Calling all Balao-class (SS-285) fans

[Mike_Kloppenburg]

Here�s a little work in progress. And know I do not have to adjust my color contrast. Yep its PINK! This is the new 1/72 Revell kit. It is huge a massive 52 inches long. Some of you may remember a movie with the name Operation Petticoat from 1957. As odd is it this may seem to some, in my research I found that there might be some truth to this. A sub in 1942 was hastily primed with the only color (pink) available and sent out to fight. The ship in the movie is the USS Balao a Balao class submarine. The only visible major difference is the sail.

[ModelMonkey]

I love it, Mike!

[Cadman]

Way cool.

Now you just need some 1/72 scale nurses!

[stu_fishing]

love it!

[PetrOs]

LOL, Nice one! My girlfriend loved that color too ;o)

[Mike_Kloppenburg]

It is a fantastic movie. I was watching war stories last night and found out Tony Curtis served on a sub tender in WWII. I did not think a pink sub would go over well. I have not yet figured out how I will display it. I think I will just make a nice base for it. It is too late for a water line cut it the hull. I plan on making some woman�s unmentionables and hanging them on the rigging. Have one figure on deck looking up in puzzlement.

[Duncan]

I loved the tv serie and haven't seen it for years (here back in holland).

This Sub, I like!

[ModelMonkey]

I had a chance to tour Bowfin while on a business trip recently - visits are "self-guided" and the boat is in terrific shape. Interesting to contrast the "feel" of a US fleet boat with that of my own neighborhood sub (U-505) which clearly wasn't built with crew comfort in mind.

[krgf15]

Howdy. I am planning to build my 1/72 Gato as an EB Balao. It looks like the only game in town for that is the IBS conversion.
Has anyone here used them? I was just wondering how they were to work with. I havent done alot of resin work, because I mostly work with 1/700 plastic and 1/48 scale airplanes.

[aleccap]

Hello Mike, I have never built anything like this before, and I must admit that I have already encountered many problems with my Revell 1-220 USS Lionfish, at the moment, I am not very comfortable painting most of it black, the conning tower for my model is suppose to be off a Gato class sub, and as we know the Lionfish is Balao class. So, if I may ask a couple of questions - how accurate is the conning tower off this Revell model ?
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1074/316 ... 5136_b.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1044/316 ... fe3f_b.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3268/316 ... 3c45_b.jpg
As you can see by the 3 pix it looks okay from my untrained eye, but would this require upgrading ? And if so, apart from buying expensive resin, how could I do this ? Look forward to your reply.
Big slap on forehead - Because the conning tower is Gato class, couldn't I simply build this Revell 1-220 kit straight into the USS Gato ?

[Sr. Gopher]

Excellent model dude!!!!!

[Rdutnell]

Here�s a little work in progress. And know I do not have to adjust my color contrast. Yep its PINK! This is the new 1/72 Revell kit. It is huge a massive 52 inches long. Some of you may remember a movie with the name Operation Petticoat from 1957. As odd is it this may seem to some, in my research I found that there might be some truth to this. A sub in 1942 was hastily primed with the only color (pink) available and sent out to fight. The ship in the movie is the USS Balao a Balao class submarine. The only visible major difference is the sail.

Really Cool! Even if it was7 years ago.

I'm considering building a USS Batfish (SS-310) model some time in the future and found this "Callling all USS Balao class (SS) fans" thread. I instantly thought of the movie and TV series, Operation Petticoat, it was interesting to find out that there was truth in the pink submarine, and that Tony Curtis, one of the stars, served on a sub tender in WWII. The other star was Carey Grant.

I wonder if the woman�s unmentionables are hanging from the rigging?

I also wonder if there are still any Balao class fans out there?

[Joe Ellias]

I'm a Balao fan. I wish AFV would release a Balao version of their excellent 350 Gato class sub.

[Rdutnell]

Hi Joe, and any other USS Balao class fans out there!

My thoughts of building USS Batfish (SS-310) sometime in the future went on Fast-Forward when I stopped by the �Muskogee War Memorial� (http://www.ussbatfish.com/). I arrived right at closing time, and didn�t want to be rushed on the tour, so I didn�t get aboard her. I did pick up a brochure and had a good talk with the curator, who informed me that although they did not have plans for Batfish, plans for USS Pampanito (SS-383), another Balao class submarine, were available on-line. When I returned home, I quickly found the site and the plans (http://www.maritime.org/tech/drawings/index.htm).

I have recently become interested in using AutoCad to make 3-D models. My first attempt at it was a 1/144 scale USS Greenling (SSN-614), a Permit class submarine that a friend of mine was on in the early 70�s. The first draft was recently �printed� on an SLA 3D printer, and I only received it this week. I haven�t started building it yet.







I am really excited about how it turned out, and this first draft was without the detailing that I included on the second draft, which I hope to get printed sometime in the near future.

In the meantime, I got interested in Batfish because it is located in Muskogee and I am in that area quite often. When I first found their website, I was intrigued by the shape and thought that it would provide a greater challenge than the circular hull of Greenling. When I then discovered the plans, I decided to try to build her.

I started by importing the plan drawings into AutoCad and scaling them to the proper size. I then traced the hull half-sections (or Frames) from the �Body Plan � Outer Hull� plan sheet, using polylines. I then mirrored and joined the polylines to form the various sections. The image below shows the stern and bow sections.



Each Frame is numbered and the spacing of the frames is provided on both the �Body Plan � Outer Hull� and �Outboard Profile-Plate No. 3�plan sheets. Using the base line, I copied the Frames to their respective locations on the profile, rotated them 90o, and then lofted them.



The Conning Tower was made using the �Conning Tower Fairwater & Bridge, Elevations & Plans� sheet. The bridge was made using a combination of this sheet and the �Conning Tower Fairwater & Bridge � Molded Lines & Offsets� plan sheet. The completed assembly was then copied to the correct location on the hull.





The last items completed thus far were the bow planes, which were created using the �Bow Diving Gear Plane Details� sheet and pictures of Batfish. The pictures were required because the configuration in the pictures was slightly different than the one on the plans.



Below are some images of the ship to date. The bow plane is a separate piece and thus is colored orange. Also, I am uncertain about the upper hull attachment point, so at present it is still detached and colored magenta.







For a first cut, I like it, although I suspect that there will be changes after I get to tour the sub herself.

[tf58]

Hi, can someone tell me what kind of guns are carried by these two at the specified time frame:

SS287 Bowfin during her 2nd patrol in November 1943
SS311 Archerfish when she sank Shinano a year later in November 1944.

Thanks!

[Hotkey]

Can anyone help me find a 1/350 Balao kit?

[Joe Ellias]

I've been hoping AFV would release a Balao as a follow up to their excellent Gatos.

[Hotkey]

I've been hoping AFV would release a Balao as a follow up to their excellent Gatos.

Agree!

[robertmelvin]

Check with ModelMonkey, I wouldn't be surprised to find out he could print you one!

Bob

[Hotkey]

Check with ModelMonkey, I wouldn't be surprised to find out he could print you one!

Bob

Thx - I sent him a note.