Classic Renwal 1/200 Scale USS Ethan Allen Cutaway Nuclear Submarine with Complete Interior
Posted: Fri Feb 09, 2024 4:46 pm
Fellow Modelers,
Below are photos of Renwal’s Classic 1/200 scale (25” length) SSBN 608 Ethan Allen U.S. Navy Ballistic Missile nuclear submarine. I built this model in 1995. It was always a dream of mine to build one of these very old kits into a nice display. Renwal issued this kit (and three nearly identical others-George Washington/Thomas Jefferson/Andrew Jackson) around 1962, and although tens of thousands have been sold over the decades there are very few finished builds posted on-line. Revell also issued a smaller 1/260 scale Ballistic Missile cutaway submarine kit around the same time, but I have always liked the Renwal model better. The fit on many of the kit parts is poor and some of the smaller parts are way out of scale. It is also highly inaccurate, as Renwal had to guess at what most of the interior looked like. I mean seriously, the Control Room is the size of a basketball court! However, to me the cool factor of this kit is a 10 out of 10. The cutaway presentation has always reminded me of educational displays you see in museums.
Several of the modifications I made are listed below:
>Plastic “piping” replaced with small diameter wire-
>Cut out sections from the control room floor and bulkhead for a better view of the lower decks-
>Scratch built chairs and tables-
>Added photo-etched ladders/radar screen-
>Ballistic Missile made from “Stuka” airplane bomb-
>Many of the decals came from the Revell cutaway submarine kit-
Also attached are a few construction progress photos, as well as great looking box art and instructions from the original issues. I hope you enjoy the photos.
Until next time...
Phillip1
Below are photos of Renwal’s Classic 1/200 scale (25” length) SSBN 608 Ethan Allen U.S. Navy Ballistic Missile nuclear submarine. I built this model in 1995. It was always a dream of mine to build one of these very old kits into a nice display. Renwal issued this kit (and three nearly identical others-George Washington/Thomas Jefferson/Andrew Jackson) around 1962, and although tens of thousands have been sold over the decades there are very few finished builds posted on-line. Revell also issued a smaller 1/260 scale Ballistic Missile cutaway submarine kit around the same time, but I have always liked the Renwal model better. The fit on many of the kit parts is poor and some of the smaller parts are way out of scale. It is also highly inaccurate, as Renwal had to guess at what most of the interior looked like. I mean seriously, the Control Room is the size of a basketball court! However, to me the cool factor of this kit is a 10 out of 10. The cutaway presentation has always reminded me of educational displays you see in museums.
Several of the modifications I made are listed below:
>Plastic “piping” replaced with small diameter wire-
>Cut out sections from the control room floor and bulkhead for a better view of the lower decks-
>Scratch built chairs and tables-
>Added photo-etched ladders/radar screen-
>Ballistic Missile made from “Stuka” airplane bomb-
>Many of the decals came from the Revell cutaway submarine kit-
Also attached are a few construction progress photos, as well as great looking box art and instructions from the original issues. I hope you enjoy the photos.
Until next time...
Phillip1