1/72 USS Parche (SSN-683)

[CC Clarke]

Hello all! I just discovered this site and am impressed with the work and information posted here.

I'm a formally-trained 3D artist, designer, and 3D printer. Since I retired, I specialize in designing and building US nuclear submarines. I spent several working with commercial FDM 3D printers, but prefer resin printing for my personal projects to achieve the higher levels of detail.

--I offer my latest build: The most decorated ship in the history of the USN, the USS Parche (SSN-683) as she was configured after her first conversion to a Special Projects platform by Mare Island Naval Shipyard in the mid-70's. A later conversion added 100' forward of the sail. The model sits on 90 keel blocks and is 53" long. All control surfaces move.

 

[urumomo]

\Welcome to SMA !

what is that along the port side ?
for a towed array or something ?

 

[CC Clarke]

Correct! Towed array stowage tube. The array is housed inside for protection until deployed by flushing water.

CC

 

[scottrc78]

Welcome and very nice work.

 

[CC Clarke]

Thank you.
CCC

 

[Pantherman]

Hello all! I just discovered this site and am impressed with the work and information posted here.

I'm a formally-trained 3D artist, designer, and 3D printer. Since I retired, I specialize in designing and building US nuclear submarines. I spent several working with commercial FDM 3D printers, but prefer resin printing for my personal projects to achieve the higher levels of detail.

--I offer my latest build: The most decorated ship in the history of the USN, the USS Parche (SSN-683) as she was configured after her first conversion to a Special Projects platform by Mare Island Naval Shipyard in the mid-70's. A later conversion added 100' forward of the sail. The model sits on 90 keel blocks and is 53" long. All control surfaces move.

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Hi and welcome to the forum. Pantherman

 

[Edbert]

Dude! That paintjob is awesome, most people are afraid of black, I am one of them, I really want to paint my X-15 but that...black...

 

[CC Clarke]

Dude! That paintjob is awesome, most people are afraid of black, I am one of them, I really want to paint my X-15 but that...black...

Thanks! In this instance, black isn't difficult. Lots of very thin coats applied. I will likely use NATO black on my next build (in design at the moment) to highlight smaller details better. Weathering will be applied prior to shipping to her new home this Fall. (I need to save up for a custom sixty-inch acrylic cover, and it won't be cheap!)

 

[Bendinggrass]

Really a beautiful job done. Thank you for sharing this.

 

[CC Clarke]

Thank you for the kind words!

 

[Airborne01!]

Wow, that is really impressive work mate!
Steve

 

[carolyn]

Thank you.
CCC

How much would a model of USS parche 683 (early) version cost my husband served on her at mare Island in Vallejo r. That where I grew up. My dad worked as an electrician on the subs at mare Island.

 

[CC Clarke]

Thanks for the interest! I loved living in Vallejo during the early 80's. Unfortunately, after the local politicians threw the Navy out of the Bay Area, Vallejo fell apart and is a shadow of its former self. With all of the emphasis on naval shipbuilding these days, it would appear the move to shutter MINSY was . . . a bit premature.

As for personal model builds, my time is very limited. I'm designing highly-detailed 3D models of each class of Cold War US nuclear submarine. Each build takes about six months before I'm pleased with it and lock the 3D files down for later use. I typically give away the first build example as a gift for one of the guys in our local SubVets group who served aboard it.

Where pricing is concerned, decent models are not cheap. The usual pricing is between $65-80 an inch, and that's for a minimally detailed, wooden model lathed in the Philippines. Here are two 637 class examples from a pair of model makers to give you a more accurate price point:

SD Model Makers: (5-month delivery time) Their smallest version (12" long) runs $1200 before adding extras. Their largest 637 (1/80 scale) is $3590. This is as close to the scale of the model I have displayed in this thread, which is slightly larger in 1/72. Note the details are minimal.
https://www.sdmodelmakers.com/product/sturgeon-class-submarine-model-12-inch/

Squadron Nostalgia offers a 20" model for $425. Again, it's made of wood, so the detailing is minimal. Here's a link to their closest boat, the Richard B. Russell, which filled in while Parche went through her second Projects conversion in the 90's.

https://squadronnostalgia.com/product/uss-richard-b-russell-ssn-687-submarine-model/

I think this vendor would be a more economical way to honor your husband's contribution than what I could ever offer.

I've been offered some crazy money for my finished work and/or the 3D files I create, but monetizing this hobby of mine is about five years away at the earliest. Design work is prioritized over production. I do a little custom work on a-not-to-interfere basis, but those submarine-related projects are for our local SubVets STEM-outreach programs.

At the annual National Submarine Vets Convention three years ago, I took a 1/72 Nautilus (a little over four feet long) as a table decoration for the last night's awards ceremony. Afterwards, a bunch of former Nautilus crewman gathered around the table, and I asked them to throw stones at it and tell me how I could improve it. All said it was good to go, which was the best compliment you'll ever get from a submariner. One of the attendees offered me $5k for it, which I declined, since it was my first large build and a prototype. (I'm kind of a perfectionist.)

Now that I've developed a really good "recipe" for the way I construct my hulls, I need to go back and re-design both Parche and Nautilus for both 1/72 and 1/144 scale. Going forward, most of my work will be in 1/144 scale since it's more practical for shelf or mantle display. The 1/72 models are huge! (Perfect for RC enthusiasts, so I design a second version for that application.)

Stick around, I'll be posting more of my works in progress here.

CC

 

[mcs1056]

I'd likely screw up making the PVC cradle you show above. Getting a sub to come out that nice???
Not THIS guy.

 

[CC Clarke]

You know, I feel the same way when I look at some of the highly-detailed ship models presented here. Rigging a sailing ship for me would be the equivalent of trying to land a shape shuttle.

Building a submarine isn't that difficult in comparison. The hardest part is gathering accurate reference materials before beginning the 3D model. I spend time each day scouring the web through submarine-themed social media and adding new reference material to my extensive library. I get a lot of, "When are you going to build my old boat?" from local SubVets. When I get really lucky, a submarine piping tab falls into my lap, which is about as accurate as one can get for showing subtle external details.

3D Modeling is how I relax when I get a block of uninterrupted time to create a section of the hull. By the time the 3D model is close to being finished, I'm motivated to switch to 3D printing, revising the model if I see room for improvement and filling a box with finished parts.

Construction is where I get to be creative and improvise. I build "pockets" into each lower hull to install threaded mounts for the support fasteners which usually go through a pair of hollowed-out keel block before fastening to the base.

One on-going project is a 3D model of the new, USS Arizona (SSN-803) of which there are some big external changes added to it as the first Block V boat with an added missile deck amidships and a new, hull mounted vertical sonar array. There are no photos of the 803 yet, so I've designed everything I have references for. In anticipation of wrapping it up this year, I'm spending the week building the strongbacks used in lieu of keel blocks. These are motor-driven and used to move the hull sections together, and later move the entire boat into a floodable drydock. I printed more strongbacks last night and will add the keel blocks for each when I get all the strongbacks printed.

Here's a couple of WIP renders w/reference shots of where it's at now and I'll be adding the blocks in a few days. Each block slides onto the strongbacks for easy positioning against the hull before bonding them in place.

There are two types of transporters - rail and wheel-mounted. I have both designed, but the wheeled transporters are more interesting looking, so I'll start with them. I could place "rails" on the base for the wheeled transporters if needed though. It's always nice to have build options.

More to follow!

CC