Trumpeter 1/350 scale Udaloy II Destroyer, Admiral Chabanenko, Kit #04531 OOB Review & Build
My Review and Build of Trumpeter's 1/350 scale Kit #04531,
Russian Udaloy II Class, Admiral Chabanenko, DDG-650, Destroyer
The Russian Udaloy II Class Destroyer:
The Udaloy II class destroyer was an improved design over the Udaloy Class of twelve Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) destroyers that the Soviet Union commissioned between 1980 and 1990.
The Udaloy II class was larger (more displacement) and was geared more towrds being a mulit-rile centric destroyer as opposed to a ASW destroyer.
The project name, which had its beginnings as early as 1982, was Project 1155.1 Fregat II Class. The NATO Codename was Udaloy II. As stated, iw was meant to be a multipurpose destroyer, and was intended to be the Soviet answer to the American Arleigh Burke class of destroyerrs that were being developed and then built by the United States.
The Udaloy-II replaced the eight SS-N-14 ASW missiles carried on the Udaloy destroyers with eight SS-N-22 anti-surface missiles, add ing a significant anti-surface role. The UDaloy II retained a styandoff ASW capability with ability to launch SS-N-15 ASW missiles from the torpedo tubes. Other changes include an improved main gin, replacing the two 100mm single barrelled turrets with a single 130mm dual barrell turret forward, improved self defense capability with the addition of the Kashtin CIWS systems, adding the Udav antitorpedo system and imporving the anti-aircraft systems on the vessel.
In addition, the Udaloy II class is powered by a modern gas turbine engine, was equipped with more capable sonars, an integrated air defense fire control system, and a number of digital electronic systems based on state-of-the-art circuitry. The original MGK-355 Polinom integrated sonar system (NATO code names of Horse Jaw and Horse Tail respectively for the hull mounted and towed portions) on Udaloy ships is replaced by its successor, a newly designed Zvezda M-2 sonar system that has a range in excess of 100 km in the 2nd convergence zone. The Zvezda sonar system is considered by its designers to be the equivalent of American AN/SQS-53 in terms of overall performance, but it is much bulkier and heavier than its American counterpart.
All of this was desined into the new class of destroyer and the 1st unit was laid down in February of 1989.
The collapse of the Soviet Union intervened and with that collapse funding for new naval projects became very scarce. The new Udlaoy II destroyer languished but was finally launched five years later in 1994. Funding for her naval outfitting was slow and she was briefly used by the Russian Maritime Border Guard. Ultimately she was full outfitted for naval service and in 1999, ten years after she had been laid down, that the destroyer was finally commissioned into the Russian Navy. Originally as the Admiral Chabanenko, D650 in the Russian northern fleet.
Two other vessesl of this class were laid down in 1991. The Admiral Basisty and the Admiral Kucherov. However, due to the lacjk of funding, neither was ever completed. Ultimately, the Admiral Kucherov was scrapped in 1993, and the Admiral Basisty followed a year later, being scrapped in 1994.
The Admiral Chabanenko, D650:
Russian Federation Ship (RFS) Admiral Chabanenko was fully commissioned in 1999. Oringally, after her launch in 1994, her pennant number was 437. She served with the Russian Maritime Border Guard for 2-3 years until Russia could afford to fully outfit her as a multi-role naval destroyer.. In 1999 she was finally commissioned and in service by the Russian Navy with Pennant number 650, and became active in the Russian Northern Fleet where she is still active today.
Throughout the years, the Adrmial Chabanenko has been involved with numerous deployments and exercises on behalf of the Russian Fderation Navy. She is quite often in company with and serving as an escort for the two Russian Navy priniple capitol ships, the aircraft carrier Kuznetsov, and the Kirov class nuclear powered battler cruiser, the Pyotr Veiliky. Some of the principle crusies she has made include:
- 2004: Russia's largest military exercise in twenty years. Admiral Chabanenko particpated with the heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser Admiral Kuznetsov, large anti-sub ships Admiral Levchenko, and the heavy nuclear-powered missile cruiser Pyotr Veliky.
- 2007: Russian Admiral Chabanenko visited the Nrofolk NAval Station base in Norfolk, Virginia harbor as part of a joint US, British, French and Russian exercises. Norfolk NAval Station is the largest single naval base in the world.
- 2008 : As a part of aCarribean cruise/exercise, the Admiral Chabanenko became the first Russian warship to transit the Panama Canal since World War II
- 2011: Admiral Chabenko particpated in the FRUKUS 2011 exercise.
- 2012: Russian Northern Fleet (NF) destroyer Admiral Chabanenko took part in the Northern Eagle 2012 joint naval exercise…
- 2012: In July the Charbenko, along with five other Russia ships, sailed for Syria in support of Russian ally Assad to the port pof Tartar.
Admiral Chabanenko is the most modern of all Russian destroyers, including both the Udlaoy and Sovrem=menny classes. She will remain in service for upwards of 20 more years. Her specifications include:
Displacement: 8,950 tons(full)
Length: 535 ft.
Beam: 63 ft.
Draft: 26 ft.
Speed: 30 knots
Propulsion: COGAG M-9 plant:
- 2 x M-8KF boost gas turbines (22,500 total shp each
- 2 x 2 M-62 cruise gas turbines (7,500 total shp each)
2 x shafts, 60,000 shp
Crew: 296
Sensors: - 1 x MR-760 Fregat-MA (Top Plate) 3-D air/surface search
- 1 x MR-320M Topaz-V (Strut Pair**) air-search
- 1 x MR-212/201 Vaygach (Palm Frond**) navigation
- 1 x Fly Screen helo landing control fire control
- 1 x Garpun-BAL antiship missile targeting
- 2 x MR-360 Podkat (Cross Sword) fire control for SA-N-9
- 2 x 3P87 Kortik (Hot Flash) CIWS fire control
- 1 x MR-184 Lev (Kite Screech-C) 130-mm fire control
- 4 x Spektr-F (Half Cup) laser detectors
Sonars: Zvezda-2 Sonar Suite:
- 1 x MGK-345 Bronza (Ox Tail) bow-mounted low-frequency
- 1 x low-frequency VDS
Armament:
- 1 x Twin 130mm AK-130/L70 dual purpose gun - 2 x 4 P-100 Miskit-M (SS-N-22 Sunburn) anti-ship missiles
- 8 x 8 3K95 "Kinzhal" (SA-N-9) surface-to-air missiles
- 2 x Kashtan (CADS-N-1) point defense gun/missile system (w/4 30mm guns & 8 missiles each)
- 4 x 2 30mm gatlin guns
- 4 x 12.7mm maching guns - 2 x 4 533 mm ASW/ASuW torpedo tubes, Type 53 torpedo or SS-N-15 ASW missiles
- 2 x 10 RBU-1200 (Udav-1) 254 mm ASW rocket launchers (anti-torpedo)
Aircraft:
2 x Ka-27 ASW/SAR Helcopters
Introduction and what's in the box:
This is a 1/350 scale vessel produced by Trumpeter. As with all of their newer vessels (last 6-8 years) it is well aportioned. The parts are highly detailed, with a lot of small, fine, injection molded plastic parts that you will have to be careful with in terms of taking them off of the sprue and handling them. Very little flash or molding errors with these parts...and there are a lot of them. Many of these are good enough to not need photo etch metal parts, although some PE parts are included with the model. I also have a Gold Metal Model's Udalouy class PE set for the railings and other sensors not included or shown with the model, and for the parts I would rather replace.
When you open the box the first thing you notice is that the hull is in a large, single piece (that is for the major portion of the hull). It's not in two halves, it doesn't have an upper and lower portion, and there is no waterline version of this vessel possible unless you cut the hull at the waterline yourself.
Now, there are numerous parts that attach to the hull...but more on that later as we build.
The box that is literally full of gray parts on plastic sprues, two photo etch sprues, and two sprues of black and cler plastic parts for the helicopters. There is also a large section of the main deck that is a standalone part. A total of twelve plastic sprues and two photo etch sprues. Altogether there are over 750 parts included with the model.
The two photo etch sprues contains 38 parts which are made up mostly of sensors and the safety netting for the helicopter landing pad. As I said, I also have a Gold Metal Model's Udaloy class PE set, which gives all of the railing, other equipment, more sensors, and improves on the sensors provided by Trumpeter.
There is a very decent, 14 page instruction booklet with easy to follow, intuitive instruction about assembling the model. In addtion, the water-slide decals are on a single sheet and include 20 decals for marking the vessel.
Finally, there is a full-color painting scheme for the vessel showing the vessel in three views in full color, showing where all the decals go and showing the paint colors for the model, called out in several supplier's part numbers.
Here is the box and it's contents:
This looks like it is going to be a very fun and detailed build. She will be joined later by 1/350 scale models of a Slava Class cruiser, a Udaloy I class destroyer, a Soveremenny Class destroyer and an Akula II class nuclear attack submarine. I have already built the new Russian Yasen class nuclear attack class submarine and the Kirov Class nuclear battle cruiser, Petro Viliky for this group. LAstly, all of those will be escorting the Admiral Kiznetsov aircrft carrier for the Russian NAvy which I have and will utlimately build as the center pieces of this powerful carrier group.
The Build - Assembling the hull pieces and painting the hull.- April 7, 2014
The first thing I did was to assemble the several pieces necessary for outfitting the hull. This included the large bow sonar and other sonars and sensors along the hull, as well as stabilzor fins. it also included the shafts, shaft supports and the rudders.
The parts went together very well, with just some xacto knife and minor sanding to get any residual from the sprues off of the parts.
In the next session I will paint the hull, get the main deck appropriately painted and then detail the forward portion of the main deck, including the main gun.
The Build - Adding the main deck, main gun, and bow details.- April 9, 2014
I masked off the lower hull and painted it red, using the Guards Red I have been using for Russian vessels, and then masked off and painted the upper hull and all of the majore vertcal surfaces. I use Model Masters Gray Primer for this because it has the darker greaay look common to Russian naval vessels. The weather decks are three different colors on these destroyers. You have the main deck which is a darker gray color (in some cases a very dark green) and I used Model Master Flight Deck Gray for this. Then the secondary decks, which include the helo pad, which are in the burnt red/brown color familiar to most Russian vessels. I used a mixture of Model Masters inisgnia red and Testor's Flat brown to produce this effect, using the left over paint from my 1/350 scale Kirov Cruiser, Petr Veliky.
Once this was completed I began painting and building the various detais for the forward main deck and the bow. This included the forward 30mm twin gatlin guns and their protective shielding and shell casing slides, the housing for the forward VLS contianing the Guantlet air to air missiles, the twin 130mm main gun and is turret and the protective shileding in front of it, the deck house containing varous sensors and two 12.7mm machine guns, and various other deck fixtures.
This is starting to look very good.
In the next seesion I will build the main surface to surface missile launchers and build the main deck house containing the bridge and its sensors and details.
SCHEDULE for Future Activities - April 9, 2014
- By May 31, 2014, Complete the Russian Udaloy II DDG and the Russian Kuznetsov carrier.
- By Jul 31, 2014, Start the US Navy Amphibious Ready Group centered on the Gallery USS Wasp with an LHD, an LPD, a DDG, a SSN and two LCS.
- By Sep 31, 2014, Start the PLAN Amphibious Ready Group centered on the Trumpeter Type 071 LPD-999, with a FFG, and three DDGs.
- By Nov 31, 2014 Go back and start fleshing out the rest of the DDG and FFG escorts for each CSG and ARG group.
The completion of the PLAN Carrier group was centered on the already completed Trumpeter's 1/350 scale PLA Navy's Aircraft Carrier CV-16, Liaoning, (in addition to the other escorts already completed) included Mini Hobby's's PLAN Guangzhou, DDG-168. I recently pre-ordered a 1/350 scale model of the PLAN Type 071 LPD, Yuzhao Class, announced by Trumpeter and due out in October, 2013. I will end up adding two of those, propbably LPD-998 Yuzhao and LPD-999, Jinggangshan, add the PLAN- DDG-139, Ningbo, and the PLAN DDG-115, Shenyang, along with the PLAN Weifang, FFG-550 and thus build a PLAN ARG.
The completion of the US Carrier Strike group was centered on the completed Tamyia's 1/350 scale USS Enterprise, CVN-65, (in addition ot the other escorts already completed) included Trumpeter's, USS Freedom, LCS-1, Dragon's USS Preble, DDG-88 and Hobby Boss's USS Texas, SSN-775. When a 1/350 scale USS Enterprise, CVN-80 (or any Gerald R. Ford Class) is released from Trumpeter, Tamiya, Dragon, or whomever else, I will add it to this group along with another AEGIS Cruiser. Whichever Ford Class coms out in 1/350 scale, I will build it as the USS Enterprise, CVN-80.
The US ARG will include Tamiya's 1/350 scale, USS Iowa, BB-62(which I have already completed), Trumpeter's 1/350 scale USS Iwo Jima LHD-7, Gallery's 1/350 scale USS Sommerset, LPD-25, Bronco Models 1/350 Scale USS New York, LPD-21, Cyber Hobby's USS Independence, LCS-2, Acadamy's 1/350 scale USS Rueben James, FFG-57, and another Flight IIA US AEGIS class detroyer based on Trumpeter's 1/350 scale USS Lassen, DDG-82...all of these models which I already own.
The completion of the UK Group featured the Airfix 1/350 scale HMS Illustrious, R06as its centerp[iece until a 1/350 scale Queen Elizabeth carrier is released. When that happens, I will add that carrier to the group as its centerpiece. The Royal Navy CSG will also include two Airfix 1/350 scale Daring Class DDGs (one of which is already completed), two Trumpeter 1/350 scale Type 23 HMS Duke class Frigates (one of which is already completed), and the Hobby Boss 1/350 scale HMS Astute SSN (which is also already completed) and Airfix 1/350 scale HMS Tragalgar SSN. One day, when a 1/350 scale HMS Ocean LPD come out, I will use tt to start building a Royal Navy ARG.
The French CSG is centered on Heller's 1/400 scale Charles De Gualle, R91. I have purchased the 1/400 scale Heller French De Grasse, D612 DDG, which is an ASW DDG, the French Duquesne, D603 DDG which is an anti-air multi-purpose DDG, and the French Aconit D612 FFG and Gueprattet F714 FFGs, both of which are Lafayette class frigates. These five vessels will round out my French CSG. As soon as a French Robin class nuclear sub, like the French Perale S606 SSN is released in 1/350 or 1/400 scale, I will add that to the group. Also as soon as the Forbin D620, Horizon class anti-air DDG is released in 1/350 or 1/400 scale, I will purchase two of them and replace the De Grrasse and Duquesne with them, and then save those two for when a Mistral Class LPD is released in 1/350 or 1/400 scale so I can create a French ARG with those vessels.
The completion of the Japanese JMSDF group was centered on Fujimi's very finely detailed, 1/350 scale Hyuga, DDH-181. It will be escorted by Trumpeter's 1/350 scale DDG-177, Atago, an AEGIS class DDG and the JMSDF, DDG-174, Kongo class (which I own), Trumpeters's 1/350 scale DDG-114 Susunami and DDG-111 (both of which are Takinami Class DDGs which I own), and by the 1/350 scale SS-503 Hakuryu (which I own), one of Japans new, very modern and capable AIP Diesel Electric submarines. As soon as a DDG-115 Akizuki in 1/350 scale is released, I will add it to this group. Should a 1/350 scale Osumi Class LPD be relased, I will buy two of those vessels and create a JMSDF ARG.
Then, finally it will be a complete Russian CSG (centered on Trumpeter's Kuznetsov which I own) the Russian Kirov Class nuclear battle cruiser (CGN), the Peter the Great, by Trumpeter (which I own), the Russian Slava Class cruiser, Varyag by Trumperter (which I own), two Trumpeter 1/350 scale Udaloy DDGs (which I own), Hobby Boss's Akula II class SSN (which I own), and the new Yasen class Russian SSN (which I own), all in 1/350 scale. Some time in the more distant future when a 1/350 scale Russian version of the French Mistral class comes out (which is building in real life right now), I will add two of those and build a Russian ARG.
Recently I purchased Heller's 1/400 scale Foch, the Clemceau Class carrier that was sold to the Brazilians in 2000 and in 2002 was refitted and became the Brazilian CV, Sao Paulo, using steam catapaults. I will build the model as the Sao Paulo and thus start a Brazilian group, though the Type 22 DDGs and the FFGs the Brazilians use are not available at present. I have however purchased a set of 1/400 scale A-4 Skyhawks and S-3 Trackers to build a suitable airwing for the Sao Paulo.
Then, again, once the models are available, I'd like to build an Italian Carrier Strike Group centered on the Cavour and their Horizon DDGs, a Spanish Carrier Strike Group centered on the Juan Carlos and their F-100 AEGIS FFGs, and ultimatly an Australian Strike Group centered on the new Canberra Class LPD and the Hobart class AEGIS DDGs. If they ever build the models, an Indian Carrier Strike Group centered on either the Vikramaditya or their new ADS Carrier, the Vikrant, and their Kolkata class DDGs and Shivlak class FFGs would also be nice.
Years more worth of work!
You can see all of these actual carriers, read their histories and specifictions at my site:
WORLD-WIDE AIRCRAFT CARRIERS
...and most of their surface escorts at:
AEGIS AND AEGIS-LIKE VESSELS OF THE WORLD