The official Submarine Warfare Group Build 2016 - 2017

Ok gotta post this IT WORKED!!! My idea worked. So excited. I was trying to figure a way to place caps over my missle tubes. I picked up a drill bit, liberated some kitchen foil, burnished the foil over the chuck end of the bit, trimmed with a #11 blade and POOF satifactory results for me. This group build and my friends are really helping me in this hobby. Sorry to sound really excited and I will try to point out the detail when I post my next set of pix. Y'all have no idea. Thanks folks.

It's exciting when an idea works out.

Time for me to wrap this one up. I used some oils to create the streaking and then painted up the few details and added some rigging. I know the fading is a bit heavy on the power hull, and while the grassweed line may fairly realistic, it does look a bit strange when compared to many other u-boat builds i have seen. But it has really given me an idea of what to do and not to do on the bigger kits. So its really been worthwhile and its nice to have a u-baot on the shelf.

So with all that done, just had to put it on the base.

And yes, that is a real horseshoe.

Cheers Steve for a great GB. It has really taught me a lot and was great to have the excuse to build this. Now just need to find some time to build a bigger one.

Looks awesome Bish, the 72nd scale Revell builds up well...lots of room for detail. My Typhoon is progressing nicely. I will be posting pix probably next weekend with my progress.

Great job Bish, it's good to see you build out of your comfort zone. The weedline looks fine, I don't know why other build don't show them more often, they certainly exist.

Nice base as well, I always like your basses. I would like to see what you can do with the 1/72 version. Thanks for jumping in, it's always great to have you come aboard a GB.

Mr. Bish - 

Once again you have raised the bar for the rest of us. Great paint and detailing job, and I like your idea for the base. I knew that was a real horse shoe......you always seem to come up with some interesting items for your builds. 

Cheers guys. armor, ye, those kits look really nice to do. Once my Rudel build is wrapped up, the 72nd boat will be the next big project to hit the bench.

Steve, Dougie puts a pic of one in his article yet even he didn't add a grass line to his build. I guess people must think it just looks out of place.

Hunter, wel, fortunatly my other half has a horse. So when i got this kit a few years back, it seemed an obvious thing to do and i asked her to bring one home the next time the horse was getting its shoes changed. I did think it might tip the base over but it seems to be balanced just right.

Steve

Sorry that I have been out of the loop here but I started on my Gato and will post pictures soon now that I have more modeling time available. Your Dallas looks super and the water works is perfect as usual. You have mastered modeling water in my book!

Bish

Smashing ending to your build. I like the horseshoe idea for the display and the base. Proof in the pudding that old molds make great looking models.

As a side note, many years ago I had to put down my 18 year old Husky/Shepperd. I was walking back to the house and was cutting thru a field and stepped on an old horseshoe that I picked up that day and we have it outside by the front door on the wall with the open end up. I've been told open end up brings good luck.

It's been over 15 years since I found that horseshoe on that sad day and remember my sweet dog every time I see it. 

Cheers PJ, it certainyl turned out just nice for such an old kit.

Hanging a horseshoe upside down is meant to be unlucky. But thats how the pair were on U-99 and it didn't seem to bring them to much bad luck, at least until their luck ran out completly. And even then, they were lucky compared to most U-Boat crews.

Well I finally had some time to work on my build. Upon opening the box I noticed that the majority of the parts were covered in flash and injection sites. I looked at this for an opportunity to learn how to trim and sand flash from the parts themself.

I glued the hull together to make it easier to trim and sand.....after I finish sanding down the hull I am going to go back and putty all the needed area's. 

As you can see at the bottom center just one of the injection site's that I will address

All of the hand rail post were completely surrounded by flash that I trimmed with a #11 blade....it took 2 blades to finish. I learned during this process apply a little pressure around small delicate pieces. I broke 3 of the hand rail post.

Here I am showing the seam that is now flush....there was nearly a 2/16 of an inch that needed to be sanded down. Once I apply putty and sand it will be clean and smooth.

This was one of the larger injection site's that took awhile to sand down.

Sorry for the poor photo....just highlighting the seam and injection site....Both are sanded and ready for putty. I am going to go and apply the putty and let cure overnight and the sand and prime the hull.

PJ, I'm looking forward to seeing your start.

Hunter, it's tough to clean up such small parts, your coming along nicely. Were you planning on putting her in a seascape?

modelcrazy

PJ, I'm looking forward to seeing your start.

Hunter, it's tough to clean up such small parts, your coming along nicely. Were you planning on putting her in a seascape?

 

I have been kicking a few idea's around. More than likely I will try my first attempt at water with this build.....hopefully with your guidence 

Hunter

 

modelcrazy

PJ, I'm looking forward to seeing your start.

Hunter, it's tough to clean up such small parts, your coming along nicely. Were you planning on putting her in a seascape?

 

 

 

 

Hey Buddy.....

 

I have been kicking a few idea's around. More than likely I will try my first attempt at water with this build.....hopefully with your guidence 

 

MC would be a good mentor for it......he has given me some pointers that I hopewill translate into something acceptable in my hands.  His work is great.

Steve is the "Water Guru"

plasticjunkie

Steve is the "Water Guru"

 

goldhammer

 

 

Hunter

 

modelcrazy

PJ, I'm looking forward to seeing your start.

Hunter, it's tough to clean up such small parts, your coming along nicely. Were you planning on putting her in a seascape?

 

 

 

 

Hey Buddy.....

 

I have been kicking a few idea's around. More than likely I will try my first attempt at water with this build.....hopefully with your guidence 

 

 

 

 

MC would be a good mentor for it......he has given me some pointers that I hopewill translate into something acceptable in my hands.  His work is great.

 

I couldn't agree with you more. Steve has been there for me ever since my dad passed ....he has been a great friend and mentor. He has already passed on a lot of knowledge and information to me about how to build a water dio.

Well I got putty and sanding done on the hull. Now I will prime all the pieces and start painting.

Please don't hesitate to comment or suggest anything I may have missed. I am really enjoying this build....it's my first ship build and surely not my last.

I can say this....I can't wait to get a workbench. I miss my other bench. The dining room table isn't working out to well. The Mrs. won't just let me leave my stuff on it. I can't figure it out for the life of me.....

Thanks guys

Hunter, 

I don't have anything to suggest but one thing that may make it easer on you. If you plan on making a water scene, only work on and build items that will be seen above the waterline. For example, there wouldn't be any reason to install props or rudders unless you plan on putting her in heavy seas and showing the stern out of the water. 

modelcrazy

Thanks guys

Hunter, 

I don't have anything to suggest but one thing that may make it easer on you. If you plan on making a water scene, only work on and build items that will be seen above the waterline. For example, there wouldn't be any reason to install props or rudders unless you plan on putting her in heavy seas and showing the stern out of the water. 

 

Sorry to be so late to the party, but I just noticed this thread the other day.

I recently acquired and started working on a Lindberg 1/240 Gato Fleet sub, and would like to join in with that as a submission.

If I may......

You got it Viejo. I have you on the roster.

Welcome aboard.

Looking good there Hunter.

I finally got some work done as life and commissions got in the way. I decided to build my sub as the USS Gato, SS-212 as she appeared before her refit and overhaul at Mare Island in September of 1944. Gato was fitted with a 4"-50 caliber (102mm) deck gun on the forward deck, a single 40mm Bofors aft on the cigarette deck and a single 20mm Oerlikon forward of the bridge. She had 10 tubes and 24 torpedoes to deliver some pain to the enemy.

A little history on the Gato.... She was built by The Electric Boat Co. of Groton Conn. and was commissioned on Dec.31, 1941. Gato carried out 13 war patrols, participating in several events at Midway, Kiska, Truk, the Marshall and Gilbert Islands, support for the invasion of Okinawa and was present for the surrender ceremonies at Tokyo Bay. She was decommissioned on March 16,1946 and sold for scrap on July 25, 1960.

I have to say that the Nautilus resin weapons set gave me fits trying to assemble them. The parts are not marked, have a ton of flash and junk attached to them. A couple of barrels were bent and some of the 20 mm guns were broken off. The 40 mm Bofors gun and mount are incomplete and need some scratch parts to complete them. The only reason I did not return them is cause I had them for a while so I opted to deal with the mess.

I spent most of today since about 8am to 4:45 pm, Identifying, cleaninin, sanding and super gluing  the 3 guns. I still have to scratchbuild some tiny parts that either broke off during cleaning or were missing all together.

First a picture of the Trumpeter 1/144 Gato box

This is the mess I got from Nautilus

After several hours of identifying, cleaning up with a #11 blade, and careful sanding  the resin parts are looking like guns. Still, the sights on the Bofors are bent. They are vey thin and will break off if you even attempt to straighten them. I will stretch some sprue and make new ones along with other details.

I will be moving on to the conning tower construction to take a break from the resin this resin headache.

GH

How is your tower pe going? This is quite a task aligning the parts to form the T beams. 

Sounds like Nautilus need a sternly worded letter....or email. 

It's good to see you having some time to work on something for yourself. 

Steve

I thought about writing Nautilus a letter complaining about it and will do that anyway. 

EDIT: Just did.

Those resin bits do look a bit of a mess PJ, hope you get a decent response from them.

So far nothing from Nautilus about my complaint. I wish I would have paid attention earlier when I received the order instead of  putting it in the Gato's box.

I have been doing hours of surfing and reading, comparing and all the stuff needed to verify before doing any surgery on a kit.

I started assembling the framework using tweezers and thin CA to put things together.

First the pe fret

The periscope/mast frame pieces

Assembled frame. The long thin pe has to be bent and CAd to the stiffeners

The periscope tubes were cut from K&S brass tubing. The frame assembly still needs some more thin parts attached.

Looks like I have to cut down the bridge and the side plates to show her after modifications at Mare Island so off with the required surgery. The front of the bridge is easily sliced with the UMM razor saw.

Side plates get clipped

Things age beginning to fall in place. The parts match in height so eventually they will be glued together and all seams and joins sanded.

Looking great PJ  Is that a door in the side of the conning tower? The 41 kit has the same thing and all the pictures I saw had it too, but what is that? There's no piece to fill it in.

Looking good there PJ. Interesting looking piece of PE.