Revell 1/180 USS Lionfish

[IonicRipper]

http://i.ebayimg.com/t/Revell-USS-Lionfish-Submarine-Plastic-Model-Kit-New-/00/$(KGrHqIOKiwE0nENhog-BNc-(cIeLg~~_3.JPG

Just ordered this kit, should be getting it next week.

Its been a while since i built a model and back then i was so impatient to finish it i ended up botching it.
This time i plan on taking my time and doing a nice job.

Im looking for as much info and advice as possible before i start building.
I dont even have the kit yet and im already making plans for it hahah! :haha:

For starters the conning tower looks very strange to me...
http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com/Gal9/8901-9000/gal8993-Submarine-Bonilla/01.jpg

It doesnt look accurate at all (never saw that version before) any ideas on how to improve it? I was planning on cutting around the top and the back to open it up.

I was also planning on using a small bit and drilling out the drain holes (hopefully i dont mess up that part.)

[USS Drum]

http://i.ebayimg.com/t/Revell-USS-Lionfish-Submarine-Plastic-Model-Kit-New-/00/$(KGrHqIOKiwE0nENhog-BNc-(cIeLg~~_3.JPG

Just ordered this kit, should be getting it next week.

Its been a while since i built a model and back then i was so impatient to finish it i ended up botching it.
This time i plan on taking my time and doing a nice job.

Im looking for as much info and advice as possible before i start building.
I dont even have the kit yet and im already making plans for it hahah! :haha:

For starters the conning tower looks very strange to me...
http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery/ss/ss-298/220-ac/ss298-01.jpg

It doesnt look accurate at all (never saw that version before) any ideas on how to improve it? I was planning on cutting around the top and the back to open it up.

I was also planning on using a small bit and drilling out the drain holes (hopefully i dont mess up that part.)

I have that kit but I'm still building it I need to paint the hull.

[IonicRipper]

Hows the quality? Got any pictures of the build so far?

[USS Drum]

Hows the quality? Got any pictures of the build so far?

No pics but the dive plane thing that made them move broke so well... I put the dive planes in the "surfaced" position. About the conning tower well they probably didn't take the time to open it up.

[IonicRipper]

Its more the shape that i find strange, i never saw that kind of tower on an American fleet sub before

[USS Drum]

Its more the shape that i find strange, i never saw that kind of tower on an American fleet sub before

Actually that is a shape for a tower:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/21/USS_Drum_%28SS-228%29.png

[Sailor Steve]

I have that kit but I'm still building it I need to paint the hull.
There is really no need to quote an entire post, including pictures, especially if yours is the very next post. It ties up bandwidth and is a pain for people with slower computers and connections.

[IonicRipper]

Does anyone know how to make some rust? I think it would add a very realistic touch to my model.

[Sailor Steve]

The same companies that make paint for plastic models (Testor's etc) also make 'terrain' paints, including rust.

[TLAM Strike]

Does anyone know how to make some rust? I think it would add a very realistic touch to my model. Testors paint #1185 is rust. I would dilute it with a little paint thinner 1st so its not as dark. Used it on my Type VII and it looked nice.

[TLAM Strike]

It doesnt look accurate at all (never saw that version before) any ideas on how to improve it? I was planning on cutting around the top and the back to open it up.
Might interest you:
http://www.greatmodels.com/~smartcart/cgi/display.cgi?item_num=NAUS03
http://www.greatmodels.com/~smartcart/cgi/display.cgi?item_num=NAUS01

[IonicRipper]

I would have if it was in Canada. Shipping from the states can be quite expensive sometimes... Specially when customs holds your package.

Since this is my first model in a while and im not sure how it'll turn out i want to keep the price relatively low.

Thanks for all the info so far guys, keep em coming :salute:

[IonicRipper]

This is what i have in mind for the conning tower

http://i44.tinypic.com/3518o5h.jpg

Chop off the top and open it up, what do you guys think?

[TLAM Strike]

This is what i have in mind for the conning tower

http://i44.tinypic.com/3518o5h.jpg

Chop off the top and open it up, what do you guys think?

This is what the actual sail on the Lionfish looked like:
http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/5887/0829814.th.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/526/0829814.jpg/)

I would also consider replacing the railings on that conning tower. maybe use some stretched sprues and headphone wire/sewing thread

[IonicRipper]

Yes im definitely gonna do something about the railing... i thought about the sewing thread, that might be an option.

P.S. thank you for the picture, its really helpful :yeah:

[TLAM Strike]

Yes im definitely gonna do something about the railing... i thought about the sewing thread, that might be an option.

P.S. thank you for the picture, its really helpful :yeah:

You know about this website right?
http://navsource.org/

All the pics you ever could need for this project.

Sewing thread works good, but I've come to like headphone wire. Just take a pair of Dollar Store head phones and strip the insulation off. They are strong, bendy and don't sag as much as sewing thread.

[IonicRipper]

I did not know about that website but thank you very much for sending me there :up:

[IonicRipper]

Not much but heres what i did to the conning tower so far

http://i39.tinypic.com/11ijuyf.jpg

Chopped the awkward looking top off and opened the fairwater.
I also cut the railing off and im looking into making a better one with some stripped headphone wire.

http://i40.tinypic.com/a5f7t5.jpg

I think its an improvement over the original in terms of authenticity.

[IonicRipper]

http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/383818_2953182790203_1280406245_3260108_238992444_ n.jpg

[Syxx_Killer]

I'm going to have to keep an eye on this thread. I built this model many years ago as a kid. I still have it, actually, but it doesn't look the best. I always thought it would be good to get another one and do it up right.

Your conning tower is looking pretty good so far. I think it looks better than the standard mold. :ping:

[IonicRipper]

Thank you Syxx, doing the best i can :)

Railing is halfway done!

http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/396536_2960939624119_1280406245_3267033_1027826406 _n.jpg

Just gotta cut them down to the correct height (with a nail clipper) once the glue is dry.

It didnt turn out exactly like i thought it would... They look thicker then what i planned. But we'll see what it looks like once its painted.

[TLAM Strike]

It didnt turn out exactly like i thought it would... They look thicker then what i planned. But we'll see what it looks like once its painted.
Are those toothpick tips?

Ripper do you how to melt a sprue?

www.modelaces.com/_scale_model_tutorials/building_antenna_wires.php

You can make really fine wires and stuff with it, I've used it on my 1/72nd scale Sherman, Panzer III and Wespe for their radios. Just don't make it as thin for railings.

[IonicRipper]

I thought about it but i didnt think they would be strong enough.

Also since the toothpicks tips were shaped in cones the base made it much MUCH easier to fit then a thin piece of sprue would. I might trim them down later if its possible.

[TLAM Strike]

I thought about it but i didnt think they would be strong enough. As long as you don't make them thin like a hair they will be strong. Even if they are hair thin they maintain their shape.

But you might need to paritaly streach it and sand the lumpiness out of a sprue to get ones sufficiently big for railings at that scale.

[IonicRipper]

Looking good so far

http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/408079_2966389320358_1280406245_3269847_1302884092 _n.jpg

[IonicRipper]

Another question arises: What color should i paint the hull...

Should i paint it red and grey like this:
http://i44.tinypic.com/2622rlj.jpg
(like the box says)

Or black and grey like this:
http://i42.tinypic.com/1zp74mp.jpg
(like i originally planned)

Which is more accurate for the WWII era?

[Sailor Steve]

From the sheeting in the first picture, I would suspect that they were in the process of painting her when it was taken, and what we're seeing might be the primer coat. Even if the hull were red it would only be so below the waterline, sometimes with a black stripe at the waterline itself.

Here is a very old Subsim discussion of this very topic.
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom//archive/index.php/t-116853.html

A discussion from a submarine modelling forum indicates that they could be red or black, but again it would only start at the waterline, not the top of the ballast tanks. There is also the chance that in your second picture the waterline area is black and the hull below that is red.
http://s181686668.onlinehome.us/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=1863

If you want to build more models in the future this book might come in handy.
http://www.submarinebooks.com/USsubmarines.htm

And here is a very nice collection of photos by other modelbuilders. I'm sure they all did their research properly, so you can probably trust their color schemes.
http://steelnavy.com/gallery_submarines.htm

[IonicRipper]

Thank you very much Steve, very informative reply :salute:

I'll be painting it just like i planned (2nd picture)

[IonicRipper]

Conning tower railing is done!

http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/388380_2972003620712_1280406245_3273322_818207647_ n.jpg

By no means is it perfect, but its much better then originally, isnt it? :)

[Schöneboom]

Indeed, good job! I don't know how much you want to invest in aftermarket goodies, but most likely some etched brass or resin parts are available from model companies, for ex.,

http://nautilusmodels.com/

Carry on sailor!

[IonicRipper]

Well i'd like to keep the price of this model to a minimum since its my first in a long time and im not sure how it'll turn out.

I'll do the best i can with what i got here :)

[IonicRipper]

Well this is a drag, i looked around 3 stores and none had the paint i needed.

I ended up buying a Testors kit which had most of the paints i needed (flat black, flat grey etc)

Hopefully the colors will come out okay, fingers crossed.

[Sledgehammer427]

Theres a site I happened across a very long time ago, had some neat stuff and I wanted to buy a couple Balao kits just to try it out. But in my budget it was a far stretch and life won.

Iron Bottom Sound (http://ibs.eastcoastarmory.com/Csets.htm)

Wanna turn your Balao into a GUPPY? :D
they also have kits to convert those big 1/72 kits into Guppy boats!

[IonicRipper]

Painted the conning tower, the colors seem to come out just fine, what a relief
http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/377817_3007901718142_1280406245_3290638_1587568544 _n.jpg

[IonicRipper]

Getting there

http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/384434_3026741069114_1280406245_3298108_1971679311 _n.jpg

The hull number on the tower is crooked, im kicking myself for letting that happen :nope:

[IonicRipper]

Not much left to do :D
http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/392318_3041154309436_1280406245_3303528_161046798_ n.jpg

[IonicRipper]

Here she is :yeah:

All done

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/s720x720/404493_3048280087576_1280406245_3306813_1282743180 _n.jpg

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/394123_3048285127702_1280406245_3306818_1901708499 _n.jpg

http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/406848_3048282767643_1280406245_3306815_788728484_ n.jpg

[TLAM Strike]

Nice looking boat. :yeah:

I can't tell in the pictures but did you run the wire from the periscope shears to the after deck? :hmmm:

[IonicRipper]

Might do that in the future... Gonna be busy the next few months so i had to finish it quickly.

[USS Drum]

Great work I see you took my idea about the dive planes in the surfaced position.

[IonicRipper]

I think it looks better that way, thanks for the idea :)

[Syxx_Killer]

That looks really good! I'm gonna have to get another one someday. :ping: