1/72nd Revell Gato Wolfpack

[PaulC]

Re: 1/72nd Revell Gato Wolfpack

Here's the port side with a shot of primer after following the same procedure as the starboard. That's what I call a Mare Island built, Portsmouth plans, Gato-class bow.

Still some refining on the holes necessary but the majority of the work is done. I'm waiting for a tube of trusty Nitrostan 9001 to finish up. The generic red filler I've been using just isn't the same.

[ober freak]

Re: 1/72nd Revell Gato Wolfpack

Well done Paul!

I have drilled and filed up my bow section, too.


After that I examined pictures to get some evidence if EB style boats also had that mesh at the bottom, but didn't found anything except one big maybe.
But what I figured out is Puffer was the first Manitowoc build with the spoon style shutters.
So there are 2 ways left, build ahead Puffer and let the shutters as is, or switch to another boat.

As I didn't ran into space problems between my anchor well and the dive plane area, I think the MI style boats where the 1 or 2 frames, Paul figured out, longer or had the dive planes that farther behind.

Marco

[ober freak]

Re: 1/72nd Revell Gato Wolfpack

Today I found those holes at the bottom on Gar and Hawkbill, so the EB Gato´s should have them to.
With that in mind, I drilled them.


Marco

[boomerfunker]

Re: 1/72nd Revell Gato Wolfpack

Glad you guys are getting all that bow work figured out. It will make my life easier when I start work down there.
Meanwhile up in the shears...

Trigger had most, but not all, of the original hull plating removed from the periscope shears over the course of her refits. The very front and a little around the sides was left intact I presume for hydrodynamic reasons. I used thin sheet styrene to replicate this and put it back on my models shears. It was easier to do in four parts and blend them in. I pre-curved the two front pieces a little then carefully clamped and glued them in when I got the shapes right. It's thin stuff so the abuse of getting all four in there put some nicks and dings on them. The deeper ones got putty but the lighter dings I'll leave and call dishing.




The next part was to get the radar bracing put in. I had to build a little shelf for the bottom of the top one to sit on and carved out a channel shaped evergreen strip to represent it. The bottom one is a Plastistruct ladder with some of the rungs removed. They both are pretty close to my references and better yet I already had them in hand. They are just wedged in here for the photo until later permanent installation of the radar mast.



Another prominent feature up here is the searchlight. Once again I thought a simple adaptation of the kit part would suffice. Nope. The kit part is horrible. Maybe they were trying to replicate the corrugated looking housing on the prototype searchlight but it just reeks. I myself tried to replicate that look on my subsequent scatch-mod but I couldn't get the effect fine enough for the scale so the can stays smooth.

I made mine out of aluminum tubing. There is a brass one on the inside down enough so that a clear lens can rest on it flush with the top. As I was looking around for a suitable source of clear lens plastic I happened upon my badge for the 2008 Subregatta and that seemed to fit the bill.




I rounded off the back of the can with some Milliput and a coating of thin CA to make a hard shell. I thought about how to replicate the signaling louvers and hit upon using brass P/E deck railings for 1/350 scale ships. (Also had on hand). I glued in on with superglue and some Future floor wax for clarity.



My reference picture shows a flat plate mounted in front of the searchlight post. I presume it was to deflect water around it so as not to bend it as the ship moved along underwater. I replicated the plate with more channel strip and the bolts with some Archer decals. These decals are actual hemispheres so they have height. They worked really well here and I plan to use lines of them to replace some that have gone missing with the conning tower modifications.



I used the kit searchlight bracket I just snipped it away from the kit can. I had just originally superglued it to the can but in the course of trying to fit in the lens it broke apart, I knew it would never hold up to running submerged. So, I got out the superfine drill bits and ran a wire through all points. Thank you Opti-Visor! Technically I could have left it "posable" but I glued it all down for strength.



This turned into quite a little project. Lens with louvers in, louver handle on and another one on the back. Quick shot of primer and there ya go. Kit part also shown...uck.



I took a quick shot at trying to fashion the "hula-hoops" the lookout held onto at their stations. I may have chosen a slightly over of scale wire to do this but I want it to be strong. I made some basic loops on a mandrel and with a lot of help from some third hand clamps and some heat sinks I got all three points soldered into a passable representation. I haven't tried to fit it anywhere yet. This is a test, this is only a test.






Getting all five of these done and in place is next, then I start moving down to the bridge deck level and details in that area.

Meanwhile I had to organize myself a little better as I was just getting buried and my work area getting smaller and smaller. I made a wrench holder similar for what you might purchase from a "micro" tool catalog, but for pennies. Also when I found I couldn't reach my dang toothpicks as glue was oozing out the tube I decided I needed a consumables caddy too. Old dog prescription vials and some MDF. Some say the word "genius" is overused but feel free to use it if you like...

[jefftytoo]

Re: 1/72nd Revell Gato Wolfpack

Genius sounds right to me.

I swear, you and Crozier (and others) seem to exist for the sole purpose of making the rest of us look bad.

Serious congrats, shipmate. May your searchlight illuminate your way through the rest of this remarkable build...

Green board,
JeffP

[PaulC]

Re: 1/72nd Revell Gato Wolfpack

Marco, looking good! You seemed to drill those out much faster than I did.

Tom, that's one awesome searchlight. Almost makes me sad that Wahoo didn't have one like it on her third patrol. Almost.

Good to see how you tackled the forward shears' fairing. Got to do that myself. Tom was kind enough to send me his shears mold and a spare part, both of which I received this weekend. So I decided it was a great time to stop and take a beauty shot with the boat's sub-assemblies taped together. To see how the work was contributing to the overall project. She's definitely starting to look like Wahoo.



Never mind the limber hole markings on the side of the superstructure. They were marked using the Nautilus limber template which has been relegated to the scrap heap. Once those are done (correctly) things will really start to pop. But I'm very pleased with how the bow mods contribute to the overall look.

Here is Tom's part on the Nautilus fairwater and the internal kit part. Sweet! Thanks again, Tom!

[ober freak]

Re: 1/72nd Revell Gato Wolfpack

Hey guys,

I made an excel sheet with the different shutter styles an sail mods, depending on the pictures of navsource.org.
To probably get to a decision what to do with my bow.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/olgucux087361 ... tyles.xlsx

What I found is, only early EB / MAN build boats had the valley shutters and except Harder all of them had stern shutters, too.

[ober freak]

Re: 1/72nd Revell Gato Wolfpack

I have come to a decision:

Had ordered the AMP stern shutters recently,
and tending now towards SS-254 Gurnard after her last overhaul july 45 with a twin 20mm in front, 2 40mm on the sail and a 5" in back.

[boomerfunker]

Re: 1/72nd Revell Gato Wolfpack

A gunslinger!

And a fighter too...10 sunk for 57,000 tons.
An admirable choice, looking forward to your progress.

Tom

[jefftytoo]

Re: 1/72nd Revell Gato Wolfpack

And BTW, Ober, you're absolutely right: no stern tube shutters on Harder.

JeffP

[ober freak]

Re: 1/72nd Revell Gato Wolfpack

Ahoy!

Today I glued the stern receiving frame in place.


The central section can be put together as before those cuts


At the bow i filled some holes to met Gurnard's sheme, filled the recess around the anchor well and rebuild the weld lines.


So far from Gurnard.
Marco

[boomerfunker]

Re: 1/72nd Revell Gato Wolfpack

It was a battle, a battle I was not sure I was winning at times, but I finally finished a significant issue with the shears this weekend. I'm talking about the lookout stations and specifically the metal hoops that kept the watchstanders secure in their high perches. The kit has a railing and a kind of mini deck up here which was the case for some boats just not this one. On Trigger there were five individual stations each with a metal disk to stand on and a hoop to hold/clip a line to. Just open air in between. They were reached by means of steps welded to the interior of the bridge walls. I can only imagine the pucker factor on the guy that was on that single uppermost one to the rear when the dive alarm sounded. It's a long way to the bridge hatch from there...

Anyhow the kit was no help and the photoectch parts again seemed a little thin to me in this scale. I am not particularly good with a soldering gun and am something of a hazard to living tissue and flammables in the near vicinity when I do pick up the thing. But I could see no other way to do this chore and it has caused unrest in my plans for some time now. The brass wire I used is a little overscale but it is hardy. Some concessions to scale fidelity have to be made in the case of a working boat. I think with a coat of paint it will look fine.

I needed five but ended up building ten of them by the end due to breakages while bending the mounting arms to align with mounting points on the shears. The proper application of cursing and patience applied at the appropriate times got me through it. I'll be glad to move on from this area, to the bridge proper below as this wraps up the last of the major work to be done up here.

TomK

[scott t]

Re: 1/72nd Revell Gato Wolfpack

Looks great TomK!
I've thought about using fishing line. Then
if anyone bumps it there would be a little flex
built in. Not sure how to glue it.

Scott T

[salmon]

Re: 1/72nd Revell Gato Wolfpack

Paul, Marco, and TomK - you guys are inspiring. I love the details you are putting into your subs and how the same model comes out so unique.
I saw Jeff Porteous this weekend and commented how crazy Paul is because of his build. The detail and care. Jeff reminded me of his Seaview and he is crazy too! I hope it is not a catchable disease. You guys make this hobby fun!

[ober freak]

Re: 1/72nd Revell Gato Wolfpack

Thanks Tom,

I do my best, but I don't know how far i will go on the sail detailing.

My Bow halves are glued together now, and I assembled the bow dive planes.