1/400 Icebreaker Arktika (Ojonjek)

This ship is famous for several accomplishments in that she was the 1st surface ship to reach the North Pole, on 17 August 1977. She is also the 1st civilian ship to operate a year without docking, during 2000.

“Arktika” was built in the Baltic Shipyard, Leningrad, USSR. Her keel was laid c. July 1971 and she was launched in 1975.  During her operational life she was Homeport in Murmansk, Russia. In 2008 she was removed from service and is laid up in Murmansk today awaiting her fate. Initially she was slated to be scrapped but due to her historical significance the Russian government is now evaluating a plan to convert her into a floating museum.

Length Overall (LOA) 147.9 m / 485’2”
Beam 30.0 m / 98’ 5”
Draft 11.0 m / 36’ 1”
Displacement 23,460 t
SHP 75,000 (3 shafts)
Powerplant(s): 2 OK-900A Pressure Water Nuclear Reactors rated at 171 MW ea.
 
I bought this old 1/400 Scale Ojonjek kit on eBay in 1999 and it has been collecting dust in my closet until now.

Build Notes: All the standpipes, doors, railing, stern taffrail, searchlights and other features such as comms and SATNAV antenna are either 3rd party photo etched parts or parts I made from scrape plastic stock. The masts, both fore and mainmast were so poorly represented in the kit that I completed scratch built the foremast and rebuilt approximately 80% of the mainmast.

I also scratch built the helo deck completely because the kit parts were extremely poor. The helo, a Ka-27, is a resin-molded model from a 3rd party vendor. The two masts and the helo deck were the 3 primary subassemblies I spent the most time on during the build. The towing bumpers are plungers out of medical syringes to fabricate the look-a-like towing fenders.

I used combinations of stretched sprue and fly fishing line for the various standing rigging, crane cables, antenna, helo blade tie downs, etc.
 

Gallery updated 8/12/2014

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