Sounds like the two primary issues are cost and where to put the nuclear reactor…[^o)]
Last time I saw that model on E-bay, about 3 years ago, it was also priced at $400.
Revell had some old cutaway polaris subs showing the power plant, missile bay, etc. I think the Abe Lincoln was one that was recently re-released in their classic series?
Abraham Lincoln was nucleur powered? Maybe the tall hat was really a cooling tower?
Now that you mention it I remember having one of those cutaway subs. Don’t remember which one. Would have been early 60’s.
It was probably a little to advanced for my skills at the time as I remember having difficulty gluing it and never did finish.
The Abe Lin was re-released:
Also the “atomic cruiser”:
And this new release, the “MannyAbe”, of Abe Lincoln with a nuclear back pack:
rare pic of manny (1st from right):
That pic was taken when I worked as a CIA operative vis-a-vi the US Navy in the early '50’s…it was either that or Spandau Prison…
Naw…looks more like Tim Curry …
Hi , you incorrigible sub guy . Listen I think you might be able to do this , first , what scale are you talking about ? If you are staying small you could use a modified unit from one of RENWAL,S or REVELL,S nuke SSBNs . If you need a larger one for the big sub model a really good go by would be the reactor from the N.S. SAVANNAH . Especially the larger kit by I think LIFELIKE or whoever . I will not stop zig zagging this here ship sir , why you might actually hit me , and that wouldn,t do ! tankerbuilder
Put together the Lafayette back in the early seventies, don’t remeber if it was Renwal or Revell. The hull was hinged at the bottom so you could have it buttoned up and then open it to show off the guts. One of the missile silos was also a cutaway to show the Polaris missile ready for launch and the hatch above the silo was hinged to show it opened or closed. The fit was absolutely horrible and I remeber countless hours sanding to make the internals fit so the hull would close.
My uncle Bud was a welder in the navy and he stayed with us for a few weeks while he was on vacation. He took an interest in the build and decided to detail the engineering spaces as he had put plenty of time in these boats. By the time he had put in the primary and secondary coolant piping it was virtually impossible to see the reactor, turbines and generators.
The rest of the interior looked naked by comparison. Years later after we moved to the northwoods one of our regular bar customers mentioned that he had put in many years on boomers. I dug up the old Lafayette and showed it to him and he wanted to know how I had gotten the information to do such an accurate representation of the reactor room as that was all supposed to be top secret!
This old gentleman liked it so much that I let him take it home with him. It seemed to matter more to him than it did to me. I wish now that I had taken some pictures of the “top secret” innards.
Pat.
As for photos…folks 'round here have been trying to get Manny’s…dunno if they’d settle fer his innards.[whstl]
What did your uncle use as material for the parts he installed?
Solid core copper electrical wire is superb for the task.