Customer Reviews

Revell 1:72 Us Gato Class Submarine

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I knew this kit was 52" long (it says so right on the box!), but it doesn't really sink in until you crack open the box. This is a monster of a kit, but that's a good thing if you have the space. Not only is it long, but the cross-section is roughly the same as that of a softball! At around 300 pieces, this kit is well moulded, the pieces fit very well, and the overall detail is excellent. A few omissions/options could've been addressed, but it's nothing that any moderately experienced modeler can't remedy w/ a few photo-etched pieces and a little scratch-building. I've been waiting almost two years to get my hands on this kit and finally picked it up w/ some of the money I got for Christmas. This kit is a great follow-up to the 1/72 U-Boat series and almost all feedback from those kits has been incorporated into this one. Revell has been cutting some corners on a lot of their "re-release" kits (i.e. - the 1/48 A-10, 1/72 X-15, the Spirit of St. Louis, etc, etc), but my hat goes off to them for this one. This kit was WELL worth the wait and if they have to put out a dozen lousy kits before they can produce a gem like this, then so be it. A quick note, the Revell-Germany kit offers more and better painting options that the one-size-fits-all template offered by the Revell - North America version. You can get the instructions on-line, but this may be worth the few extra $$$ it costs to get it.

Excellent and HUGE kit of this WWII Fleet boat. Includes markings for four subs, but really the only one you can build with any type of accuracy is the USS Cobia right out of the box. I built the USS Flasher, but had to do some modifications to the marker bouy housings, saw off the prop guards, and add some aftermarket bits. I used Magic Sculp putty to fill the gaps where the bow and stern glued onto the main hull. All in all, quite a fun build.

After many years, I have come back to modeling. This is a wonderfully detail model, great for the young and old. I worried about shipping of this model, but it came double boxed and in prefect shape. I am having a great time with this build. I went to a large model because of the problems with my hands, because of the size of the parts, no pain just great fun!

I own one of these bad boys, purchased from my local hobby shop on sale. The Amazon price is still a better deal than what I paid. In my opinion it is for an experienced builder of plastic model kits. I had a great time putting it together and painting it. I still have to do some weathering and rust effects, but it looks great with the like new paint scheme.

There is a radio control conversion for this but if you are new to converting a display model to a running sub, you might want to pass. I can be a real challenge unless you get some very good step by step lessons on DVD or from an experienced R/C sub person.

Also, if you are going to display it, make sure you have the space for it: The Gato in this scale is a very large submarine model!

This model has been well worth the wait; it has it all-size, accuracy of detail, a reasonable amount of parts for a model kit of this size; overall a real gem in the truest sense of the word, especially if you're into subs. The only note of fussiness I can see is with the stern guards-they represent how many of the Gatos were modified with "permanent" stern guards after WWII. If you want a Gato from WWII after the naval yards began to modify the sub's profiles, then shave off the attachment points for the stern guards, fill the holes with your favorite filler and get yourself a set of aftermarket "temporaries" and take it from there. Well worth the wait and one the finest kits Revell has ever produced-Now; is there a Balao in the pipeline?

One of the best models to come out of Revell in quite a while. I will be building mine as the USS Gurnard, SS-254 in honor of William Gleason, a crew member aboard during WWII. A well thought out, albeit large kit, so clear the bench and then perhaps add a room on to your house to display it, but in the end, well worth while.

in one word... HUGE!! I really didn't pay attention to the listed size! I ended up getting more model than I expected hehehe!

This model has lots of detail, and at 52 inches really makes an impressive sight! Make sure you have room for it!!

After getting it, I noted that this model is often used by aqua-modelers as an RC-Sub... and looking at this kit... I can see where that would be a fun option!

If you have the space, this kit is a really nice detailed model, and after adding a few after-market detail kits to add to it, it's taking over a nice mounted shelf over my wide screen!!

Thumbs up to Revell!!

On its brief run in the late 1950s, the TV show, "Silent Service," set me to dreaming about a large-scale static model of a U.S. Navy WW2 fleet submarine
in glorious detail. Launched a few years ago, Revell's 52-inch kit provides
for many hours of building pleasure, or several weeks, depending on how much
detail you want to incorporate. I opted to base my build on the USS Cod, an
opportunity to combine two configurations of the typical wartime bridge that
had fascinated me for so long, the "covered wagon" bridge, and the "chariot"
bridge. A museum anchored in the river at Cleveland, Ohio, the Cod is shown
in her glory on the pages of a published photo guide. The port-side view of
the bridge on the front cover is very close to 1/72 scale, a useful template
that guided me throughout. The addition of after-market items made for many challenges. All told, a superb experience.

This thing is so hard to put together, it is a waste of time. I wrote rc submarine and that came up. If you by the remote verson it cost up to 650 dollars. Don't buy it.