GATO-CLASS Submarine

Tim,
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Comments are welcome

THX

and my finger nails! Its hard to get them clean!! I work in Mercedes garage on trucks!! so that means you take 1 piece in your hand and your hands are black and full rubish and oil!!!! hehe

Greets Tim

You will fit right in with the rest of us who have dirty finger nails.  Many years of paint stains and glue marks.

At last some progress!

here are some pics of my sub in progress!

This is what Ihave so far

Made a new floor on the tower and I'm going to make a new rail for the tower!

greets TIM

One of my favourite kits, though I lucked out and got one that wasn't too warped, so not too much of a putty monster.

 Nice decks!

Looking pretty impressive, Tim.

Nautilus Models is comming out with early fairwater configurations for the conning tower so I was planning on doing mine as the Growler in her first configuration. They already have the early .50 machine gun mount available now.

Now I'm considering doing it as the Tautog as she was durring the Pearl Harbor attack. Differences between Gato and Tambor classes seem to be slight but I need to do a little more research.

"Nautilus Models is comming out with early fairwater configurations for the conning tower so I was planning on doing mine as the Growler in her first configuration. They already have the early .50 machine gun mount available now."

Here is what the pattern looks like at the moment:

The 3"50 gun will be changed to a different mark of gun, since Nautilus is planning to market this set as the Wahoo, as built.  Wahoo carried a Mark 7, Mod 19 gun when commissioned, which looks like this:

 Right now we're waiting on some dry transfer rivets to add the rivet pattern to the outside of the sail.

 "Now I'm considering doing it as the Tautog as she was durring the Pearl Harbor attack. Differences between Gato and Tambor classes seem to be slight but I need to do a little more research."

TAUTOG would require 4 scale feet being removed from the amidships section of the hull.  Other than that, and maybe a different limber hole pattern, the Tambors and Gatos were virtually the same.

Jon

Hay

There is more progress flown by now into the waves of the sea!

Before painting

• building a new railing for the tower
• make a new part for on the back! There is 1 piece missing!
• check the sub on details

here are some pics of the sub

Greets Tim

Jon, when should we expect to see that conversion you show in your post out for release?

Thanks

ironship wrote:

TAUTOG would require 4 scale feet being removed from the amidships section of the hull.  Other than that, and maybe a different limber hole pattern, the Tambors and Gatos were virtually the same.

Yup, I've been scrounging Tambor class images and contimplating how'd I take off the 4 scale feet. In 1/72 scale that's little over a half inch, right?

Thanks for the update images Jon. It looks great! 

Tim, your Gato's looking great, too!

Firecaptain wrote:

Jon, when should we expect to see that conversion you show in your post out for release?

Don't know.  As I mentioned, we're waiting on rivets to arrive for the sail, and I don't know how long it'll take for Jim to get those, and then get them to me.  Once that happens, casting should only take a week or so, but then it's up to Jim as to when he wants to let them out.  Also, I'm not sure as to where he's at with the instructions for this, or if he's got other parts that he's going to include with this set (the forward boat recesses have been mentioned for inclusion in this set).  

Aurora-7 wrote:

Yup, I've been scrounging Tambor class images and contimplating how'd I take off the 4 scale feet. In 1/72 scale that's little over a half inch, right? Thanks for the update images Jon. It looks great!

Actually, it's more like 2/3 inch (48/72 = .66666).  The place to remove it from would probably be directly amidships, 2 scale feet to each side.  That would make the rematching of hull parts the easiest.  I don't know if this is the right place where the Gatos were added to (I think I remember reading the 4 feet were added at the engine room), but it would be the best place for a modeler.  You're welcome for the images.  BTW, the binnacle at the lower right has been discarded.  Jim found the correct drawings for it, and it has been reconstructed.  The area of the hull forward of the conn position will have a fairly complete set of equipment in it.

 Also, Jim will be offering three other marks of 3" 50 cal. guns besides the Mark 7 mount (Mk. 18 SP mount, and Mk. 11 and Mk. 19 DP mounts), as well as a 5" 51 cal. Mk 18 mount for the mid-war Tambor/Gar.  He'll be doing some more research on the Tambor/Gar class to make sure what we've already come up with is correct for that conversion.  Here are those mounts:

From left to right you have the 5"51 cal., Mk. 19, Mk. 11, Mk. 18, and Mk. 7

Jon 

Thanks for the math correction, Jon. I'll sit tight for Jim's research results.

A lethal combination for WWII sub-addiction is the Revell model, Nautilus' mod kits and playing Silent Hunter IV - Pacific Wolves.  That's how I got fixated on doing the Tautog.