USS Nautilus (SSN-571): Complete re-build of Aurora's ancient kit

[billn53]

There is a back-story to this build which is as much a part of this project as the kit itself. My story is told in the first couple posts of the WIP, I encourage you to take a look, it's an interesting read.

 

Basically, my challenge was to build this old kit:

 

 

In a manner that would meet my standards. As a former submarine officer on Nautilus, my standards were pretty high!

 

Before I begin, I wish to thank these individuals who helped with this project:

 

Mika, of Arctic Decals ( www.arcticdecals.com ), who ALPS-printed the white markings

Steve, of Model Monkey ( www.model-monkey.com ), who sourced an appropriate anchor from the many detail items he sells

MikaK, of Lahha's Mechanical Components (Shapeways shop), who customized a set of five-bladed screws to my specifications, and

Ron, of Grandpa's Cabinets ( www.grandpascabinets.com ), who built a beautiful display case very quickly and at a reasonable cost

 

The WIP, which I mentioned before, can be found here:

 

 

 

Here we go! Standby, I have a lot to show you....

 

First, the beauty shots:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next, close-up details.

 

I filled in the superstructure's limber holes, enhanced the edge where it joins the hull, included a home for the anchor (the original kit didn't have one), and added the small "DUUG" sonar dome on top:

 

 

 

The sail (a.k.a. fin, or conning tower) is scratch-built:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I detailed the deck by simulating Nautilus's wood planking; adding various hatches, openings, & the emergency messenger buoys; and added the safety track that ran from bow to stern:

 

 

 

 

 

The large sponsion (and smaller on on opposite side) were for the large MACS acoustic research antenna (photo of that coming up). The two openings are for the diesel exhaust and seawater cooling outlet.

 

 

 

The kit's stern was hacked off and replaced with a scratch-built one:

 

 

 

 

 

I included a full array of ballast tank floods and various seawater inlet/outlet openings, using custom made decals:

 

    

 

 

 

It so happened I had a second Aurora kit in my stash, so I built this straight out-of-the-box, per yellowed instructions, for comparison:

 

 

 

Camera perspective makes my new build look much longer than the original. In fact, it is only slightly longer (due to the new stern):

 

 

 

This pic shows how I re-shaped the bow to add the chin "bulge" for the BQR-4 sonar array:

 

 

 

Comparison pics of the original and re-built sails:

 

 

 

 

 

Aurora's missile launcher and storage container were never part of Nautilus's equipment. 

 

 

 

But, we did occasionally carry things on our rear deck. Here is the MACS (Mobile Acoustic Communications Study) array I mentioned earlier:

 

 

Comparison of the original and re-built sterns:

 

 

 

Aurora's kit was too broad in the beam, and had a "squashed" cross-section. I took out about 1/8-inch in the beam dimension, which helped bring the model's proportions back into alignment with drawings I have.

 

 

 

That about wraps it up!

 

 

 

I hope you enjoyed the show, and thanks for viewing!

 

- Bill

[dolphin38]

Having followed the WIP and seen how much work you have put into this you can be rightly proud of your work, a great model and I salute you. 

[Ex-FAAWAFU]

Great stuff; loved the build, love the result.

[Terry1954]

I so enjoyed the WIP and the final result is superb.

 

Terry

[Jeddahbill]

Excellent!

 

[Romeo Alpha Yankee]

Looks great Bill, was great to follow your progress

 

 

 

[Alpha Delta 210]

Wow! Your intimate knowledge of Nautilus has really paid off! I love the comparison images because they really demonstrate how much work you completed on the old kit.

[Bandsaw Steve]

Very nice.👍

 

I agree with Alpha Delta above; building the model OOB to display the differences is a great idea. A 100% scratchbuild might have been easier! 

[danbuoy]

Excellent build! Love the comparison between your model and the original version! Thanks for a most informative and enjoyable build thread.

[SafetyDad]

Lovely job! As @Bandsaw Steve says, building the two and then displaying them side-by-side is very informative

Excellent work

 

 

SD

[ColinChipmunkfan]

Agree with all of the comments- a fantastic end product, the result of a great amount of skillful work on your part. The two boats hardly look to represent the same boat.  Thank you for posting.

[Alan P]

An excellent conversion/restoration Bill, one to be really proud of.