USS Zumwalt, DDG-1000 stealth destroyer

seadude · January 11, 2015, 04:07:18 PM

Let's talk Zumwalt, shall we?

It's the U.S. Navy's newest 21st Century guided missile stealth destroyer.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zumwalt-class_destroyer
http://intercepts.defensenews.com/2014/06/zumwalt-ddg-1000-the-future-is-nearly-here/

While I love stealth technology and vehicles, I have to say I'm uncertain of this new ship design. Kinda looks like an ugly duckling.

So what are your thoughts?
Love it?
Hate it?
Will it perform as expected?
Does it have enough armament?
........etc., etc.

And while we now have a 1/700 scale kit of the Zumwalt made by Dragon, I hope a 1/350 scale kit won't be too far behind.

While the 1/700 scale kit is nice, I'm betting there is potential for lots of whiffery of this unique ship design. Anybody have any good ideas?

Captain Canada · January 11, 2015, 04:27:56 PM

Love it. Be kind of a boring model tho.

sandiego89 · January 11, 2015, 04:38:40 PM

Put me down for ugly. Boring from a modelling and WHIF point of view.

I think it would be effective in blue water operations and in defending the carrier task force, but the USN hasn't had much of that type of operation since about 1944/45.

Undoubtedly impressive sensors, linking, and command and control. A real brain center for the fleet.

Armament wise it is about on par with a modern guided missle cruiser, you just can't see much of them. The movement towards vertical launch systems over the last few generations of ships has surely made ships look less impressive armament wise. Visually not nearlly as impressive warship wise as a Slava, or a WWII criuser or battleship. Even cruisers with single or twin rail missile launchers looked more warship like IMO.

WHIF wise I think a dazzle camoflage would help in the looks department. Maybe Arctic dazzle with white, grays, blues etc.

seadude · January 11, 2015, 05:09:34 PM

QuoteUndoubtedly impressive sensors, linking, and command and control. A real brain center for the fleet.

True that. But being an "all electric ship" and having a lot of electronics and computers on board, you have to wonder just how easy it might be to cripple a ship like that. Not with a anti-ship missile, but all an enemy would have to do is explode some type of EMP bomb or missile close enough to the ship for the EMP to fry everything and the ship is virtually dead in the water.
Or........since a lot of systems are linked and controlled by computers, what if the comps were hacked or there was a major virus that disabled most or all systems. *shudder* I'd hate to think of what would happen if an enemy got control of that ship and all it's systems.

proditor · January 11, 2015, 05:13:58 PM

I have a love/hate relationship with the Zumwalt. I love what it represents, and I think the tumblehome design and stealth features are dead-sexy. That said, had I not been lazy and just ordered 2 of them from TTH, I could have probably knocked out the basic shape from Sheet styrene in an afternoon. I think from a modeling standpoint, you'll have to work pretty hard to make it interesting. The stuff from the 1950s through the 80s is a lot easier to make visually intriguing IMHO.

royabulgaf · January 12, 2015, 07:35:35 PM

I for one, like the pre-dreadnought look. What's ramming speed?

Hobbes · January 13, 2015, 12:57:52 AM

Quote from: seadude on January 11, 2015, 05:09:34 PM
QuoteUndoubtedly impressive sensors, linking, and command and control. A real brain center for the fleet.

True that. But being an "all electric ship" and having a lot of electronics and computers on board, you have to wonder just how easy it might be to cripple a ship like that. Not with a anti-ship missile, but all an enemy would have to do is explode some type of EMP bomb or missile close enough to the ship for the EMP to fry everything and the ship is virtually dead in the water.

Any sane warship these days is hardened against EMP.

Captain Canada · January 13, 2015, 04:57:51 AM

Quote from: royabulgaf on January 12, 2015, 07:35:35 PM
I for one, like the pre-dreadnought look. What's ramming speed?

LOL....exactly !

scooter · January 13, 2015, 02:55:45 PM

Whelp...I did do its canceled big brother's profile for Tsingtao, in the Asiarama build, with a very dazzling Imperial German AF lozenge scheme-

Dizzyfugu · January 14, 2015, 07:00:39 AM

Quote from: Captain Canada on January 11, 2015, 04:27:56 PM
Love it. Be kind of a boring model tho.

Like any other stealth design. $:-\$

BTW, upon looking at the ship I cannot help but want to mate it with a Star Wars Star Destroyer...

pyro-manic · January 16, 2015, 04:15:36 PM

'Orrible thing. Kill it with fire! And I don't know how they can call it a destroyer - the damn thing is huge, and will probably have escorts of it's own when deployed! Too big, too expensive to risk.

Star destroyers are cool. This thing is just ugly. And don't get me started on the name.....