Doing this one as practice for the GB next summer. For someone whose fingertips are dime sized, this thing is a challenge. Got most of the conning tower done yesterday and today, the 4" gun together, and the hull together along with the cleats, shafts, props, rudder, rear planes.
Will get a pic or two up tomorrow, and then you can get a look at her, and will link back to the other pics on PB. Will be doing all black, with a grey weathered deck.
If she turns out to my satisfaction, will go in a case with an engraved plaque “USS Wahoo SS238, On Eternal Patrol, 11 October 1943”, and go to the vet’s home here in town.
Doing this thing, I don’t know how you folks doing 1/700 stuff do it…I’ll be so glad to get to the 1/144 version.
Man that thing must be what 4 inches long, maybe 5? Can’t wait to see it GH. Subs are so cool for modeling. In the water, almost completely submerged, on a stand, heavily weathered, just painted there’s just so much you can do.
Steve
Here are a couple of pics of my girl. She is 10 5/8 inches long, stem to stern. The black paint check circle is 4 1/4 inches in diameter. Conning tower is just sitting til I get the PE on after painting all of her. The gun is the 4 inch main deck gun. Click on a pic and then the 350 Gato above it to see the rest of the gallery so far.
Whoever designed the PE forthis one has a definate death wish. Bout ready to remove my hair after trying to fit and glue in one of the prop guards. Can’t wait to swear at the railings and antenna setup. Be glad to get to the 2 foot long 1/144 version where my fingers might work better.
Getting the other prop guard, bow planes and PE struts/rams, and the 3 conning tower PE ladders on today, Will do the cig deck and lookout PE railings and deck rails done after paint and do those with a brush. Hopefully get the black painted on Sunday, and the grey weathered decks next w/e.
Well, closing up for the night, todays PE as above went on way easier than the first prop guard, the second one just about fell on. Might just get the black on tomorrow ( MM acrylic aircraft interior black.) Will try out the new NEO (on the other hull first)
Been hammered at work and two short weeks to boot, and buried for the next two weeks at least,so only have the w/e’s to work on her.
Noticed the differences in the two hulls, the '42 version has freeing ports (limber holes) full length and the longer conning tower, as well as the full height front section on the tower. The "43 version has limber holes only back as far as the conning tower, and has the shorter tower, and the cut down front version, and the 'scope shears opened up as was done during refits during the war. The limber hole difference is due to the full length hulls being built in Navy yards, and the shorter hole boats being built to Electric Boat specs. Depending on which boat you are building you might need both the 42 and 43 versions. I don’t think the difference in the conning tower footprint is going to be that noticeable when I’m done, but I’m not steady enough to fix it.
I have to agree with you about working in 1/700. After messing about with the 1/72 and the 1/144 Gatos, that puppy is tiny! The picture of the conning tower and the dime next to it darn near knocked me off my seat!
Looking good so far.
Steve
By the way, my brother gave me a cool book named U.S. Submarines Through 1945 by Norman Friedman. Black and White photos, a good deal of them from NavSource.
Yeah, at 1/350 and that size, I’d hate to think of a 1/700 Gato. At least the 'scopes and shears are one piece. I’ll be glad to get to the 2 footer later this year. Not going to get her painted this w/e, too cold in shop and sliding doors to the compressor are frozen shut right now. Been in the low 20’s for the past couple of nights with a couple of more coming. Gives me another week to get over to HL for another quick disconnect for the new AB when I go to a VA appointment on either of the next two Mondays.
Got the Squadron book on Gato’s…Lot of great pics and differences in the class depending on when and who built, and when refittted during the war.
Thanks for the kind words, will put a few more pics on the gallery tonight.
Click on one of the pics above for the gallery, and then you can click on a pic for a bigger version. Having problem getting them to load right now on here. And I know it is me…
Well, got the black (MM 4767 Aircraft Interior Black) on the hull, tower and main gun this morning, will add pics after I get the grey fade on the decks.
Will be mounted in a clear case with black base, with the engraved brass plate. Still undicided what color to paint the stand, torn between brass, gold or the same grey I do the deck with
All my bad. Didn’t wash the sprues, no primer, just MM Acrylic. Theblack had a week to dry/cure too. Used Tamiya tan tape and killed it on pants and shirt, but not quite enough I guess. When I repair I will soft mask the upper edge with post it notes. They didn’t lift on the other hull I am using as a test bed.
Probably going to have to get another '41 or '42 version for the 3rd 20mm that Wahoo carried.
Check out the thread on theBatfish, that one is a 1/700, and he has a shot with a coin for scale. The 1/144 version is right at 24 inches, and the 1/72 is 52 inches.
Funny thing, the '41 and '42 are under $20 and the '43 is around $35. I know the '42 and '43 have PE, and IIRC so did the '41. I think the first two are pretty close with most of the difference in the tower. The 43 went from the full height front on the tower to the cut down front with a gun deck and railing, and a shorter tower and more rounded at the back instead of “boattailed” and pointy. So the upper hull is a different casting than the other two. The 43 is also the Electric Boat design hull with limber holes only back to the tower area, and the other two are the Navy Yard built boat with limber hole inpressions all the way down the hull. And there is a pic in the Squadron book showing USS Harder before her loss, with no limber holes at all.
As a retired submariner, I love to see threads about submarines! Those 1/700 AFV boats are incredible models, especially for their dimunitive scale. Great job!
