Trumpeter 1/144 Gato build

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  • crazygary
    Captain
    • Sep 2012
    • 610

    Trumpeter 1/144 Gato build

    Getting ready to begin my Trumpeter 1/144 Gato build. Here we go....
    First, here's the kit I'm building-

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    This, by no means, is "the" way to go about converting this kit, but merely my version, based on a somewhat
    sensible approach, and a whole lot of faith from HWSNBN! Thanks for the inspiration, M!!

    First thing I did was to remove the hull halves and deck from the sprues (which is a good thing!), then after cleaning up the sprue "boogers", I taped the hull halves together as securely as possible. Next I taped the deck to the hull, and outlined where the deck mates up to the hull with a black fine tipped marker. ( Sharpie, if you will!)

    Next was to remove the deck and, using a red marker, repeat the black line about 1/8" closer to centerline. This should allow the deck to have enough
    overlap to conceal the areas to be cut away. The 1 1/4" Sub Driver will fit into the hull, but might have to be inserted in pieces?? Jury's still out on that one though!! More to come on that later!

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    In the photo to the far right, you can see 2 areas labeled "strap". They are about 1/2" in width, and will be left in tact so as to provide a little structural support to the top of the hull once the areas shaded in red are removed. The "straps" are located directly above the molded in alignment pins to help maintain the registration. An additional "strap", although not labeled, is at the far left of the shaded part!

    I'm very much looking forward to building this sub, and am pleased to be cataloging my steps in hopes of helping anyone else interested in this particular kit conversion!!

    Lotsa fun in store, so check back often!

    My next post will be after I remove a lot of the upper hull half!!
    Wish me luck!!

    crazygary, out!
  • He Who Shall Not Be Named
    Moderator
    • Aug 2008
    • 12253

    #2
    I'm well along developing a 1.25 SD with a ballast sub-system

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    (and, again, a big 'thank you' to Tom for showing us how to back-door our images to this broke-**** site)

    OK, Gary, you gotta do everything possible to eliminate structure above the waterline of this little bad-boy. Two reasons: first, you want to keep the vertical component of the c.g. as low as possible so the boat don't go turtle on you. Second, you minimize the displacement topside, you reduce the amount of ballast water required to push this thing up to the designed waterline.

    Get to it.

    M
    Who is John Galt?

    Comment

    • He Who Shall Not Be Named
      Moderator
      • Aug 2008
      • 12253

      #3
      I'm well along developing a 1.25 SD with a ballast sub-system

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      (and, again, a big 'thank you' to Tom for showing us how to back-door our images to this broke-**** site)

      OK, Gary, you gotta do everything possible to eliminate structure above the waterline of this little bad-boy. Two reasons: first, you want to keep the vertical component of the c.g. as low as possible so the boat don't go turtle on you. Second, you minimize the displacement topside, you reduce the amount of ballast water required to push this thing up to the designed waterline.

      Get to it.

      M
      Who is John Galt?

      Comment

      • crazygary
        Captain
        • Sep 2012
        • 610

        #4
        Just wondering M, if maybe the ballast section, and related components, might be available as "add-ons" to an existing 1.25 SD????
        Sounds like a pretty snazzy twist!!

        In looking at the Gato's plans, it looks like about the only thing above the waterline is the conning tower, and a couple of deck guns!!?
        I'll also make sure that there's plenty of ventilation in the con to let any air out! Learned that one from the Skippy!! Drilled thru the deck just under the sail, as well as opening up the "floor" of the crows nest!!

        Comment

        • Sublime
          Lieutenant, Junior Grade
          • Jan 2014
          • 48

          #5
          [QUOTE=He Who Shall Not Be Named;32077]I'm well along developing a 1.25 SD with a ballast sub-system

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          They are beautiful. Is one of them going into a 1/144 Type XXI?

          Comment

          • He Who Shall Not Be Named
            Moderator
            • Aug 2008
            • 12253

            #6
            Originally posted by crazygary
            Just wondering M, if maybe the ballast section, and related components, might be available as "add-ons" to an existing 1.25 SD????
            Sounds like a pretty snazzy twist!!

            In looking at the Gato's plans, it looks like about the only thing above the waterline is the conning tower, and a couple of deck guns!!?
            I'll also make sure that there's plenty of ventilation in the con to let any air out! Learned that one from the Skippy!! Drilled thru the deck just under the sail, as well as opening up the "floor" of the crows nest!!
            No 'add-ons'. Hommie don't play that game no more. I was killing myself making parts for the catalog. NO MORE. Buy the damned system, or don't buy anything (with the exception of the 3.5 SD's -- you can mix and match bulkheads and cylinder kits).

            The guns and sail are only a fraction of the above waterline structures you have to minimize. The big sinner is the superstructure and deck.

            M
            Who is John Galt?

            Comment

            • He Who Shall Not Be Named
              Moderator
              • Aug 2008
              • 12253

              #7
              [QUOTE=Sublime;32079]
              Originally posted by He Who Shall Not Be Named
              I'm well along developing a 1.25 SD with a ballast sub-system

              [ATTACH=CONFIG]25985[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]25986[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]25987[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]25988[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]25989[/ATTACH]

              They are beautiful. Is one of them going into a 1/144 Type XXI?
              The static and dynamic 1.25 SD's are generic -- you cut the Lexan to appropriate length. And you position the ballast bulkhead in the static SD to achieve the floodable volume within the ballast tank your model requires.

              M
              Who is John Galt?

              Comment

              • He Who Shall Not Be Named
                Moderator
                • Aug 2008
                • 12253

                #8
                [QUOTE=Sublime;32079]
                Originally posted by He Who Shall Not Be Named
                I'm well along developing a 1.25 SD with a ballast sub-system

                [ATTACH=CONFIG]25985[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]25986[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]25987[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]25988[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]25989[/ATTACH]

                They are beautiful. Is one of them going into a 1/144 Type XXI?
                The static and dynamic 1.25 SD's are generic -- you cut the Lexan to appropriate length. And you position the ballast bulkhead in the static SD to achieve the floodable volume within the ballast tank your model requires.

                M
                Who is John Galt?

                Comment

                • crazygary
                  Captain
                  • Sep 2012
                  • 610

                  #9
                  Ah, Yesss!! Grasshoppah got it now, Sensei!! No frickin' add-0ns!! Hah!! Must start ratholing many coins now, for future of Gato.
                  Not mean get knickers in knot!! (chuckling mindlessly!)

                  What, exactly, is it about the deck and superstructure that can cause problems? I have a flood template made specifically for
                  the 1/144 Gato and am planning to "swiss-cheese" her up as much as practical so trapped air won't bite me in the arse!!

                  What else should I be mindful of, M??

                  Comment

                  • He Who Shall Not Be Named
                    Moderator
                    • Aug 2008
                    • 12253

                    #10
                    It's not the trapped air that's the issue, it's the total displacement of structure above the waterline. your ballast tank will have to hold an amount of water who'es weight equals the weight of water displaced by all structures atop the designed water line. The majority of displacing topside structure is the deck and superstructure and portions of hull above waterline, including of course the sail.

                    Here's a neat trick: assemble the deck to the rest of the hull, attach the sail and all other deck and sail fixtures. Cut the upper hull half away from the lower hull halve -- splitting the hull in an equatorial fashion. Weigh the upper hull half (polystyrene has a specific gravity pretty close to one, so no need to convert). The weight of the upper hull is equal to the weight of water you need in the ballast tank to drag this submarine to near neutral buoyancy.

                    As a practical matter, you're likely not going to have enough SD to house a ballast tank of the appropriate length -- you'll have to settle for a boat that will float, in surfaced trim, a bit lower in the water than the prototype. Misery loves company, as they say: the RCABS guys settle for un-scale waterlines as a matter of course, so you'll have company!
                    Who is John Galt?

                    Comment

                    • crazygary
                      Captain
                      • Sep 2012
                      • 610

                      #11
                      Good info, M! Thanks!

                      My initial thought was to make this sub a dynamic diver. Kinda thinking that the smaller the SD, the less "accidental flotation" I'd have to deal with.
                      Adding weight to get her to designed waterline depth shouldn't be a big problem!!?

                      Would like to have a couple of subs "under-my-belt" before going static! Much to learn before "jumping in with both feet", so I'm saving the knowledge up for my 1/144 Kilo, which is "down-the-road-a-piece"!! No sense in getting in over my head and losing interest! I've seen that happen too many times in my many travels through model railroading. Guys want to go "all-in" right from the get go, only to be overwhelmed by the reality of it all. If nothing else, I've learned a great deal about patience in my 67 years!! Maybe it's a machinist "thing"??

                      I did a little researching and found some pretty decent photos of the additional superstructure drain holes, which I will add to the deck edges when I get to that point. Quite a few elongated drains to add, but will certainly look like they belong there! After all, what good are brain cells is ya can't burn a few up in the name of prototypicality?? (real word?)

                      Got the upper hull cutouts done and will post some photos later in the day.

                      Comment

                      • He Who Shall Not Be Named
                        Moderator
                        • Aug 2008
                        • 12253

                        #12
                        Originally posted by crazygary
                        Good info, M! Thanks!

                        My initial thought was to make this sub a dynamic diver. Kinda thinking that the smaller the SD, the less "accidental flotation" I'd have to deal with.
                        Adding weight to get her to designed waterline depth shouldn't be a big problem!!?

                        Would like to have a couple of subs "under-my-belt" before going static! Much to learn before "jumping in with both feet", so I'm saving the knowledge up for my 1/144 Kilo, which is "down-the-road-a-piece"!! No sense in getting in over my head and losing interest! I've seen that happen too many times in my many travels through model railroading. Guys want to go "all-in" right from the get go, only to be overwhelmed by the reality of it all. If nothing else, I've learned a great deal about patience in my 67 years!! Maybe it's a machinist "thing"??

                        I did a little researching and found some pretty decent photos of the additional superstructure drain holes, which I will add to the deck edges when I get to that point. Quite a few elongated drains to add, but will certainly look like they belong there! After all, what good are brain cells is ya can't burn a few up in the name of prototypicality?? (real word?)

                        Got the upper hull cutouts done and will post some photos later in the day.
                        I'm with you, go dynamic with the GATO -- enough just to get it to run underwater without the further complications. You'll still need to add fixed ballast weight and foam to raise the metacentric height to the point where the thing will be statically stable about the roll axis.

                        You're point about the evil of jumping in with too much enthusiasm is well taken. Crawl-walk-run-sprint. In that order! Yeah, go dynamic with the GATO too.

                        Another things about big machines, and those who grow up around them learning patience. Machines not only teach you to take it all in a bit at a time, they offer a stunning and immediate reward to the sloppy and unwary: those who find themselves reduced to mush once pulled into a big lath or turbine powered fan? Great teaching aids for the rest of us.

                        Any vent hole smaller than 1/8" will block with water due to water-tension after the first dive -- all those little limber holes on your 1/144 GATO are for looks only. Not to sweat it, you're going to trim that boat with only the top half the sail sticking up into the air anyway, and you'll get it that way by initially holding the model underwater and shaking all the bubbles out -- just as you'll do for your little SKIPJACK.

                        David
                        Who is John Galt?

                        Comment

                        • crazygary
                          Captain
                          • Sep 2012
                          • 610

                          #13
                          Day numero two-o!

                          Got the upper hull cutouts finished. After separating the hull halves, I cut from the centerline to the "red line" with a fine toothed hobby saw, then clamped a straightedge along the red line, at the ends of the saw cuts, and scribed away with a hobby knife until about half way through the thickness of the hull. From there you can carefully bend the unwanted piece back towards the center until it "snaps" off. A little filing and sanding and it's a done deal!


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                          There are 2 bulkheads inside the hull which will need to be "massaged" to allow a 1 1/4" SD to saddle into them! (Way to go, Trumpeter!!) They molded them in there to fit the included "pressure hull", which I will not need to use 'cuz I'm actually gonna take her out to the pool for some serious "play time"!! The red arrows in the next photo points these out! More on these later!

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                          I noticed something unnecessary on the port side of the upper deck!! For whatever reason, they molded in a few holes on the edge towards the stern that have no apparent reason for existing!! The plans show nothing to be attached there, so....?? They're circled in red.

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                          Next up will be to address the lack of molded in drain holes on the bottom of the hull.( I know!! I'm being a bit anal here M, but I want 'em in there!)
                          I picked up on a laser cut flood hole template, made specifically for the 1/144 Gato. Not sure from whom I actually placed the order, but it was shipped from AAA Hobby! About $15.00 with shipping. A quick "gato flood hole template" search will get ya where ya need to be. You can, also, print out a drawing that shows what goes where!! Pretty cool find!!

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                          I'm anticipating being lost in "flood hole land" for a while, so if ya don't hear from me by the end of the week, send out a search party, and for heavens sake....Don't pay the ransome!!

                          crazygary...out!

                          Comment

                          • trout
                            Admiral
                            • Jul 2011
                            • 3545

                            #14
                            Those holes look like exhaust ports.
                            If you can cut, drill, saw, hit things and swear a lot, you're well on the way to building a working model sub.

                            Comment

                            • crazygary
                              Captain
                              • Sep 2012
                              • 610

                              #15
                              Never even crossed my mind!!
                              Good call!
                              Thanks, Tom!!

                              Guess I won't fill them in, then!! Hah!!

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