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I'm considering building my 1/72 Gato RC conversion as either the SS-236 Silversides or the SS-238 Wahoo. Did Wahoo ever sport the ghost/medium grey upper colours seen so frequently on other Gatos? All my documentation shows Wahoo painted black. From a practical standpoint, a black model might be difficul to see when operating submerged.
To my knowledge, Wahoo was only ever black. (PaulC, you wanna confirm or elaborate on this?) Silversides sported camo in at least some postwar years; I'd have to do some checking to find out about wartime paint schemes, unless Tom D. knows offhand. However, Mermaid, you know of course that paint schemes will be the least of your concerns for an accurate Mare Island boat conversion. There's that conning tower shape, for starters (tapered, not rounded), and of course all those additional limber holes. Plus more minor things, like anchor well changes...
I have eventual aspirations in this direction myself, so believe me when I wish you the best of luck in blazing a trail for the rest of us!
Mike Keating is working on a Tench and has already successfully moved the anchor, it CAN be done! As for the limber holes, I' sure there will be a template (PE or other) to help out eventually...
Since I'm a relative submarine newbie, are the limber holes, those holes that were drilled in the roundover on the upper portion of superstructure just outside of the deck? If they are then I'm wanting a template to do that too. I've also noticed that the minute holes on the superstructure at the very stern are not included in Revell's gato. And to add insult to injury...it doesn't have the gun deck enlargement although it sports the 4" weapon. (that one's an easy fix though) Same goes for the propellor guards...some cyanocrylate and a coarse sanding stick will remove that unwanted detail, followed up by some clever installation of lost weld seams.
Can anyone point me to a reasonably comprehensive listing of errors/omissions in this kit? The one's I've noticed above cannot be the only ones. Like I said, I'm a submarine newbie. I'm hopelessy lost in AMS as I normally build aircraft models and they're never spot on (some worse than others).
Each Fleetboat in WWII was unique. The kit is a good representation of a mid war sub built at Electric Boat yard. The prop guards on the hull copy boats after the war, so those might not be like that during the war... in my opinion.
Also, a number of boats had wood planking on the forward gun station on the tower. The stern planes are not the best, but turn them over and they are not bad.
How a particular sub looked depended on the captain, so two boats made at the same time at the same yard might look totally different as the war progressed. This is still a beautiful kit and I am thankful that Revell has made such a kit available. Half the fun of making the kit is changing it to make it my own, so I am glad it is not perfect!
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I'm considering building my 1/72 Gato RC conversion as either the SS-236 Silversides or the SS-238 Wahoo. Did Wahoo ever sport the ghost/medium grey upper colours seen so frequently on other Gatos? All my documentation shows Wahoo painted black. From a practical standpoint, a black model might be difficul to see when operating submerged. 
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