Another Submarine (this one is not fictional!)

U.S.S. Drum, a Gato-class sub built from an ancient kit

Here is a relatively quick build-up of a Gato class American submarine from WW2 built for a Canadian client. The kit is from the old and relatively crude Revell 1/180th scale version first released in 1971. The model is about 21” long. The kit doesn’t have very many parts but doesn’t need to for this scale, as a submarine is fairly sparse with hardware compared to something like a battleship. The kit is built “box stock” except for having the forward diving planes stowed as they would be when cruising on the surface. Contrary to many people’s understanding, WW2 submarines spent most of their time on the surface and only submerged when attacking or avoiding detection, as they were normally powered by diesel-electric engines (similar in principle to modern locomotives) with a limited battery supply and could not stay submerged for very long as modern subs can.

Enjoy the pictures, and as usual, you can click on them for a larger version.