Kit: No. 05905
Scale: 1/144
Manufacturer: Trumpeter, from Stevens International, 856-435-1555, www.stevenshobby.com
Price: $42.99
Comments: Injection-molded, 121 parts, decals
Pros: Good detail, clear instructions, easy assembly
Cons: No clear part for the porthole, no propeller guards, missing limber holes
State of the art in 1941, Gato-class submarines were essential to the U.S. Navy's stranglehold on Japanese shipping in the Pacific during World War II. The Gato has been on my "to-build" list for a long time - and now Trumpeter has come through with a fine 1/144 scale kit.
Trumpeter's Gato features a structural internal cylinder with bulkheads, plus deck armament, fine recessed panel lines, raised weld seams, and a display stand. Decals comprise one set of USS Gato markings. The 10-page instructions were clear and accurate through eight steps of construction.
I began with the cylinder and bulkheads. Test-fitting revealed no seam problems; I glued the cylinder and hull together and set that subassembly aside.
I filled ejection-pin marks on the conning tower halves with Mr. Surfacer. The front half of the conning tower (part A5) left gaps on both sides that had to be filled. Periscope shears (A6, A7) were assembled and painted separately before I installed them.
After fitting the deck, I filled small gaps with Micro Kristal Klear. When that dried, I glued the conning tower, propeller shafts, and rudder in place.
Propeller guards are not included; if you want them, you'll have to build your own. Also missing are the limber holes just above the aft torpedo doors - easy enough to correct by drilling. However, check the year of your photo source; as the war progressed, more limber holes were cut in the superstructure to improve diving speed.
I used all the deck hardware and strung fishing line to replicate cables passing through the stanchions.
After painting the hull bottom and sides Floquil weathered black, I masked the lower half and painted the upper Testors ocean gray to achieve the USN's 1941 "Measure 10." (Measure 9, all flat black, would be an accurate option, too.) The decals went down smoothly on a bed of clear gloss.
The model's dimensions closely match the measurements I found in Jane's Submarines: War Beneath the Waves from 1776 to the Present Day, by Robert Hutchinson.
I spent 12 enjoyable hours building the Gato. Modelers new to shipbuilding will find this kit an easy way to get their feet wet.
- Tom Foti