FMK 1/700 FREMM D650 Aquitaine

[Lee]

This is the kit I'm entering....



I recently did an inbox review of...

[youtube]TOALeCVshu8[/youtube]

Looking forward to starting this and may just be able to finish it in time - We will see!


A little information (stolen from wikipedia).....

The FREMM ("European multi-purpose frigate"; French: Frégate européenne multi-mission; Italian: Fregata europea multi-missione) is a class of multi-purpose frigates designed by DCNS/Armaris and Fincantieri for the navies of France and Italy. The lead ship of the class, Aquitaine, was commissioned in November 2012 by the French Navy. In France the class is known as the Aquitaine class, while in Italy they are known as the Bergamini class. Italy has ordered six general purpose variants and four anti-submarine variants; the last two Italian general purpose FREMMs will have anti-aircraft warfare, anti-ballistic missile and surface attack capabilities. France has ordered six anti-submarine variants, and two air-defence variants.

Three original variants of the FREMM were proposed; an anti-submarine variant (ASW) and a general-purpose variant (GP) and a land-attack variant (AVT) to replace the existing classes of frigates within the French and Italian navies. A total of 27 FREMM were to be constructed - 17 for France and 10 for Italy - with additional aims to seek exports, however budget cuts and changing requirements has seen this number drop significantly (for France). The land-attack variant (AVT) was subsequently cancelled.

A third anti-air warfare variant of FREMM was proposed by DCNS in repose to French requirements for a new air-defence frigate, the new variant became known as FREDA ("FREgates de Défense Aériennes", "Air defence frigate"). This new French requirement was due to the third and fourth Horizon-class frigates being cancelled after the first two cost €1,350m each, but this decision left French Navy still in-need of replacements for its ageing Cassard-class air-defence frigates.

As of 2009, the FREDA design features a more powerful version of the Thales Herakles passive electronically scanned array radar and 32 cells of SYLVER A50 in place of the 16 cells of A43 and 16 cells of A70. The SYLVER A50 would allow it to fire the 120 kilometres (75 mi)-range Aster 30 missile; the towed array sonar would not be fitted.

At Euronaval 2012 DCNS showed a new concept called FREMM-ER for the FREDA requirement, again based on the FREMM, but specifically mentioning the ballistic missile defence mission as well as anti-air. FREMM-ER has a modified superstructure replacing Héraklès with the new Thales Sea Fire 500 radar, whose four fixed plates resemble those of the US Navy's AN/SPY-1. However unlike the Héraklès and the SPY-1 (both using passive electronically scanned array technology), the Sea Fire 500 has active electronically scanned array antennas.

France

Original plans were for 17 FREMM to replace the nine D'Estienne d'Orves-class avisos and nine anti-submarine frigates of the Tourville and Georges Leygues classes. In November 2005 France announced a contract of €3.5 billion for development and the first eight hulls, with options for nine more costing €2.95 billion split over two tranches (totaling 17).

Following the cancellation of the third and fourth of the Horizon-class frigates in 2005 on budget grounds, requirements for an air-defence derivative of the FREMM called FREDA were placed – with DCNS coming up with several proposals. Expectations were that the last two ships of the 17 FREMM planned would be built to FREDA specifications; however, by 2008 the plan was revised down to just 11 FREMM (9 ASW variants and 2 FREDA variants) at a cost of €8.75 billion (FY13, ~US$12 billion). The 11 ships would cost €670 million (~US$760m) each in FY2014, or €860m (~US$980m) including development costs.

The 2013 White Paper on Defence and National Security committed France to 15 front-line frigates, which was initially wrongly interpreted as 2 Horizons, 5 La Fayettes and a reduction in the FREMM fleet down to 8 ships. The 2014/2019 defence plan restated a target of 11 FREMMs; the current plan is to deliver six ASW variants to replace the Georges Leygues-class frigates by 2019, followed by two anti-air variants to replace the ageing Cassard-class frigates and a decision will be taken in 2016 on what version the remaining three will be. In 2014, the French Navy's Chief of Staff, Adm. Bernard Rogel, confirmed that 11 FREMM frigates had been ordered[12] but in 2015 the order was cut to 8 in order to allow the purchase of five FTI Mid-Size frigates from 2023. The FTI will replace the La Fayette-class class, which will be fitted with a sonar as an interim measure.


And some cool pics...

[MarkVerploeg]

It looks like a nice ship
Not too big and complicated like some battleships with all those guns and turrets
And good to see that you are joining a sig again
Good luck and have fun building
Cheers

[DBMiller]

That's a sharp looking ship! I love the side launch torpedo tubes!

[wookiee76]

Wow, you weren't joking Lee! Looks very similar to the uss coronado i will be entering.

[pourquoi61]

Looks like a nice number you have got there, a nice model to play with paint effects do you not think.

[rodrant]

This new Frigate with their 'Stealth configuraton' are so cool ! Seems a nice build to you to enter the SiG ! And welcome back to a SiG mate ! Always nice to have you around

[gaz45]

Nice choice mate
Hope you get it fnished

[Lysus]

Slick ship, bud.

[Lee]

A start and progress has been made! Pictures tomorrow

[MarkVerploeg]

Looking forward to them

[Lee]

UPDATE!


So, managed to get going on this....

The instructions call to put the ship together on one side then glue the two hull halves together, just like you would for an aircraft cockpit and fuselage, only that obviously wasn't going to work! So, rather trickily, I managed to get the two halves together with everything in line etc.

Once dry there are a few issues...

Little bit of mess on the bow, which I did pick up in the review...



Then there was a little inventive clamping to get the hull halves together...



Once together she started to take shape...




Why they call for the hull to be added at the very end of the build I have no idea. This would mean trying to fit these two pieces together that need serious clamping (as you will see in the next pictures) with everything stuck to the ship, quite simply impossible!



So, executive decision made and hull on now, which makes more sense than the instructions. Then some more clamping to get the other parts on straight...






Once together with the bow and stern sections on, there are some fit issues. These all showed up in the dry fit, but should be too much hassle to rectify...





I then went to find the anchor, which I'll fit last, but it doesn't appear on the sprue where the instructions say it should be and in fact, doesn't exist what so ever on any sprue! Either that or I'm going blind! As you can see from the pic, A1 is a prop, not an anchor!



Stand went together well though....lol



So far my thoughts are that this kit is a little rough around the edges and some of the engineering baffles me, but it is going together and with some TLC it should turn out nice

[gaz45]

It's coming along mate

[EasyEight96]

Its been a while since I see you build Lee cant wait to see yours done mate

[martin57]

Nice looking kit .
I hope you get the time to finish it

[chief5437]

Nice to see you getting some bench time, even if it's a 'not so perfect' kit. Looking forward to seeing the end result

[wookiee76]

More clamps than fifty shades of grey!