Seen on the contest table at the Long Island Scale Model Society’s 2014 NOREASTCON show in early May, at the Republic hangar in Farmingdale, NY (Long Island).
Not sure who the modeler is that built the example. Notes on the contest entry card mentioned rebuilding the ballast tanks with ends of bombs or drop tanks, and also mention that hatch handles were scratch built.
That Alligator at the Noreastcon 2014 show is my work, using your very fine kit of the Alligator. I opted for the early paddle propulsion system because it looked so much more primitive than the later screw system.
I did replace the three ballast tanks with bombs from the spares box because I had some difficulty cutting the white metal ones down to size and trimmed to fit the holes. I replaced the molded on “drains” along the bottom of the hull with parts again from the spares box. I used a length of aluminum tube for the snorkel tube and as you mentioned the hatch dogs were all replaced with ones made from finer wire. The portholes/deadlights were painted dark grey and then Microscale Kristal Kleer to represent glass. The finish is done with Poly Scale acrylics and weathered with a combination of acrylic washes, chalk pastels, and powdered graphite.
My favorite part of the kit was the figure! I added some details with masking tape and scrap plastic and used brass wire as the air hose. The explosive charge is totally a product of my imagination! Its a scrap model rr barrel with some wire to detail it. The river bed surface was made using artist’s molding paste with a few backyard pebbles added for some texture. A final coat of Future floor wax was added to give it an “underwater” look.
Great little kit of an interesting subject. Thanks for your work producing kits of this most interesting period of naval history.
You really saved my skin with this inoramotifn. Thanks!