Photos of my Scratchbuilt 1/72 Gato - Enjoy!

[jdbostrom]

Here are some pictures of the Gato. Its amazing... I just painted it and it already looks like it hasn't been painted in over a year



You like my stand? Kinda pricey though. 12x24 of that diamond cut aluminum is about 25 bucks. Looks cool though.
Oh, and the stand has spotlights in it too.




As you can see here, I removed my control surfaces for some modifications. The props are not in this shot either and the drive shafts need to be cut down.



In this shot you can see a gap here and there where deck meets hull. I am planning on fixing that this winter while the water is solid.



Stern weathering. At the Regatta I had several people ask if "the whole thing was made out of metal"... they where shocked when I told them it was fiberglass.



Here is the new drive system configuration.

[jdbostrom]

http://www.81x.com/Authors/JDBostrom/web5.JPG

The finished WTC.

http://www.81x.com/Authors/JDBostrom/web1.JPG

Well, not quite



The finished WTC.



Well, not quite finished. You can see I still need to attach the air hose to the air pump.



Okay, this is a rough sketch of what I have in mind for my video system. However there are several things I need to change already as I look at it.







The idea is to conceal the unscale looking periscope head inside of the deck gun. Oh okay, the deck gun doesn't look scale anymore either. The deck gun assembly will then be able to rotate about 315 degrees, panning the camera.


Well, that's it!

Please let me know what you think!

Jonathan

[mylo]

What do I think ??



What do I think ??

Fantastic. Fantastic job on that Gato. Keep the thread updated with your progress and "how to" tips.

Mylo

[captain nemo12]

Way to go JD!!! http://www.subcommittee.com/forum/icon_biggrin.gif

Way to go JD!!! Simply oustanding. You know, if I can ever get my U-boat down to the States one day, I'd like to engage in classic U-boat VS Gato combat!

[anonymous]

I love it! Lets see

I love it! Lets see it in the water out doors soon!

Steve

[horribleharry]

There's something all warm and

There's something all warm and fuzzy about a weatherbeaten sub!
Nice work!
HarrytheHorrible

[mylo]

I'd like to see that

I'd like to see that Gato vs. U-Boat battle.

Tubes one and two.......fire !!!


Myles

[tmsmalley]

Nice work Jonathon. Many of

Nice work Jonathon. Many of us old geezers several times your age couldn't come close to that level of work.

With your video system, remember that the gun's barrel will block the bottom coverage of the lens unless you tilt the barrel down a little and tip the prism back a little - which might spoil your view. Just a thought.

Jonathon at the recent SubRegatta in Carmel Indiana. Judging by the sign, he obviously has no regards for following rules





Edited By TMSmalley on 1124976530

[jdbostrom]

Thanks guys, I appreciate your

Thanks guys, I appreciate your kind remarks.


Mr. Smalley,
Yes, I have been thinking about how to counter that problem. Thanks for the suggestions!

Speaking of the prism..... does anyone know of a good source for small prisms (besides cameras).


Thanks,
Jonathan

PS - Steve,
Can't you see how great it would look with some good weld lines on the hull?



Edited By JDBostrom on 1124977876

[anonymous]

Nice work Jonathon. Many of

Nice work Jonathon. Many of us old geezers several times your age couldn't come close to that level of work.

With your video system, remember that the gun's barrel will block the bottom coverage of the lens unless you tilt the barrel down a little and tip the prism back a little - which might spoil your view. Just a thought.

Jonathon at the recent SubRegatta in Carmel Indiana. Judging by the sign, he obviously has no regards for following rules

Hey Tim,

Who are you calling an old geezer?!! You old geezer!! LOL!!!!

But your right. So true. But you Tim? Naaaaaahhhhh. You do very well for a vintage builder! Ha!

Steve



Edited By U812 on 1124998425

[jdbostrom]

Well, a little disapointment... this

Well, a little disapointment... this evening I talked to Rick Galinson about his video periscope and found out how much it would really cost to do the video periscope (prism, lenses, etc.) A little bit out of my budget. Sooo.... the whole camera goes into the deck gun . If I'm not careful this deck gun is going look like it came of the Missouri or something.

Will keep you posted,
Jonathan

[liftmys10]

Hey, nice job man!!! Which

Hey, nice job man!!! Which program are you using for 3d drawing?? Is that Rhino?

[jdbostrom]

Thanks!

Actually its a program called

Thanks!

Actually its a program called Anim8or (www.anim8or.com). It's pretty simple, but it works.

Jonathan

[jdbostrom]

Well here's the latest update]http://www.81x.com/Authors/JDBostrom/camwtc7.jpg

I

Well here's the latest update]http://www.81x.com/Authors/JDBostrom/camwtc7.jpg[/img]

I have debated whether I will use the singe barrel or twin barrel arrangement. I just decided though that however unscale, I am going to do the twin barrels. Don't worry though this deck gun will normally only be mounted when the boat is in the water. When on display there will be a standard Gato deck gun in its place.

Also, here is my new cylinder design]http://www.81x.com/Authors/JDBostrom/web12.jpg[/img]





Jonathan