Alanger has long gone but their one last kit remained in my stash for many years. Now it’s built.
Alanger’s TK-17 “Arkhangelsk” Typhoon Class Nuclear-Powered Ballistic Missile Submarine 1:350 - by “Art Instructor”:
Good build, nice kit. But this is not TK-17.
- On TK-17 there were no water-breaking “humps” and fins. The places where they should be were still visible (rubber plates cutting patterns were not modified, so there were large patches), but flash with surface
Wikipedia picture here is accurate
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Typhoon3.jpg
This is TK 17, it has the patch on conning tower applied in 1989 after first 100-day service trip
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Coloring of missile tube covers from inside was diferent. It was not khaki green, tone should lighter. And it was not simple paint, more like special coating.
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The emblem on the stern was for launching only, and it is from diferent ship, TK-12. TK-17 was launched in 1986, not in 1983. You confused launching and laid down dates.
I think that the emblem was done using water-soluble paints or painted over soon enough. It was not present during active service, instead submarine forces blue shield was painted on the conning tower in 1987 when Gorbachev visited this sub. Till 1990 TK-12 was the only Typhoon sub so marked.
On TK-12 fins and waterbreakers were still present.
So you have nice model of TK-12 captured in specific moment - december 1983, launching ceremony.
sasa, thanks for your kind comments and information. Whether this is TK-17 or not I cannot confirm. But according to Alanger the producer of this kit, "Siz Akula-type submarines have been built. The TK-17 Arkangelsk SSBN was commissioned in 1987. The box and instruction sheets bear this name.