1:350 SS-571 Nautilus Kits?

There are no other Cold War ear American boats "still on patrol".  There are, however, quite a few Soviet boats lost, and a French boat of the diesel Rubis class.  I am not sure of others besides those of both world wars. 

Bill

Nice to see some of the classes of nukes coming out.  As to the thought of Thresher kits then, at the time of her loss, the "Silent Service" was even quieter than it is now.  At the height of the cold war, nothing was released and hull plans and drawings were tightly controlled. Secrets were kept better then.  Not like the net and computer hackers of today.

We know of the Thresher and Scorpion and it would be nice to see builds of them, honoring the crews.  Can't help but wonder if there are any other boats still out there we have not heard of yet......

JUst a quick note to add to this thread . . . Since the last post, Micro-Mir has released the USS Lafayette (SSBN 616), the Soviet/Russian Beluga, and is soon releasing (or has released) the HMS Resolution class SSBN.  Brandon informed me that the Reso should be available when he receives his next shipment.  I cannot wait!

On another note, Micro-Mir is venturing in the realm of 1/144 scale submarines with the USS Thresher and USS Permit.  These are appearing on EBay as "Modelles-Vit" brand kits; I am not sure if they are the same company.  Once again, they released the Thresher near the anniversary of her loss (April 10).

What a time to be a submarine modeler!

Bill

jtilley

It's worth noting that (according to Dr. Graham's history of Revell) that old Revell kit was released in 1953 - months before the real Nautilus was launched. The kit designers had no idea of what the real thing would look like; the plans were strictly classified. Three plastic kit companies, Revell, Aurora, and Lindberg, raced each other to get a model of her on the hobby shelves. According to Dr. Graham, Aurora guessed a little better than the other two, but none of them would qualify as a scale model today. But it's an interesting museum piece in the history of plastic kits.

The Revell kit, however, was one of the company's best sellers well into the 1960s.

The designers made it a little more sophisticated-looking than the competition by adding the Loon missile, launcher, and "hangar" tank - none of which the real Nautilus ever carried.

Model Maniac

This is my SS-571 1:350 from Pit Road. No plastic - resin and metal only (priced at 6000 Yen):

falconbbs.com/m82-011.jpg

I got it second-handed from an American friend named Steve who came to Thailand several years ago, but I just had it built and shown earlier this month in this page:

falconbbs.com/model82a.htm

This is my SS-571 1:350 from Pit Road. No plastic - resin and metal only (priced at 6000 Yen):

falconbbs.com/m82-011.jpg

I got it second-handed from an American friend named Steve who came to Thailand several years ago, but I just had it built and shown earlier this month in this page:

falconbbs.com/model82a.htm

Sprue,

My pleasure!

Bill

jtilley

...................SS-181 was the Pampano, which was lost in the Pacific during World War II.

Lindberg even managed to get the hull number wrong. SS-181 was the Pampano, which was lost in the Pacific during World War II.

jtilley

Here's an ad that will clear the sinuses of Olde Phogies like me: www.oldmodelkits.com/index.php .

If I remember right, the thing originally sold for a dollar - maybe less.

Dig that sharkmouth, man!

And here's the Lindberg competition - with both a missile and a deck gun! What more could one ask for?

http://www.oldmodelkits.com/index.php?detail=12008&searchtext=nautilus&erl=Lindberg-Nautilus-Atomic-Submarine-704

LOL..........Now I am inspired !  If I get an old kit for cheap at a swap meet, I may add the shark mouth from an old Me-110 decal sheet.

They were definitely adding more "play value" with that addition.

Here's an ad that will clear the sinuses of Olde Phogies like me: www.oldmodelkits.com/index.php .

If I remember right, the thing originally sold for a dollar - maybe less.

Dig that sharkmouth, man!

And here's the Lindberg competition - with both a missile and a deck gun! What more could one ask for? http://www.oldmodelkits.com/index.php?detail=12008&searchtext=nautilus&erl=Lindberg-Nautilus-Atomic-Submarine-704

Hokey

LOL I built it when I was 9-10 late '50s. Plastic with a LOT of glue all over it. 

LOL.........one of the side benefits of tube glue...................the maker's finger prints embedded in the model- forever providing proof of ownership........

jtilley

......... Aurora guessed a little better than the other two, but none of them would qualify as a scale model today. But it's an interesting museum piece in the history of plastic kits.

I built that AURORA kit under the Sea Wolf variation during the 1960s.............unfortunately, it did not survive my first move - a fate which befell most of my assembled kits.

I am surprised by the Loon on the Revell kit as my AURORA sub had an all in one , very crude multi stage missile and launcher 

.

FWIW........a photo of the AURORA Nautilus- dunno how long it will remain viewable

http://www.gasolinealleyantiques.com/kits/images/Boat/aurora-nautilus1.JPG

LOL I built it when I was 9-10 late '50s. Plastic with a LOT of glue all over it. Loved subs ever since!

It's worth noting that (according to Dr. Graham's history of Revell) that old Revell kit was released in 1953 - months before the real Nautilus was launched. The kit designers had no idea of what the real thing would look like; the plans were strictly classified. Three plastic kit companies, Revell, Aurora, and Lindberg, raced each other to get a model of her on the hobby shelves. According to Dr. Graham, Aurora guessed a little better than the other two, but none of them would qualify as a scale model today. But it's an interesting museum piece in the history of plastic kits.

The Revell kit, however, was one of the company's best sellers well into the 1960s.

The designers made it a little more sophisticated-looking than the competition by adding the Loon missile, launcher, and "hangar" tank - none of which the real Nautilus ever carried.

I just received my Micro Mir kit.

It appears to be a very nicely crafted kit and the photo etch items are a bonus.

The improvements in both information and technology certainly are evident when comparing the old 1950s Revell kit with the Micro Mir kit.

I can certainly see why so many of the Micro Mir kits are sold out and I expect to buy many more of the nuclear sub kits as they are re-stocked.

.

Thanks again for the advice and info.

I honestly don't know, so I emailed the company and asked them about their history. I will post an answer when they respond.  I also asked them if they have any plans to manufacture a kit of the USS Ethan Allen (SSBN 608), my first boat.

Bill

warshipguy

...........  I also remember thinking that we would soon see a plastic model kit of her but one never materialized until the recent release by Micro-Mir. ........................Bill

I was 7 at the time and I remember the incident very well.  I also remember thinking that we would soon see a plastic model kit of her but one never materialized until the recent release by Micro-Mir. It is a shame that all the growth within our hobby comes from overseas.

Bill

warshipguy

Sprue,

Keep looking!  I am enjoying my model of the Thresher today, the 54th anniversary of her loss. May the crew rest in peace!

Bill

Sprue,

Keep looking!  I am enjoying my model of the Thresher today, the 54th anniversary of her loss. May the crew rest in peace!

Bill

I did decide to order that 1/350 Nautilus by Micro Mir as I am currently more experienced with plastic vs. resin.

I look forward to building it .

Too bad the other 1/350 Micro Mir kits of modern subs were sold out. 

Apparently, those are popular with ship builders.

Thanks for the input, guys.

Belay my last!  I just physically compared both the Yankee Models USS George Washington with that by Micro-Mir.  The Micro-Mir model is one inch longer, slightly bigger around, and has finely engraved hull opening and penetration detail both above and below the waterline.  The Yankee Models kit has better upper hull details but nothing below the waterline except the torpedo tubes.  Neither has overstated engraved hull details.

Therefore, I believe that the primary difference between the kits rests in the medium in which the kit is modeled.  If the builder prefers injection-molded plastic over resin, go with Micro-Mir. If he prefers resin over injection-molded plastic, go with the resin kit.  Both present decent models. Each requires a different set of skills.

Bill

Interesting. The photos might be of a prototype model because the recessed lines are somewhat understated on my kit.  But, I'm sure that the Blue Ridge kit is as nice as their other kits.  I have several submarine kits by the old Yankee Models, which were the now Blue Ridge kits.  The detail is nice but I question their accuracy of scale.

For example, I have the Yankee Models USS George Washington, which is a good three inches smaller than the Micro-Mir variant.  The Micro-Mir kit seems much more accurate in scale than the resin kit.  I also have the Yankee Models Soviet Akula, Alfa, and the German Type XXI, all of which are significantly smaller that than their Hobby Boss, and Bronco counterparts.  Also, the Yankee G.W. does not appear to fit in the same scale as the Dragon Ohio class submarines, but the Micro-Mir kit does.  However, I haven't done any math to determine scale accuracy; I am just going by general appearances.

Anyway, since it seems that the Micro-Mir and the Blue Ridge kits of the Nautilus are the only games in town, whichever one pleases the individual modeler is the one to go with.

Bill

I am looking at their Skate sprue shots online.

The refinement of detail and general finish of the Blue Ridge Nautilus is easily several orders of magnitude higher that that of these kits, which have pretty overstated recessed lines.

A really different kind of thing.

Micro Mir is in Ukraine. Ukraine is NOT a part of Russia. At least not this morning.

It does sound like they are in the business of selling other peoples kits, so I don't know the provenance of those US boats. Good to hear that they look good.

My personal wish list is USS Triton SSRN-586, USS John C. Calhoun SSBN-630 and USS Simon Bolivar SSBN-641.

I forgot to add that these kits come with some photo etch parts. In the case of the Skipjack and later, the propeller is the only photo etch part. But, five-bladed and seven-bladed propellers are included.  The Nautilus and the Skate, however, comes with very well-detailed photo etch decks, propellers, hand rails, radars, and other miscellaneous parts.  I just dry-fitted the Nautilus parts; the fit is very good.  Masts and antennae seem somewhat simplistic at first glance until a cursory check of the instructions revealed that those miscellaneous photo etch parts are to detail them.  There are also parts for the hydraulic struts to the bow planes. The photo etch anchors are realistically depicted and are actually in several parts.

The only negatives that I can find are that there is some minor flash to deal with, and that the lower hull detailing is too lightly engraved.  Other than that, these are very nice kits of previously unavailable submarines.  And, Micro-Mir has also released some early Soviet-era boats. I also got the Whiskey for my collection.

Man, what a great time to be a ship modeller!

Bill

Oh, well.  I can now build most classes of USN nuclear boats.  I forgot to mention that Micro-Mir also makes the L. Mendel Rivers, another Sturgeon variant.  Now, if they would only manufacture a kit of my first boat . . . USS Ethan Allen SSBN/SSN 608 and the other classes of the original "42 For Freedom".  Given their recent release of the USS George Washington, I have no doubt that they will do so.

Bill