| HISTORY |
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The USS Gato was the lead boat of a new class of submariness
that were built in large numbers during world war two. The Gato class improved
upon the previous Tambor class and were highly successful. These large
submarines had a long range and could carry a large load of torpedoes.
These subs were deployed mostly in the Pacific theater as the other Axis
powers were not as dependent on shipping. The Gato were a formidable weapon
limited in success only by the poor performing torpedoes used in 1942.
Never the less, they proved to be devastating to the Japanese supply lines
and even sunk their share of capital ships.
This kit from Revell is based on the typical Gato class sub and can
be used for most any sub in the class.
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| MAIN HULL |
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| The middle section of the hull is nicely molded in two halves with
raised panel lines. |
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| AFT DECK |
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| The aft deck features some really nice perforated panel molding.
It would've been nice if the access hatch had been molded separately, that
would allow the modeler to easily show it open. |
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| MID DECK |
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| The mid deck section is a mix of perforated panels and recessed planking
detail, nicely done. |
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| FORE DECK |
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| The fore deck includes that same nicely done perforated deck panels
with a molded on gun base, with one section opened up to allow for
crew access. |
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| VENT PLATES |
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| Separate vent plates with nicely molded limber holes help give the
sub and opened up a look. |
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| BILGE KEELS |
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| Bilge Keels plates are separate for a more realistic appearance. |
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| BULKHEADS |
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| The inner bulkheads help stiffen the overall assembly. |
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| DETAILS & STEERING GEAR |
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| Theae sprues include the steering gear, periscope details, and 20 mm
and 40 mm gun details. The detail on the gun mounts is exceptional
for plastic. |
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| CONNING TOWER DECK |
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| The conning tower deck includes wood planking and molded on hatches. |
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| CONNING TOWER DETAILS |
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| The prop shafts, propeller guards, and propellers are included on this
sprue. |
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| DISPLAY STAND |
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| The display stand and includes two end plates joined by
plastic tubes with a separate nameplate.
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| RAILINGS & DETAILS |
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| This sprue includes separate railings, and the main deck gun assembly.
The latter is very well detailed. |
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| CONNING TOWER |
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| The conning tower is formed with two separate halves a
forward section and is molded with nice surface detail. |
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| BOW SECTION |
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| The bow section is molded in two halves with nicely done limber holes
and molded on torpedoed door covers. It would've been better to have
left the doors as separate items but the modeler should be all the cut
these out if they desire to show them open. |
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| STERN SECTION |
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| The stern section is also nicely molded and includes some large mounting
holes for the prop guards. |
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| MISC. DETAILS |
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| Bow planes and struts are nicely molded on this sprue. These
are nicely done and can be positioned at any angle. Also on the sprue
are the individual stanchions that are mounted about the deck. |
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| CLEAR PARTS |
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| A clear sprues provided for the port holes and windows. |
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| RIGGING & RUNGS |
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| Thread is included to feed through the stanchions and give
a more realistic appearance. Individual preformed ladder rungs are
also included fashioned from wire.
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| DECALS |
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| A colorful decal sheet includes the basic flags, hull numbers, Japanese
battle flags used to simulate kills as well as the few signal flags.
Nameplate decals are provided for the USS Cobia SS-245, USS Growler SS-215,
USS Silversides SS-236, and USS Flasher SS-249. These are colorful
and well registered. |
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| INSTRUCTIONS |
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| A 26 page booklet thoroughly covers the kit assembly. Several
subassembly views are included as well as some detail photos of some of
the real submarines. Just for fun the mission packet with secret
code is included.
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This
is a nicely molded kit in a large scale that is ripe for detailing.
It should build out-of-the-box quite nicely. But it really cries
out for aftermarket upgrades.
