Virginia Block V

[secrtwpn1]

I picked up this kit from a vendor on EBay. It’s a 1/200 Virginia class block V. It’s a 3d printed kit and it looks good. You can order with a Tomahawk cruise missile in various launch configurations. I want to make it the new USS Arizona. I know there aren’t any accurate drawings yet available on the block V, but it looks good enough for me. It will be displayed in my classroom.

[secrtwpn1]

The next photo...............

[tom dougherty]

Not too bad, but I can see a couple of items that need correction. Look carefully at the shape of the towed array deck cover in these photos.
Zoom in on these two photos as well: https://navsource.org/archives/08/780/0878610.jpg and https://navsource.org/archives/08/790/0879413.jpg Note that just aft of the sail, the towed array cover changes shape. Also this stern view of the various "items" on the stern planes and dihedrals: https://navsource.org/archives/08/790/0879108.jpg
It looks like you have a post swirl stator in the pump jet? I can't really tell all that well. Anyhow,he stator is pre-swirl.

[X Bubblehead]

USS Arizona will be the first Block V with the VPM. It should be in the water in two years. Because there are no pictures of the hull yet (and there are major differences) the only references are NAVSEA renders that may or may not be representative since I've seen multiple versions.

Our Phoenix USSVI chapter scored a few seats to have dinner with a group of crew members along with the Captain recently and I got a chance to ask him a few questions after showing him pictures of my progress. He said he'll try to get some official EB shots of the boat to me as it comes together. I build training aids for our STEM Outreach Coordinator to take to local schools. My usual build scale is 1/72 (too large for him to transport such a large model by car) so I'm building him a 1/144 scale AZ.

Due to high level of detail I'm adding that will be practically invisible at that scale, I'm working toward building a second, 1/72 hull for eventual public display.

Besides the VPM extension, Block V's will incorporate a new vertical array aft of the sail, and the aft ballast tank lower ports are molded in - just like up forward. The new LPPM low-probability of detection periscope head replaces one of the existing optronics scopes, and sports a redesigned radar with a round antenna - not the standard, rectangular BPS-15/16 series that have been used for decades. Here's a set of masts and antennas including the LPPM and ESM mast, grouped according to their paired locations. The radar and snorkel are fore and aft without an adjacent mast.

CC