SUBSIM Radio Room Forums - View Single Post - The Bronco Models SSN-21 Seawolf in 1/350th..

ET2SN · 12-30-17, 02:19 AM

Well, to start off, I'm wondering if I should keep the 1/350th scale model stuff in one thread or do "one off" topics as things come up?

I'm holding off on buying a Bronco SSN-21 kit for now. I'm hoping they put it back into production, though.

I did order some paint to mix up some variations of "hull red" as well as some top coats for the Akula and figured I may as well grab the Xia kit while I was at it.

With 1/350th scale kits, its better to "grab" than "wait".

Sometimes these kits go out of production for a long, long time.

So, the Xia showed up today.

Its like the PLAN mashed together a Han SSN and a Delta I SSBN. Kind of quirky, which is how I like sub models.

This model is one of H-B's early kits. If you built their original 688 3-in-1 kit, there aren't many surprises. The stern, bow planes and rudders are "pinned" which means you could build them to operate by adding some small brass tubing.

The reason I mentioned that this is one of H-B's early kits is because of the two hull halfs. They fit fairly well but you'll need to do some dry fitting and massaging before you glue them together. Its nothing to complain about, just be aware that you'll need to do some minor filing and sanding before you reach for the glue. While I'm tempted to start hacking away at this thing, I need to park it on a shelf until the Akula is finished. To be fair, I also have another H-B sub sitting on the shelf- the 1/350th scale Oscar II which you'd think would be easy until you start to plan how to mask the red and black "break" lines on the hull.

The Oscar has been fighting me since I bought the original kit. Not the H-B Oscar, but the un-buildable Zvezda kit.

Now, Zvezda does top-notch armor kits but back then it was another story.

But, it was packaged (at least) to survive WWIII so its a nice souvenir to the cold war even though I'll never build it.

One thing that is odd, though. Both the Zvezda and H-B Oscar's have the reverse pitch screws.

Imagine ordering All Back Full to go forward and you'll see what I'm talking about.

I'm still waiting for the Miko-Mir 637 to show up.

All I know is that its somewhere between Kiev and Iowa. It probably didn't help that the "item desription" on the shipping label is truncated to "US NUCLEAR".

Meanwhile, back to The Hunt For Hull Red.

For those of you in Europe and Asia, this isn't half the problem it is here in North America.

You have access to the full range of Mr. Hobby, Mr.Color, AK, and Vallejo paints. We have Testor's.. and a small selection of specialty paints that are usually out-of-stock or have been back-ordered since Reagan was the president.

What I'm planning to mix are three flat enamels: Insignia Red (FS31136), Radome Tan (FS33613) and one more called Italian Dark Brown (I think this was a WWII-era armor or aircraft paint) in several combinations until "it looks about right". More on this later after I mix the shades and they cure.

12-30-17, 02:19 AM	#5
ET2SN ET2/SS Join Date: Oct 2017 Posts: 2,513 Downloads: 58 Uploads: 0	Well, to start off, I'm wondering if I should keep the 1/350th scale model stuff in one thread or do "one off" topics as things come up? I'm holding off on buying a Bronco SSN-21 kit for now. I'm hoping they put it back into production, though. I did order some paint to mix up some variations of "hull red" as well as some top coats for the Akula and figured I may as well grab the Xia kit while I was at it. With 1/350th scale kits, its better to "grab" than "wait". Sometimes these kits go out of production for a long, long time. So, the Xia showed up today. Its like the PLAN mashed together a Han SSN and a Delta I SSBN. Kind of quirky, which is how I like sub models. This model is one of H-B's early kits. If you built their original 688 3-in-1 kit, there aren't many surprises. The stern, bow planes and rudders are "pinned" which means you could build them to operate by adding some small brass tubing. The reason I mentioned that this is one of H-B's early kits is because of the two hull halfs. They fit fairly well but you'll need to do some dry fitting and massaging before you glue them together. Its nothing to complain about, just be aware that you'll need to do some minor filing and sanding before you reach for the glue. While I'm tempted to start hacking away at this thing, I need to park it on a shelf until the Akula is finished. To be fair, I also have another H-B sub sitting on the shelf- the 1/350th scale Oscar II which you'd think would be easy until you start to plan how to mask the red and black "break" lines on the hull. The Oscar has been fighting me since I bought the original kit. Not the H-B Oscar, but the un-buildable Zvezda kit. Now, Zvezda does top-notch armor kits but back then it was another story. But, it was packaged (at least) to survive WWIII so its a nice souvenir to the cold war even though I'll never build it. One thing that is odd, though. Both the Zvezda and H-B Oscar's have the reverse pitch screws. Imagine ordering All Back Full to go forward and you'll see what I'm talking about. I'm still waiting for the Miko-Mir 637 to show up. All I know is that its somewhere between Kiev and Iowa. It probably didn't help that the "item desription" on the shipping label is truncated to "US NUCLEAR". Meanwhile, back to The Hunt For Hull Red. For those of you in Europe and Asia, this isn't half the problem it is here in North America. You have access to the full range of Mr. Hobby, Mr.Color, AK, and Vallejo paints. We have Testor's.. and a small selection of specialty paints that are usually out-of-stock or have been back-ordered since Reagan was the president. What I'm planning to mix are three flat enamels: Insignia Red (FS31136), Radome Tan (FS33613) and one more called Italian Dark Brown (I think this was a WWII-era armor or aircraft paint) in several combinations until "it looks about right". More on this later after I mix the shades and they cure.