Revell 1/180 USS Lionfish
 

http://i.ebayimg.com/t/Revell-USS-Li...(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.co...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.)

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

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.

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/wikipedi...8SS-228%29.png

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.

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

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

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.

Might interest you:
http://www.greatmodels.com/~smartcar...tem_num=NAUS03
http://www.greatmodels.com/~smartcar...tem_num=NAUS01

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:

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

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

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.

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

So far...
 

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.

Little preview
 

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: