Hey all,

Whoa, this is totally new to me (I'm a regular ArmoramA member and THIS shift is.....)......so, PLEASE bear with me. I have several questions, and I'm hoping the "squids" can provide the answers to the "grunt."

Bit' o' history: My father served on the USS Hawkbill (SS-366) during all of her campaigns in WWII. I currently have the Revell Lionfish (1/178) that I want to convert/change to an accurate representation of my Dad's boat. He's been gone these last several years, and was going to put some of his pics, medal, ribbons, et cetera, in a shadowbox that would be displayed in my den (along with Military "displays" from my great-great grandfather all the way down to me]. THEN I came across the Lionfish model. My "tribute" to my father should/will now include his boat.

According to http://www.shipcamouflage.com/balao_class.htm she was painted in Camouflage Measure 10, which equates to Formula 5-O, Ocean Gray, or, Medium Blue-Gray. Just what is that color in Tamiya, or another companies, paint (manufacturer and paint number)???

Also, there is a site (company) that offers resin and PE sets for the Lionfish (damned if I didn't loose that site and the email from an IMPS member directing me to it). It appeared that one of the resin sets and the PE set would work (Nautalis???????) for this project. Any help or opinions regarding this would also greatly be appreciated.

Anyhow, I'm turning to the experts.

Please help!!

Many, many thanks in advance!!!!

Mike (++) (++)

Hi Mike

First, Welcome aboard ModelShipWrights

As for your questions:
WEM carries those colours (enamels) in their colourcoats range (I find them excellent!)
They are available in the US via several resellers (don't have the Favorites right now on this computer)

The resin and PE sets are available at
www.nautilusmodels.com

Although with some age the resin parts are great - just need a little clean up

Hope this helps

Skipper

PS: I'll post the links for US resselers tomorrow and btw, you could join DDD2 Campaign, right?

Rui,

OH MAN, this has been one interesting trip.......!

I sent you a PM because it did not appear that this post posted! Then, RIGHT after my PM, there it was!!!

Thank you so much for the refresh on the Naut site!!! I'll bookmark right away.

DDD2??? With a year(?) to go!? Heck yea! To tell you the truth, it took a while to write up my initial post; as soon as I mentioned my Dad, the eyes got really foggy......I truly miss him and want to "honor" him the best way I know how. Side note, at the funeral, and after about an hour of trying to emotionally set myself to approch his casket, I finally placed in the breast pocket of his suit one of his original "dog tags" and one of mine...it was the only way I knew how to honor him, his past, and through him, my life. Okay, getting foggy again.

Looking forward to your follow-on post.

Sincerely,

Mike (++) (++)

Welcome Aboard Mike, good to see you found the place.
You'll find ship modelers a lot more laid back, when it come to the building. Longer campaigns, etc.
Looking forward to seeing your boat built. And remember, 99% of us are really waiting for the release of the 1/72 scale Gato from Revell.

Hi Mike

As promissed here are a few links for WEM paints in US:

http://www.pacificfront.com/WEMPaint.asp

http://www.shipcamouflage.com/colourcoats.htm


The last link also provides very accurate info on all the Camouflage Measures and Paints needed.

The (other) thing great about WEM Colourcoats range of paints is: the name of the thinlet is the name of the paint - you don't need to double check what you need

Skipper

Hi Mike,

Glad you'll be joining the DDD2 with Hawkbill. I've used the Nautilus models PE, resin, as well as their wood deck. I found the PE set terrific, the resin OK (needed considerable clean-up, and I thought the guns and periscope assembly were poorly molded. Nautilus did, however, immediately replace parts that were incomplete when I told them about it). The wood deck is pretty good, but you have to be careful about sealing it before painting - I also reinforced it with some strip styrene to reduce the warping. If you want to go for greater accuracy, you also might want to replace the molded-on cleats, the capstans, and the anchor. Nice white metal replacements can be had from HR Products (www.hrprod.com).

Barry

Rui,

Thanks for the links. Another question about the painting....what is the appropriate color for the "anti-fouling" paint? Is it red? or a reddish?

Barry,

Thanks for the input on the AM stuff. I am going to go that route with this build. I have the time (thank goodness). I checked out the link....I'll PM you with a couple of specific questions.

Thanks ALL!! Super help!

Mike (++) (++)

Hi Mike

I have the WEM Colourcoats range and I might say that the Anti-fouling red looks (puting it in a raw way) between brick red and teal...
When I get my digicam repaired I can take a shot of some small boats painted with it so you can check / cross reference it. Another way is for you to acquire WEM Colourcoats paints

Skipper

EDIT: Hi Mike, don't know if you know but there's a dedicated website to the Hawkbill
You may find ineteresting that there's a photo of your Father too, amongst the Crew
http://www.usshawkbill.com/366/366foto.htm

You should be proud of Him!

Rui,

My dad was a skinny son of a gun wasn't he? :-)

I have that site bookmarked. The pictures are somewhat limited, but the information is pretty darn good.

I'll be going with the colorcoats. I've emailed Snyder and Short regarding the anti-fouling color (they offer one for the US Navy) and hope to hear back soon.

Mike (++) (++)

try this guy -
[email protected]
he's quite the charecter but one of the finest model builder around and a former bubblehead
here's his site-
http://www.vabiz.com/d&e/