I live in Little Rock, Arkansas, and we have recently had the pleasure of welcoming the Razorback Submarine to our city to become a permanent attraction. Although the Razorback was named after a whale, it has been adopted by Arkansas coinciding with our famous Razorback college football team.

The Balao-class Razorback has a colorful history. Launched 27 January 1944, she earned five World War II battle stars before her GUPPY IIA conversion in 1954. She is one of only two surviving submarines that were present at the Japanese surrender at Pearl Harbor, the only World War submarine to earn battle stars in Vietnam (where she earned four more to make nine battle stars total), and the longest active serving submarine in the Navy. After being sold to the Turkish Navy, she was reacquired by North Little Rock to become a museum.

I chose to create two versions of the Razorback Submarine, one in her World War II scheme and the other as a GUPPY IIA. Both kits began as the REVELL LIONFISH model in 1/178 scale (the box claims 1/220 scale which is not correct.) Although an older kit, the Lionfish does have a nice hull to work with as a base for any Balao-class submarine, and it’s up to the modeler to modify it as they wish to represent the accuracy of a specific ship. I’ll summarize the changes made for constructing both versions.

WWII Version: Hull modifications for this version included adding torpedo doors, drilling out the ballast holes along the side, molding the fins upward and redesigning the starboard propeller guards to look more accurate. I purchased the resin Icefish Conning Tower from Tom’s Model Works, as well as their brass Photo Etched set. Most molded-on details on the tower were removed, with doors and hatches being added where needed, along with brass railings. I also used the resin 40mm, 50 cal and 4” guns for the deck armament. Not sure if the Razorback carried a 3 or 4 inch main gun, or if she had a deck gun on her bow, but from my research this deck gun arrangement seemed like a safe route to go. Besides, submarines were constantly changed and upgraded throughout the war, so there are many possible configurations to choose from. The bottom hull was painted dark gray, the top of the hull and tower light gray, and the deck black. It was heavily weathered with a black wash, and then rust highlights added to represent a heavily-used vessel. The model was finished with a layer of clear matte varnish.

GUPPY IIA Version: This version needed some extra hull modifications. The nose was rounded, torpedo doors added, and a chin sonar added. A bulge was also added on the port side near the stern which I think housed either a pump or additional electronics. The ballast holes were then drilled out in the updated pattern, and the propeller guards left off. The anchor represented a problem. On the previous version, I left it as it came molded on the Lionfish, on the Starboard side. But, now that I can see the Razorback in person, I noticed the anchor is actually on the Port side. I can’t tell if it always this way or if it was moved for some reason. But, I went ahead and switched sides for the anchor for the GUPPY version. The deck was puttied over and smoothed out to represent a flatter surface, with details and hatches added where needed. I carved the sail from Balsa wood, and brass handrails were attached along the side. The top details such as the periscope and snorkel were then added from pieced from my scrap box. The large side antenna was created from a sewing needle with thin plastic super glued on. I know the color for the antenna is a distinct light gray with black dots from seeing it in person, must be some camouflage scheme. The overall color was sprayed black, with silver highlights along the side to represent a little weathering. Then a matt finish was applied.

I built a display case to house the two models, and have added several pieces of memorabilia including patches and an original launching tag I found on eBay. It has become more of a tribute to the Razorback, and a wonderful conversation piece. I am looking forward to when the ship is completed as a museum piece and the public will be allowed to board her. Hope to see you there!