Building the french suffren sna

[Albacore 569]

A Foxtrot is the only Soviet sub subject I'd be tempted to ever build. Important sub in the cold war. Beautiful looking too, the Soviet rendering of the German Type XX!
Davids model looks wow!

The French DDS on the Suffern is just one of its primary 'mission accessory's' I expect. Not for it's normal hunter killer operations. The French attack boats are primarily for protecting the French Le Triumphant SSBNs nuclear deterrent along with screening French surface battle groups & special missions too.

The French submarine service uses two crews on their attack boats too like our SSBNs for max utilization at sea.

The French DDS is like the American 688s/Virginia/Ohio's using the American DDS. But on the first 4 converted Ohio's the DDS are more standard of course as the Americans can deploy these for dedicated littoral missions along with their enormous battery of Tomahawk cruise missiles, with more space for trhe SEAL teams too.

The French DDS looks different from the American DDS but expect it functions much the same. It's a little cleaner in streamlining, and shapes. The French seem to carry a landing pad (?) aft of their DDS, while on the American DDS use an extendable track that rolls out to land the divers vehicles on.

The Rubis class are suppose to be able to use their DDS too, two Rubis class remain at present in operation & will be succeeded by the new Suffern's by 2028.

The Rubis class are the smallest nuclear-powered combatant SSNs. They were / are understandably cramped & crowded. The Rubis use a turbo electric drive, I guess you could consider them somewhat a faster American 'Tullibee'? Six 'roach hotels'..lol? They have served well though.

The Suffern's designers all must have gotten the message; the Suffern's are double the size and have half the crew size of the Rubis boats. Automation doesn't need food, a SSNs only real limit in patrol endurance The Suffern's are also the first SSNs designed for mixed gender crews.

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Sexy Soviet 6-bladers, David! Wish i had two of those for the Vodka short can! Do you still posses the Foxtrot?

Albacore, is the DDS a standard on the Suffrens?
you got your milling gear yet?

Jörg

Yup. Will paint and weather it one of these days.

[JHapprich]

Sexy Soviet 6-bladers, David! Wish i had two of those for the Vodka short can! Do you still posses the Foxtrot?

Albacore, is the DDS a standard on the Suffrens?
you got your milling gear yet?

Jörg

[redboat219]

The stern planes are wrong, but I am sure it was to increase surface area t compensate for the fixed pump jet shroud. The French kit is 54 inches long; my 1/64 model is 61.25". Roomier but fine. I hope to have mine in the water by late spring, I hope. In another you tube, he has made a DDS (dry Deck shelter) too...lol

Thanks for sharing.

note that he doesn't use U-joint for the swept stern planes.

DDS

[Albacore 569]

Cool...lol Back to the salt mines continuing to build. Nice clean design that attracted me to this modeling subject too.

The stern planes are wrong, but I am sure it was to increase surface area t compensate for the fixed pump jet shroud.

The French kit is 54 inches long; my 1/64 model is 61.25". Roomier but fine. I hope to have mine in the water by late spring,

In another you tube, he has made a DDS (dry Deck shelter) too...lol

Thanks for sharing.

[redboat219]

1/72 Suffren

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Thanks David. Steal away if it will work in a particular situation. I wanted a reality check (Big Thanks) to see if I was doing tin a coherent way solving the engineering problem or I was ful of ****..lol

Hey!... every good solution is usually preceded by an array of bat-**** stupid 'solutions' that failed to pan out in the real world.

Here's a variance on your 'universal' fittings between the yoke stems and operating shafts: Substitute the traditional universal joint with a short length of stiff flexible tube. The tube has next to zero radial back-lash, yet flexes between two skewed shafts during rotation.

[Albacore 569]

I've never considered such a linkage to make a traditional type yoke work two opposed, skewed operating shafts in unison. Well done, sir. I'll steal this arrangement some day.

Thanks David. Steal away if it will work in a particular situation. I wanted a reality check (Big Thanks) to see if I was doing tin a coherent way solving the engineering problem or I was ful of ****..lol

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

I've never considered such a linkage to make a traditional type yoke work two opposed, skewed operating shafts in unison. Well done, sir. I'll steal this arrangement some day.

[Albacore 569]

Refining th stern controls. This is not posted with the intent of this is 'the expert way' hardly, but more the attitude of 'will this work well you think?'. Any thoughts how it can be improved? If you may or may not notice, the four identical stern planes will operate up and down only! The pivoting pump jet shroud and prop (and prop shaft) pivots side to side and will function as the sub's rudder & vectored thrust.

The twisted brass sheet connecting (and separating) the two diagonal rod cranks are connected at the bottom and will slide forward & back a short distance for up and down forces on the planes.

The two big elbow bends allow the flexible prop shaft coupling to swing back and forth clear to swing fully to left and right.

[Albacore 569]

Adding the stern plane posts with the micro size U joints.

[Albacore 569]

Waiting weeks for critical parts. No one in USA makes only China. As with the 3d printer parts earlier. Always stuck in LAX cargo customs. LAX customs must be hanging out with the Mob .lol. Latest now says arriving Wed the 21st. January. Ordered in advance in assembly plan on December 28th, 2025. Tariffs again. Always a hassle. The Bambu Labs Company who makes these, I selected because they are the smallest. Space critical areas. Bambu Labs has been very nice and sent a second set free. One or the other or both will arrive someday. Continuing to build around the wait

On the Suffren class subs the sexy stern planes sweep back. So hence the need for the universal joints

It reminds me a little of the USN Escort destroyer classes in WW2. They needed mass production of DE's rapidly, Diesels, turbines, gear reduction production availability avoiding shortages determined the many different classes. The Buckley class used Turbo electric drives as there was a shortage of diesels that submarine production had 1st priority too.

The Evarts class used diesels when the Fairbanks Morse diesels crunch loosened up later - able to expand production to cover needs and Turbines then came into shortages because of demands all over the fleet. Turbo and diesel electrics on the DEs didn't need the delicate gear reduction sets, the turbines or diesels all ran at a constant optimum speed and provided generator electricity for the electric motors driving the shafts.

We can thank the prewar American Locomotive industry for the Fairbanks Morse 39 9-1/8 diesel engines.

oh well....as I wrote - continuing to build around the wait

Parodical U Joints - arrived today - for time gage about 23 days from initial order online to in hand. Jacket on its back to the shop! :)

[wlambing]

FM 38D 8-1/8 engine built for railroads, submarines, tugboats, you-name-it! The direct reversing version was 38 ND8-1/8. Neat engines, still serving in our submarine force today!

[Albacore 569]

Waiting weeks for critical parts. No one in USA makes only China. As with the 3d printer parts earlier. Always stuck in LAX cargo customs. LAX customs must be hanging out with the Mob .lol. Latest now says arriving Wed the 21st. January. Ordered in advance in assembly plan on December 28th, 2025. Tariffs again. Always a hassle. The Bambu Labs Company who makes these, I selected because they are the smallest. Space critical areas. Bambu Labs has been very nice and sent a second set free. One or the other or both will arrive someday. Continuing to build around the wait

On the Suffren class subs the sexy stern planes sweep back. So hence the need for the universal joints

It reminds me a little of the USN Escort destroyer classes in WW2. They needed mass production of DE's rapidly, Diesels, turbines, gear reduction production availability avoiding shortages determined the many different classes. The Buckley class used Turbo electric drives as there was a shortage of diesels that submarine production had 1st priority too.

The Evarts class used diesels when the Fairbanks Morse diesels crunch loosened up later - able to expand production to cover needs and Turbines then came into shortages because of demands all over the fleet. Turbo and diesel electrics on the DEs didn't need the delicate gear reduction sets, the turbines or diesels all ran at a constant optimum speed and provided generator electricity for the electric motors driving the shafts.

We can thank the prewar American Locomotive industry for the Fairbanks Morse 39 9-1/8 diesel engines.

oh well....as I wrote - continuing to build around the wait

[Albacore 569]

French DDS done, back to rest of the boat as it is progressing quickly now.

DDS and rest of the Suffern model decided will be in a two-tone black.

Tamiya PS-5 semigloss black & Tamiya TS-82 Flat black Rubber. The DDS skirt flat black Rubber (anti-echoic coatings) and Suffern herself below surface trim waterline and anti-skid on casing deck PS-5 semigloss black & Suffern casing, Sail, Rudder-vators, Pump jet shroud Tamiya TS-82 Flat black Rubber. Interior of Pump jet Tamiya PS-5 semigloss black. The propulsor is a Rust-Oleum Metallic Gloss Champagne (appropriate name lol) Bronze.

Dry transfers have been printed for when that time comes are in a light gray shade (never bright white) so they don't 'head light' contrasting too strong visually. Then overall the whole boat will be coated with a Tamiya TS-80 flat clear. The message buoy on casing aft of sail trailing edge a brilliant (will be flattened) red Tamiya.TS-86. I will add a little feathering. My policy preference is light hull feathering. The boats are new, the pride of the Marine Nationale and France, so ....no filthy rusty fork Russian look.