USS Gato SS212 Submarine 1944

Nautilus makes the resin conning tower to show the Wahoo in '42.  Other then that any differences would armament and limberholes. The holes would be easy to do from a couple pics and White Ensign makes any guns you'd need and a PE set.  I heard Iron Bottom Sound has some stuff in the works as well and Nautilus is planning more conversions.  I not as really into ships as I seem.  I'm just big on 1/144 so I've really been following this. 

Great. I dont know how to work with resin. :(

 And whats a PE set?

There is nothing magical or mystical about resin,  excepth that it does not react to normal modeling cements.   You must use cyanoacrylate (CA or 'SuperGlue') or epoxy to attach parts.   Resin cuts with most modeling tools,   sands with most modeling sanding tools, and paints with most model paints.  Resin has the added benefit of being softened and repositioned with hot water.  Resin is able to take fine details,  beter than some injected plastic kits.  Some may claim it to be expensive,  but the costs are quite reasonable for a limited-run item where the production run is measured in tens of units versus thousands of units for an injected plastic kit.

PE stands for photo-etch.    A pattern is etched out of a piece of metal; usually brass, but often nickle-silver or stainless steel.  The etched metal allows finer details than either resin or injected plastic will allow.   Photoetch technolgy is an outgrowth of the printed circuitboard industry.  Photoetched material is flat and must be bent to acheive 3-dimensional objects.   On aircraft models PE may be used to make antennas,  cockpit details, weapon details, or structural items such as jet engine exhaust dampers (i.e. turkey feathers).   On armor models PE is often seen as ammo stowage boxes,  machine gun cradles, realistically thin fenders and brush guards, and surface applique details.   On ships,  photoetch is most often seen as railings and radar screens.   These items cannot be mass manufactured by other means which will capture their light and airyness.

This is a scan of the PE set manufactured by Nautilus Models for their 1:178 scale Revell USS Lionfish conversions 

And In light of the Wahoo discovery I think I will brave into aftermarket parts.

 Although from looking at Wahoo Photos it looks like the 1941 version would be a better start.

CA or epoxy.  Same for permenantly attaching the PE to either resin or plastic.  

White glue can be used on either to tack the parts in place - then go back & lay in a bead of glue to make it permenant.

CA (Krazy Glue, Super Glue, Zap, etc.) are effective in assembling models, whether the parts be made from plastic, resin, or metal.   However,  CA is a tool.  Like all tools you need to learn how to use them correctly and efficiently.   In your case with the prop and CA, I can't tell you what you did wrong.   Perhaps too much glue,  perhaps too little glue,  perhaps a dirty, ill-fitting joint,  perhaps it moved before the CA set,  perhaps the CA set before the parts were joined, perhaps it was old or poor quality CA.   CA has worked for me making similar repairs.  It is technique,  Technique can be explained, but it must also be practiced and perfected. 

Perhaps before you invest in the Gato kit and a similar amount in the Nautilus aftermarket resin conning tower you should invest in a learning kit or two.   Get the Gato & build it out of the box,  but use CA instead of solvent glue.   Next get an inexpensive resin kit and build it.   This one, for example, costs less than the Nautilus conning tower

http://www.finescale.com/fsm/objects/pdf/fpb040422.pdf

And will give you experience in both resin and photoetch assembly.

CrazyGlue and most of the brands that you get at the hardware store are generally too thick and cure too fast to be used for resin modeling.  Look for thin, medium, and thick CA glues under brands like ZAP or house brands sold at hobby stores in 1oz and 2oz bottles.

Since I live far from any hobby store, I have been lucky with using Lock Tite brand superglue sold at just about any chain hardware or department store. Lock Tite CA comes in a neat 1oz applicator that last quite a while before it starts to clog up.   They also make a brush on liquid that I just tried that seems to work great in really tight areas.

 Like Ed said though, using CA takes practice, touch, and feel.  It is like painting and you need to develope a technique through experimentation.   I started with a few 1/350 airplane kits from White Ensign and a 1/350 tugboat from Corsair Armada to get the feel on how resin works without sacrifing a lot of costs in case I didn't like it.  Resin is different, especially when incorporating it with styrene, brass, and even wood, but after you work with it, will find that it has some really good qualitites that styrene lacks.

 Scott

EdGrune wrote:

CA (Krazy Glue, Super Glue, Zap, etc.) are effective in assembling models, whether the parts be made from plastic, resin, or metal.   However,  CA is a tool.  Like all tools you need to learn how to use them correctly and efficiently.   In your case with the prop and CA, I can't tell you what you did wrong.   Perhaps too much glue,  perhaps too little glue,  perhaps a dirty, ill-fitting joint,  perhaps it moved before the CA set,  perhaps the CA set before the parts were joined, perhaps it was old or poor quality CA.   CA has worked for me making similar repairs.  It is technique,  Technique can be explained, but it must also be practiced and perfected.  Perhaps before you invest in the Gato kit and a similar amount in the Nautilus aftermarket resin conning tower you should invest in a learning kit or two.   Get the Gato & build it out of the box,  but use CA instead of solvent glue.   Next get an inexpensive resin kit and build it.   This one, for example, costs less than the Nautilus conning tower

I plan to try resin with the Gato 1941 because I have a old Apachie I can work on. Allthough I cant finish it because there missing parts. It will still be good training.

How hard is it to work with PE parts?

PE is not hard to work with, but does require a different mindset and practice.  Unlike plastic modeling where all your parts are 3D, you are taking parts that are 1D and making a 3D part.  This requires some planning and some foresight by studying the plans, pictures, and then visualizing the finished part in your mind.

I found that building with PE was a lot like rigging a sailing ship.  It requires practice in learning how to plan where the parts are to go, working in steps, and then learning the finese of cutting, folding, glueing, and mounting the parts.  Like any new techique, it requires a learning curve and pracitce.  A small resing model like what Ed suggested would be a good started for using PE as well.

 Scott - PE Newbie

 Good for you. Go for it!

You asked around and got the best info you could. Now you've made a decision. Ultimately that's what we all have to do.

And don't wory about failing. You can't! It'll be a fun learning experience, no matter what. You'll learn about model building, history and the technology. And, it'll give you pleasure and satisfaction.

Never forget, the only person who never fails, or screws up somethnig, is the person who never tries anything new or different. There's an old truism that goes, "Your last model will seldom be as good as your next."

Mike K.

Agianst all advice I am going to dive in head first into my Wahoo project.

Congradulations, you are now just like any number of us who, despite the odds, take on the challange.   Keep us abrest of your progress.

Scott

scottrc wrote:

Agianst all advice I am going to dive in head first into my Wahoo project.   Congradulations, you are now just like any number of us who, despite the odds, take on the challange.   Keep us abrest of your progress. Scott

Thank you. In modling I belive if you put your hart and sole ito a project you can do anything.

And I wll keep you informed with my progress but because I dont have a Digicam there wont be any pic's till the end

Thank you. In modling I belive if you put your hart and sole ito a project you can do anything.

you can do anything with deer and fish?  ;-p

Websters Online Dictionary  

Main Entry: hart
Pronunciation: 'härt
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English hert, from Old English heort; akin to Latin cervus hart, Greek keras horn --
chiefly British : the male of the red deer especially when over five years old

Main Entry: ¹sole
Pronunciation: 'sOl
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin solea sandal, a flatfish
: any of various flatfishes (family Soleidae) having a small mouth, small or rudimentary fins, and small eyes placed close together and including important food fishes (as the European Dover sole); also : any of various mostly market flatfishes (as lemon sole) of other families (as Pleuronectidae)

For my Wahoo modle I need a color photo of her. It it posible to get one. If so can you post the sight or pic itself.

Thanks in advance Navy1941.