuclear missle platform and they are HUGE. They make our Ohio class look like bath toys. There are only a handfull of them in the Russian Navy because they are so big and expensive, the Russians still rely on smaller and older platforms like the Delta class. The Red October (from Hunt for Red October) was a fictional heavily modified Typhoon sub.

Oh, and the panel lines you refer to, I believe are the Russian version of SHT tiles. Don't ask me what SHT stands for (don't know) but they are basically rubber tiles stuck to the hull to make the sub quieter.

If you are interested in finding out more, there is a very excellent book called Rising Tide by Walter Boyne. It is about Soviet submarines in the Cold War. Not much about Typhoons in particular, but tells a lot about their subs and the missions they did.

By the way, nice model! I would say the side rust is a little heavy, but I have never seen a Russian sub so who knows!

sub revolution

There are only a handfull of them in the Russian Navy because they are so big and expensive,

IIRC, one of the reasons they were so expensive is that the hull is constructed of titanium.

Phil_H

sub revolution:

There are only a handfull of them in the Russian Navy because they are so big and expensive,

IIRC, one of the reasons they were so expensive is that the hull is constructed of titanium.

Which hull? The Typhoon has a double hull design.

SHT stands for Special Hull Treatment. Out of the six Typhoons built, only one is still active and is being used as a test bed for a new missile system. There are two others in commision but are slated to be decommed soon. The use of titanium in Russian submarines is not as widespread as is popularly believed and may not apply to the Typhoons at all.

I served on a Los Angeles class boat in the early 90s' the tiles are indeed are for sound dampening but one of their primary purposes is to absorb active sonar transmissions especially the quick pulses from torpedos. The adhesives on the tiles is very tough "we only had two come loose". The russians seem to have crappy adhesive as they seem to alway have at least a few missing tiles. I'm by no means an expert on the subject though.

That picture subfixer posted ... that's not a submarine, that's a blimp painted black ... yeesh ...

Check it out: http://englishrussia.com/2009/04/14/worlds-biggest-submarine/

Nice build,but we need more pics.No teasing!

Thanks all for the great comments. I saw that picture stream and used it as research before I weathered this thing. Too badd they dont make a cutaway version. Not good at scratchbuiding to do it myself. One thing I did realize while researching typhoons is that they are a mess! Dirty. Unsafe looking on the inside.

I dunno if this is an excuse for over rusting it, but if the outside is anything like the inside, then the rust must be horrible!

In the photos the areas where the is a prominence of dark green paint with a lot of rust is probably the inside of the turtleback. This is the section that is between the outer hull (turtleback) and the inner hull(s). In this space the seawater is free flooding and is difficult to reach for maintenance. It is expected to be a bit gnarly. Although not as bad as the example in the pictures, US subs (and I would expect British ones, too) are also a little guilty of letting these areas go a bit to pot in between overhauls. Ballast tanks are about the same. Some of the photos show the interior of the sail (conning tower) and these are also prone to heavy weathering. I am surprised that the Russian Navy allowed photos to be taken in these areas. The US Navy would freak out if anyone brought cameras into these areas and allowed them to be published on the web.

I didn't realize that NONE of them were operational anymore, which would explain the heavy rust and wear. I'm certain they weren't quite that bad when they were operational. And this isn't the first time I've seen pictures of Russian stuff that would never get to be photographed in the US. It's almost like they got tired of the overly secretiveness of the USSR and went the complete opposite direction.