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Category: Static Display Models
Revell Type VIIc U-boat (1/72 scale)
Submitted by
Site Administrator
(As written by JC Carbonel)
When this kit was first announced it came as a shock for the modellers’ community, the ripples of which went far beyond the amateurs of naval models.
When the kit arrived at home it was another shock from the size of the box... though there is not a centimetre of margin between packing and the contents.
Presentation
2 immense hull parts, moulded very well but with a slightly too prominent relief engraving which will have to be attenuated, and a number of very crisp parts for the various fittings. The injection is quite fine but there are some curious shrinkages in particular on the diving planes and the propellers (better replaced by propellers from a R/C model ?). The non opening of the deck gratings and overwater hull sections was widely criticised when the kit appeared but it was probably the only viable solution way for Revell and the modellers. Otherwise it would be necessary to provide detail for the section between the deck and the pressure hull.
There are many options concerning the conning tower and the upper hull section and it requires a great attention in the consultation of the instructions to sort out the ones appropriate to the model one’s whish to build.. Not that the instruction sheet is ambiguous, but it would have been easier with literal instructions .Obviously it is a kit which shows the limits of the multilingual symbolic system used by Revell.
There is no transparent parts (the lights can be represented by simple painting), but wire for the antennas and a sheet of small flags are provided. One would have liked figures like Airfix does for his ships in the same scale.
The periscopes are mobile and the armament poseable.. on the other hand the access hatches to f the kiosk or the hull are moulded with the deck... a pity because it will force those who wish to present their model in a diorama setting to copy the hatch detail provided and theh open up the holes ! The mooring bitts are presented retracted... there too there will be need to scratch new ones for a harbour scene. On the other hand the front torpedo tubes can be presented open.
Assembly of the hull
One starts with the torpedo tubes. It is difficult to join the external doors with their articulation on the hull. I would advise all to stick with closed tubes... especially if you want to make a diorama or to put some figurines on your boat.
The two half-hulls are reinforced by two structural partitions and you will need to let dry the whole hull assembly with various clamps and reinforcements.
It is one of the rare models where one has to use all the types of adhesives available for a model maker : tube glue for the large hull sections, liquid adhesive applied by brush, liquid adhesive applied by capillarity, quick-setting cyanoacrylate type glue.
The rear torpedo tube is basic. It is advised to redo it out of Evergreen tube and to carve a new door in plasticard.
The axes of the propellers are designed to be fitted inside fairings, themselves glued to the hull. This assembly seems to have been designed to ensure a good seal if one wishes to transform this model into a R/C model. The propellers themselves present some shrinkage but unless you wish to replace them by functional brass propellers for a R/C model, it will be necessary " to make with it ". The diving planes and control surfaces also present some shrinkages. The whole of the propulsion and control surfaces unit is assembled without difficulty.
The hull is then finished and can go into the painting stage. Traditionally the ships are painted in carmine red below the water line which is marked by a black line. It is the diagram of decoration suggested by the documentary sources (cf below). However Revell suggests another decoration with dark gray underwater sections without demarcation line. The rare photographs of U-boot in dry docks seem to go in this direction and certainly reveal the non existence of a black demarcation line.
Therefore I elected to paint the model as follows :
submerged hull, deck, armament : gray panzer Tamiya XF63
emerged hull : clear gray Life Color UA021
This last color is very light which fits well with the period color photographs but... it appears a little too light compared to the " Horrido " markings of U69...
Assembly of the conning tower
Little difficulty here once one has chosen the desired version. The periscopes must be painted before locking up them in their tubes if one wants to guarantee they can retract. The engraved details are somewhat stylized by Revell (I guess the problem came from of the shape of the parts would have required a more complex tooling for a better definition). So it will gain if reworked out of Contrail tube.
The higher deck in the conning tower and the wintergarden is painted (gray panzer) and is dry brushed before installation of the top of the conning tower. In the same way wooden protections (intended to protect the crew from freezing during period of day before at sea of North) are painted a woodish color (even if one can think that this wood aged and tarnished quickly). The top of the conning tower is painted and receives its transfers before fixing on the lower part of conning tower. The various handrails and railings are refined before installation.
The 105mm gun and the 20mm of anti-aircraft defence (where are its ammunition ?) are assembled and painted at this stage.
Assembly of the deck
The deck is provided in three elements which fit one end abutting the other. Unexpectedly fixing of the front section was very delicate because a gap of 1mm appeared on the side. Problem on the kit or was my assembly slightly off ? Only the use of grips and quick setting cyanoacrylate solved the day. In the same way the hull bulges at the level of the gun required an important puttying which was not anything pleasant because there is a lot of detail nearby which requiring a lot of attention while sanding.
On the opposite, the last rear section just snapped in place ! In regard to the various grids and gratings on the deck I suggest painting the whole of these parts in black then to dry brush them in gray (" panzer grey " for the deck, light grey " for the hull).
The gun is installed at this stage, and the completed conning tower (already painted and assembled at the preceding stage) as well. Deck fittings do not raise any difficulty.
Weathering
After wondering about using a glossish varnish to give a “wet” effect on the lower hull and having rejected this idea, I elected to do different weatherings for the emerged and immersed parts.
For the part immersed I emphasized the vertical lines of structure in black with an airbrush. Then by various mixtures of black XF-1 and brown-red XF-64 I added corrosion effects along the lines of structure (with a finer adjustment of the airbrush) as well as in the anchor recess and around submerged gratings. Not wanting to model a derelict wreck these mixtures remained rather dark rather than the lighter rust colors.
The weathering of the emerged part resulted initially in a dry brushing of the deck to emphasize some the details followed by washes of black, brown and rusts on the deck and the tower. Beware : the various side grids of the hull, contrary to what one sees in movies, are very clean and without any sign of rust. In the same way the exhausts of the diesel engines do not seem to leave too persistent traces.
On the other hand the paint of the conning tower and the emerged hull is frequently seen peeling off and traces of paintings of camouflage white (for the ships in Scandinavian operations) remain sometimes. If “micro-paint” along a metre-long band is your fun then you will be able to enjoy yourself on this kit.
Then you’ll have to add the antennas for which you must initially drill holes in the deck. Revell provides sections containing pulleys/ isolators moulded in styrene which is not very realistic, I preferred to use pearls. After having checked that railings where the antennas are moored is firmly glued one starts with the front wire then via the Y branch which circumvents the conning tower and then one complete the model by adding the two ear wire sections.
Conclusion :
Once that one has mastered the size of the model, the assembly and painting is not difficult. And the model has no crying defect. The problems encountered are probably more due to my inexperience with naval models than with faults sith the kit. A superb subject then and one that Revell managed to put in the grasp of any modeller willing to tackle it (if I managed to do it while not knowing anything of ships before, it must have been an easy model) as long as he/she has the display shelves needed ! ! !
Thanks with Revell AG for the supply of the kit presented here and with the team of www.subcomittee.com for their advices.
Make sure to visit www.modelstories.org for more information and pictures.
Documentary sources :
Squadron Signal in Action " U-boat At war " [ beware of the red hulls. The basic reference on the subject ]
Squadron Signal " the U-boot war 1939-1945 " [beware of the red hulls. A good historical perspective on the subject]
Delta Publishing Ground Power « U-boot part 1 & part 2 » [excellents technical details, many colour illustrations and many pics of my chosen U69]
« The U-boat » chez Cassell [excellent technical detail]
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