1/350 AFVClub I-27 Finished

...the sub looks different in the pics...in one pic it has a red hull and in some of the others it doesn't...???

The all gray one is the midget that the the other (red hull) is "mama' to.  You can see it on the big hull, just aft of the fairwater, in the last pic.

I was looking at getting this kit or the I-58. I'm looking forward to seeing the progress on this build.

goldhammer

The all gray one is the midget that the the other (red hull) is "mama' to.  You can see it on the big hull, just aft of the fairwater, in the last pic.

 

Revenant

 

goldhammer

The all gray one is the midget that the the other (red hull) is "mama' to.  You can see it on the big hull, just aft of the fairwater, in the last pic.

 

 

 

 

Oh...so the two are different scales?

 

 

Revenant

 

 

goldhammer

The all gray one is the midget that the the other (red hull) is "mama' to.  You can see it on the big hull, just aft of the fairwater, in the last pic.

 

 

 

 

Oh...so the two are different scales?

 

 

Yes, the big one is 1/350, the other is 1:350.

...and I thought AFV Club only sold tank kits!!!

Trivia:

I-27 was one of the boats which launched one of three midget subs which attacked Sydney Harbour in 1942.

M-27 (the midget sub) became entangled in anti-submarine nets just inside the harbour and was destroyed by her crew using demolition charges.

M-24 (carried by I-24) launched two torpedos, one of which sank HMAS Kuttabul, a harbour ferry acquired by the Royal Australian Navy for use as a depot ship.

M-24 was the only one of the three to exit the harbour, but it was not until 2006 that she was finally located on the sea bed off Sydney's northern beaches.

http://www.navy.gov.au/history/feature-histories/japanese-midget-submarine-attack-sydney-harbour

Wait...so these actually saw combat and weren't "paper projects"?

Yes, they launched 5 at Pearl Harbor, USS Ward sank one with a 5" through the conning tower off the entrance, USS Monahan rammed one in the harbor.  Both were also depth charged.  One washed up on the beach and the survivor was the first Japanese POW (that one is now on display at the Pacific War Museum in Fredricksberg, TX).  I think they have now accunted for all 5. One was found with both torpedos expended, and there is some controversy over a captured Japanese photo taken from the air that shows a couple of extra torpedo tracks over drop splashes from Kates, and possible conning tower and "roostertails" from the prop as they were launched.  So it is possible that one did get in and fire and get back out. 

Later in the war they also had manned "kamakazi" torps.

The US was about the only country that did not have midgets of one sort or another during the war.

goldhammer

Yes, they launched 5 at Pearl Harbor, USS Ward sank one with a 5" through the conning tower off the entrance, USS Monahan rammed one in the harbor.  Both were also depth charged.  One washed up on the beach and the survivor was the first Japanese POW (that one is now on display at the Pacific War Museum in Fredricksberg, TX).  I think they have now accunted for all 5. One was found with both torpedos expended, and there is some controversy over a captured Japanese photo taken from the air that shows a couple of extra torpedo tracks over drop splashes from Kates, and possible conning tower and "roostertails" from the prop as they were launched.  So it is possible that one did get in and fire and get back out. 

Later in the war they also had manned "kamakazi" torps.

The US was about the only country that did not have midgets of one sort or another during the war.

 

Yes, 31 May/1 June '42, as per the article and pics in the link above.  Two sunk in harbor and one outside was found a few years ago. 

goldhammer

Yes, 31 May/1 June '42, as per the article and pics in the link above.  Two sunk in harbor and one outside was found a few years ago. 

 

I just saw a docu's on that last week. I've seen the one about Pearl a couple time...I still giggle hearing "Peg Bundy" as the narrator! 

goldhammer

Yes, they launched 5 at Pearl Harbor, USS Ward sank one with a 5" through the conning tower off the entrance, USS Monahan rammed one in the harbor.  Both were also depth charged.  One washed up on the beach and the survivor was the first Japanese POW (that one is now on display at the Pacific War Museum in Fredricksberg, TX).  I think they have now accunted for all 5. One was found with both torpedos expended, and there is some controversy over a captured Japanese photo taken from the air that shows a couple of extra torpedo tracks over drop splashes from Kates, and possible conning tower and "roostertails" from the prop as they were launched.  So it is possible that one did get in and fire and get back out. 

Later in the war they also had manned "kamakazi" torps.

The US was about the only country that did not have midgets of one sort or another during the war.

 

Carried two, in an over/under configuration in front of the conning tower. If you look close at thebow and the PE you can just see the tips of the warheads.

Revenant

hmmmmm...it doesn't look big enough to carry torpedoes...

Was not much more than torpedos, two sailors, and the engine, so they were small. 

They were not meant for independant operation, but from a mother ship of some sort.

Even before the Kamikaze forces were raised up, there was a pretty much understodd situation in which these operated in a mostly one-way attack mode.

Side note--in the new Nicholas Cage version of the sining of the USS Indianapolis, the movie producers, in classic Nick Cage historical accuracy form, introduced Kaiten, the specifically one-way versions of these midget subs.

Been a little while on this one...broke it back out today...

Main assembly finished up, as well as some paint...still got all the fiddly bits yet to do.

Mounted on the plaque, so I don't have to handle the model itself.

Does anybody know of a good, clear diagram for the rigging/antennas? The only thing I've found any kind of useful, was another build...that only gets me so far though.

...box-art?  Or the one you did w the baby torpedoes on it...

Getting much closer now!

Got the rigging/antennas done...still have the plane to do as well as some weathering.

fermis

Getting much closer now!

Got the rigging/antennas done...still have the plane to do as well as some weathering.

 

 

 

 

Oh, the baby sub is on backwards...

Revenant

 

 

Wow.  How did you construct that circular rigging??? 

 

Oh, the baby sub is on backwards...

 

I'll get to the rigging explanation later...I'm burned out and ready to hit the sack.

AS far as the midget...everything I found showed em facing backwards.

fermis

 

 

Revenant

 

 

Wow.  How did you construct that circular rigging??? 

 

Oh, the baby sub is on backwards...

 

 

 

 

I'll get to the rigging explanation later...I'm burned out and ready to hit the sack.

AS far as the midget...everything I found showed em facing backwards.

 

 

 

Looks fabulous so far!

Am I not seeing correctly or are the props missing?

I too am curious as to how you did the antenna insulators/separators? They really add to the overall great look you've created here.

1943Mike

Looks fabulous so far!

Am I not seeing correctly or are the props missing?

I too am curious as to how you did the antenna insulators/separators? They really add to the overall great look you've created here.

 

 

Props not on yet.

For that antenna...I started by wraping a coil of fine copper wire around a drill bit, slid the coil off the bit and sliced it with a blade, creating the rings. I made a bracket out of sprue, CAed a length of stretched sprue across the bracket and CAed the rings to that...like so...

Things were going great, I was on the 6th and final line when I fumbled and destroyed the whole thing.....5 hours, down the drain.

Attempt #2....I used aluminum tubing to hold the rings. CA the stretched sprue to the tube, well beyond the rings, at each end...then just dab CA to the sprue where it meets a ring...repeat...

After all the spots are glued, cut the ends of the lines, slide it right off, CA the ends together and add another length of stretched sprue to the ends.

Got the plane built today. Tedious! 16 pieces total.

Antenna is stretched sprue, as is the antenna wire...may or may not be able to see it in the pics...it's about 1/10th the width of my hair.

fermis

Got the plane built today. Tedious! 16 pieces total.

Antenna is stretched sprue, as is the antenna wire...may or may not be able to see it in the pics...it's about 1/10th the width of my hair.

 

 

 

 

 

Revenant

Are those bombs under the wings???

 

Yes...they're quite basic...but considering they're a wee bit shy of 2mm's long...can't really complain!

All done!

I'll get pics posted tomorrow...until then...