In lieu of the summer semester starting and becoming a bit busy, I decided to brush up on my modeling skills by completing a 1/700 PLA 033 in North Korean colors. This build was in the planning phase for a while but I never decided to actually sit down and get to work on her, until now.
The main modeller that inspired me to start building Naval vessels, Bill, a wonderful gentleman from our IPMS Chapter and a kind soul to everyone around him, passed away last year and this build (being my first Submarine ever) is dedicated to him, R.I.P Bill, you'll be forever missed by us.
A small amount of history on the PLAN 033 Submarine, the PLAN (People's Liberation Army Navy) acquired Romeo Submarines from the Soviet Union, which they domestically built, these domestic submarines were the 033 variant. Various improvements to the design were undertaken as some of the systems (refrigeration and cooling units) were deemed inadequate for the warm tropical climates in China. Further models were introduced with various upgrades to the design.
North Korea imported 7 boats from 1973 to 1975 and domestically assembled 70 other units from 1976 to 1995 (info provided from the net).
It was on one of these boats that Kim Jong-Un toured and inspected around 2014.
The model will depict a North Korean PLAN 033, maybe incorporating a Harbor scene but we will see how the build progresses and if my updates are frequent. made from a 1/700 scale Hobby Boss PLAN 033 kit.
The kit consists of 2 halves (both fuselage sections joined from the middle of the Submarine, not the top as is common in aircraft, the main "tower" (excuse me for the lack of nautical terms or expertise on them I have to learn as I go along
) which comes in 2 versions.
So far the progress has been gluing the two halves of the fuselage together and cleaning up the seam a little, as well as panel line fixing, due to the excellent construction no putty was needed. One half went in excellently and only required a day of sanding and clean up, the other on the other hand was a bit less forgiving and kept me occupied this last week. Here are the photos so far of the progress and some details in the kit.
The Aft section with the propeller is a separate piece that goes in smoothly and leaves no seam.
Other side of the sub.
and the top with some details:
I'm very satisfied so far with the kit and the details on it for such a small scale, a wonderful build and I hope to complete it soon, with a little additions to spice it up of course stay tuned and thank you all for any comments
The main modeller that inspired me to start building Naval vessels, Bill, a wonderful gentleman from our IPMS Chapter and a kind soul to everyone around him, passed away last year and this build (being my first Submarine ever) is dedicated to him, R.I.P Bill, you'll be forever missed by us.
A small amount of history on the PLAN 033 Submarine, the PLAN (People's Liberation Army Navy) acquired Romeo Submarines from the Soviet Union, which they domestically built, these domestic submarines were the 033 variant. Various improvements to the design were undertaken as some of the systems (refrigeration and cooling units) were deemed inadequate for the warm tropical climates in China. Further models were introduced with various upgrades to the design.
North Korea imported 7 boats from 1973 to 1975 and domestically assembled 70 other units from 1976 to 1995 (info provided from the net).
It was on one of these boats that Kim Jong-Un toured and inspected around 2014.
The model will depict a North Korean PLAN 033, maybe incorporating a Harbor scene but we will see how the build progresses and if my updates are frequent. made from a 1/700 scale Hobby Boss PLAN 033 kit.
The kit consists of 2 halves (both fuselage sections joined from the middle of the Submarine, not the top as is common in aircraft, the main "tower" (excuse me for the lack of nautical terms or expertise on them I have to learn as I go along
) which comes in 2 versions.So far the progress has been gluing the two halves of the fuselage together and cleaning up the seam a little, as well as panel line fixing, due to the excellent construction no putty was needed. One half went in excellently and only required a day of sanding and clean up, the other on the other hand was a bit less forgiving and kept me occupied this last week. Here are the photos so far of the progress and some details in the kit.
The Aft section with the propeller is a separate piece that goes in smoothly and leaves no seam.
Other side of the sub.
and the top with some details:
I'm very satisfied so far with the kit and the details on it for such a small scale, a wonderful build and I hope to complete it soon, with a little additions to spice it up of course
stay tuned and thank you all for any comments
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