Reviews : Revell-Monogram Gato Class Submarine

Wow! Whatta' kit! If you like 'em big this is for you! 54 inches long when finished almost 14 inches tall to the top of the 'scopes! 273 lovely parts, I wondered what could possibly be in here? It is a sub, & no interior detail, why so many pieces? Well all the parts go topside and it sure builds up like no other I've ever done. Part fit was good, with the exception of the main center hull, which had to be clamped cause it had slight warpage at the center. Probably cause of its size/length, which is as long as the box. But it doesn't end there, after assembling the middle section you have to assemble the bow/for'd torpedo room, & the stern/aft torpedo rm. ,and assemble these to each end of the center. This adds 6-7 inches to each end!! I recommend painting as you go in sub assemblies, cause of the size, and touch up after final assembly. And ,oh, those guns! they are little model masterpieces in themselves. 20,&40mm, and 3 deck guns, the bigger the gun, the more steps to build them! A modeling note, when doing the rigging, Antenna wire, Railings, be carefull and use as little thread as possible, they barely provide enough, and I ran very close w/4 inches to spare! The only disappointment w/this kit came in the decals. They gave plenty of jap. victory flags in 3 styles, more than can be used. But when I came to the conning tower, I only had enough numbers for one side! It seems that they only printed one of each no# for the different variations, yet they printed 2 no#'s for the bow! Overall a very impressive kit, and worth the cost for its size/scale.

My first sub ever, instructions were vague at first, then it all clicked, excellent kit and it really is huge :).