USS Archerfish submarine 1/350 scale

[mbauer]

Very cool looking build so far.

Just finished the book "Shinano". The Archerfisher had a big roll in it.

Mike

[Draco]

The hull, as hull, is finished. The gato/balao/tench class were painted in black, with a dark gray strip, and clear gray conning tower. I've "lighted" this pictures to better see the details.

In this pictures you can see the bow, with carvings for the anchor and the forward deep planes. The first row of the water holes, the big ones, go through side to side (I'm sorry if I made a language horror)

You can see the forward deck before painting, the aft torpedo tubes with the rear diving planes and the conning tower just started.

[Draco]

Working with the conning tower, the anchor, the "wings" at the sides of the rear gun and the forward diving planes struts.

Most of the conning tower detail can't be seen because... the camera, of course. But it can be seen part of the detail of the deck and a lot of the water holes up, ahead and aft of the forward diving plane.

[Draco]

Painted the rear diving planes and the conning tower deck.

Working on the conning tower and made the shafts and the propellers, or at least, part of them (Each one has four blades, I just glued some).

[Draco]

Taking a full day to advance the ship. I finished the propellers, the conning tower, the periscope and radar masts, the searchlight and the escape hatchs.

The only anchor was remade with electrical wire, now it looks better.

Just remains the four guns and two handrails. Maybe the next weekend.

[Draco]

Almost finished!

In fact, if not were because the main guns parts are too faint to see, it would had been finished yesterday.

But, you can see the AA guns in the conning tower, the acetate railways, and the supports on deck for the cables wich served to hold the sailors in bad sea.

In a few days, the cables will be laid, the main guns reprinted and assembled, and everithing OK!

[Draco]

The Archerfish is finished. I must confess that it was not my best creation.

And the problem started from the beginning, when I glued the ribs to the center piece. The normal ships I do have a deck that has a width 1/9 of the length. The Gato class have a width 1/11 of the length, but the deck is 1/20 of the lenght.

In few words, the ship was bend from the start. I corrected some of it, but...

Well, its finished. Two deck guns, the deck railings, centered cables on rear deck, the flag mast on the rear of the conning tower.

What would I change in my next WWII submarine? I'll put the right ribs first. The side rail later. Next the deck, and last the left ribs. Maybe even the right skin BEFORE the left ribs. Who knows.

Comb apart, I liked the details of the deck, all the perforations made with a pin. Maybe the next sub I would puncture all the water holes. It will be fun.

[Draco]

Some new pictures with a new camera and some small time to cool off.

Seems now to me that the Archerfish is better that I feld when I finish it.