72 scale Lindberg IJN I53 with Kaiten Torpedoes

[modelnut]

This has to be the best luck with shipping that I have ever had.

I ordered the kit from Amazon.com on Thursday 23 February. They sent me an email telling me that it should arrive any time from Wednesday 29 February to Monday 5 March.

It arrived TODAY 25 February.

I ordered the 1/72 Eduard Photo Etch BIG ED Set for Lindberg I-53 Submarine on 24 February --- yesterday. It arrived an hour before the Lindberg kit.

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First impressions.

This thing is BIG. Everything about it is big. I have a few 72 scale figures lying around. If this kit was life sized I could easily slip through a flood vent on the side of the sub. Can this be right? Were they that big?

The flood vents and weld lines do not line up from port to starboard. But that also shows up in the art in the instruction book. So the right hand obviously knew what the left hand was doing in this case. But is that right? Do I need to pick one side and make the other match? Oztruck didn't.


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Anyway. I don't have the man cave cleared for action just yet. I didn't think I would need the room for five days at least. So stay tuned.

- Leelan

[Kazzer]

I thought HWSNBN had written a scathing article on this model some time ago. You'd do well to read that before you start. I can't recall exactly where it is.

[modelnut]

I have seen comments here that were less than complimentary. But only after I placed my order.He's on his favorite

Trying to find images and blueprints for the beast. Found this http://www.combinedfleet.com/I-53.htm :

1 April 1945:
Returns to Kure. Drydocked for repairs. Fittings for carrying two more kaitens are also added and she is equipped with a snorkel. 14 July 1945: The Ninth Kaiten Mission:
The I-53 is in the "Tamon" kaiten group with the I-47, -58, -363, -366 and the I-367. The I-53 sorties for her assigned area 300 miles SE of the southern tip of Taiwan. She carries only five Kaitens.

That seems to be what Lindberg was going for.

I will look for that article though the only review that I have discovered in many days of searching is one by Finescale Modeler. But I have to pay to see it. :-8

- Leelan

[oztruck]

Don't get too caught up with accuracy on this one, if you do it will never hit the water. The new weld lines on the bow of mine line up but the rest don't. Not a problem, you can only see one side of the boat at a time anyway. The two biggest things to sort out is the bow and the conning tower. Oh and the deck gun and the twin AA guns and the whatever else.


Cheers Chris

[modelnut]

LOL! Thanks, Chris. I will remember that.

I think I will look into the guns. Having those kaiten on the deck might be awkward if this boat ever goes RC. They would either be air-filled floats or resin filled weights on the deck if permanently attached. I thought of attaching them with strong magnets but it is early days yet.

As far as accuracy goes I will be content with "close enough."

- Leelan

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Punch holes into the Kaiten.

[modelnut]

I thought of that. May eventually do that.

- Leelan

[modelnut]

Bought the Osprey book on IJN Submarines 1941-45. Funny. None of the subs pictured in it were painted black though I had read online that they were launched in black paint. http://warandgame.com/2009/12/12/jap...color-schemes/

Like Oztruck and at least one other here I am going to alter the bow to fit the blueprint profile. Stand by.

- Leelan

[oztruck]

Leelan, they were painted black near the end of the war after they did some testing. Take your time with the bow and make it strong, you never know when it might run into something with it. Keep us posted on your progress.

Cheers Chris

[modelnut]

OK. Not much to report just now. I've been too sick to work on the boat for much of the week. Feeling better now so I have been working on opening up the limber holes and flood/drain vents. After looking at many of the pictures on the sub pic thread I am feeling better about their size. But there are a hell of a lot of them. 78 limber and 58 f/d per side --- 272 in all.

After looking over the research thoughtfully provided by Lt. Hermill:



I think I will alter the conning tower and the bow to better fit the I-53 profile. Though there is a picture of the sail with the Japanese version of a snorkel on p35 of the Osprey book I haven't made up my mind about it. I've ordered an aftermarket AA gun so I will probably do just what Chris has done and leave off the snorkel. I don't know. That decision is a little way off right now.

Enough of a breather I suppose. Back to cutting holes . . .

- Leelan

[modelnut]

Chris!

What have you done with the forward planes? From these plans they don't look like they would fit in the hull but they look like they should.

Do you have them rotating around horizontal and vertical axis?

- Leelan

[oztruck]

I too looked through several plans, drawings and blue prints and could not verify that the front planes retracted, so i just have mine rotating, not retracting.

You will have to make up new planes for the bow. Mine are just a little bit over sized to help with the submerged running and keeping periscope depth.

There is plenty of opportunity for work on this one, isn't there?

Cheers Chris

[modelnut]

There is plenty of opportunity for work on this one, isn't there?

Cheers Chris

You said a mouth full!

- Leelan

[modelnut]

OK. I have all 282 holes and vents open. Now I am about to tackle the planes and rudder. +/-45 degrees seems the logical limit of movement for these control surfaces. But I seem to recall someone (maybe HWSNBN) telling me years ago that +/-35 is the actual limit for practical subs.

Which is it?

- Leelan

[oztruck]

I have found it best to get as much movement as you can before any servos are connected. That equals no binding and room to adjust as needed. let the servo end limits be the deciding factor

Cheers Chris