The official Submarine Warfare Group Build 2016 - 2017

Here are some pictures as promised.

Steve

That is looking nice.

That PE really looks nice!

The fairwater looks very good Steve. The WEM PE sheet is quite a challenge to work with being so tiny.

You would be way happier with the 4" and 20mm's from Shapeways than the Nautilus versions.  Lots less work and better detail.  After seeing pics of PJ's I had to  order them out, and they are SUPER. Quick shipping too. After her overhaul, she had 20's fore and aft of the bridge and on the aft deck gun mount.  4" on the forward mount. 

Tower looks good, I gave up on the shears PE and am going with just the radar setup as you did.

Hopefully can get back to her in a couple of weeks, but doubt I'll get the base done by the end of the build, so will be on a stand for the time being.

Oh God!! Whatever you do Steve DO NOT get the Nautilus guns. They are junk. He gave me the runaround  for a refund and refused to cover the shipping charges. My set had bent and broken barrels and globs of resin for details. 

I highly recommend the 3D printed guns from Shapeways. The level of details is just mind blowing.

Thanks guys for the input, it is really appreciated. 

Too late for the Nautilus guns....... I had ordered them a few years ago and I was going to use them. However, the 4" deck gun is okay looking and the 20mms were unless. So, I just purchased the Shapeway guns to replace all of them. Man, at least in the pictures, they look beautiful! After seeing PJ's photos, I was sold! They won't arrive any earlier than 06 June, so it gives me time to finish up the hull, etc...

I am also going to use Tamiya's NATO Black since I really like the look of it as well as the usual oil treatment. 

I was thinking of using EZ line around the fairwater but I will try the WE PE first to see if I can form the railings. I like the WE PE even if it is on the small side, although the 1/350 scale PE I have used makes this look gianormous. 

Steve

My Gato is completed and I'm very pleased how it came out. The WEM pe set really dresses up the shears and the Shapeways 3D printed guns are a must to include. It's amazing how the lint magnifies over the black paint in the closeups but not as visible to the naked eye.

The paint was a combo of Panzer Grey, RLM 70 and Tamiya Nato Black sprayed in layers to replicate a worn Measure 9 scheme. The weathering was a combo of artist's oils and my home made oil washes. Double click on the pictures for closeups!

Steve, please use the first picture for the completed page listing. Thanks for letting me part take in this GB.

PJ- You just sank my Gato.......Very, very well done.

D.-  Glad you decided to go with the Shapeways guns, you won't be disappointed.

Fantastic build PJ 

The weathering if fantastic and the PE/AM just looks great.

Thank you for joining in. As always you're a great addition to any GB.

I'll put pic #1 on the wall.

Just got you up and noticed I didn't have you on the roster 

All corrected now.

Thanks GH and Steve!

Nice work on the Gato PlasticJunkie!

The rust looks great. I'm going to have to learn how to do that on my 

Hunley.

Not much to show on the Hunley. I've been Sanding the seams and the bow.

I put a thick coat of primer on today.

The bow is turing out ok.

I've started drilling out the dead lights. The kit comes with clear lenses for them, But I think I'll end up using crystal clear. 

Hopefully I'll get to restart assembally soon.

Thanks mach, nothing to it. It's just artist oil paints.

The Hunley is shaping up!

The Hunley is way bigger than I invisioned.

It is MUCH bigger that I thought also.

This is the mid section Hunly as she sits now. 

You can use the ladder for a sense of scale.

They have 2 hull sections built that people can sit in.

Once I got in, there was much more room that I espected.

I think I'm ready to start construction on the Hunley. 

I have to replace some rivets that were sanded away.

2 ways come to mind.

Use some CA glue to make the rivets. This might not be very uniform.

Or use some cut streatched sprue. This might be difficult as my eyes suck!

I'm kind of leaning towards the CA glue unless anyone has a better idea.

Thanks

Mark

Try some drops of white glue. You can wipe them away if they don't go on streight.

Thanks, Thats a good idea.

Aleene's Tacky Glue Gel is a bit thicker giving you more control.

Another good idea. That got me thinking, Maybe Micro Krystal Klear would work

well. I'll try it.

I used the kristal klear. I think it came out ok, I'll see after another coat of primer.

I'll let it set up before I hit it with paint again.

Looks good from here. 

PJ,

Your Gato is a thing of beauty sir! 

Mach, 

Your Hunley is looking great.

Update on my Gato: I received the Shapeway 4" deck gun and it is awesome. However, I received an email stating they cannot make the 20mms......  argh. The only 20mm that I can clean up from the Nautilus bunch are the twin 20's. I might do a "what if" Wahoo with the twins...... Or just leave off the 20's until I can figure out another way.

Otherwise, the hull and deck are glued and the railing on the sail is complete. Did anyone else have issues with the portion of the deck not mating correctly just aft of the deck gun? I have had to fill with Green putty. It was only on the starboard side, the port side fit perfectly. Probably user error.

So, when I get back from my trip, I am going to get her done.

Steve

Steve

Thanks for the kind words. I can't imagine why the 20s can't be made? I got some from them. Stefan and another individual make them.

Finally getting around to this with just over a month left. I was planning on doing a Micro Mir 1/35 kit of the Turtle but I've got other plans now for this kit. Instead I'll be working Micro Mir's 1/350 kit of the Thresher/Permit class SSN. Good thing there's not a lot of parts to a nuke boar.

kearsarge

Finally getting around to this with just over a month left. I was planning on doing a Micro Mir 1/35 kit of the Turtle but I've got other plans now for this kit. Instead I'll be working Micro Mir's 1/350 kit of the Thresher/Permit class SSN. Good thing there's not a lot of parts to a nuke boar.

 

 

I updated the roster. It will be nice to add an earler USN nuke to the wall.

Alright, back from a wonderful vacation and ready to finish my Wahoo. I received an email from Stefan, saying that he fixed whatever issue they were having with the 20mms. Hopefully they will get mailed soon. Therefore, I'll fix the gap I have on the starboard side decking and then start getting some paint on her. 

Like a large number of us, I will have to find a new photo hosting site and try and grab what I can from PB.

Steve

I havent given up, Family commitments  have kept me busy for a while.

I hope to get some time this week to work on the Hunley.

One thing I have not figured out yet is the Propeller shroud. It is 

photo etch and in 2 pieces. There will be a lot of forces acting on the 2 joins.

I'm thinking CA wont hold them togther, the same with solder. Maybe silver solder.

Does anyone have any sugestions?

Cut a strip of 0.015 sheet plastic maybe 2x the circumference of the shroud.  Wrap it around a metal tube smaller than the shroud diameter, tape it down then plunge into near boiling water.  Wait about 30 seconds then run under cold water.  Cut the strip to correct length and glue in place.  HTH