German U-Boat Type VIIC/41 Atlantic Version

The Type Vii U - boat the Terror of the North Atlantic during World War ll. This is a nice little model, the detail on the conning tower is excellent. Some of the parts are really small and can be easy to loose if you ain't careful. The parts fit together nicely. With some patience and time this model will turn out Great.

I haven't built a submarine since I lost my 1st tooth as a kid - so this has been a looooong time coming. This is a well-engineered and executed kit. No molding flash, good parts fit, and clear instructions. Modern sub kits can be very simple since there isn't much outside the hull to build, but this kit has a lot of conning tower and control surface details to work on so you get a lot of bang for your buck with this kit.

In 2018, a 105 year old man died. Now, living 5 years beyond the century mark is unique in of itself, but this man had an interesting life without question. Reinhard Hardegan was his name, and he was especially noted for being the last surviving Uboat Captain who was directly responsible for terrorizing the Atlantic off the coast of North Carolina and its Outer Banks shoreline early in WW2. After I became aware of Reinhard and his U-boat service in the 3rd U-boat Flotilla in the Reichsmarine and Kriegsmarine, I became interested in building my first model of a U-boat, of any submarine for that matter. So, I turned to Hobbylinc in search of what was available to build. During WW2 , Germany built 1162 U-boats. Sadly, decades later, only 4 are known to survive with some fifty of them still listed as missing in the depths of the oceans. I decided to go with the Revell Type VII C/41 Atlantic Uboat and was pleasantly surprised the entire build-up. This is one fine submarine kit with many parts. I have always avoided building submarines because the hull halves really hide so much of the model..interior detailing, ect. This build was such a good surprise with the many parts involving the superstructure on the deck and the rudder and propeller assembly.Be careful when separating the parts, since many of them are very small, and also, be careful if you get glue on your fingers when handling small parts. I had a bit of a challenge with the deck railings since the mounting holes are not that deep. Try using super glue on them and you will be fine. As for separating the parts, I used a side clipper on them to dislodge them from the sprue trees. There are four versions of the U-boat to build, and all are great choices and historical in nature. After using Tamiya white primer, I then applied dull matt grey for the hull and a lighter grey for the upper deck and superstructure. I went as realistic as I could, all the while guessing as to how much weathering do to cold saltwater of the Atlantic Theater.I then applied a very light dusting of Model Master Stainless Steel Metalizer to give the hull a heavy , metallic feel to it. Then, I applied real rust from a wheelbarrow sitting in my back yard, and this turned out so realistic looking. Give this trick a try! A popular question regarding German U-boats: How do you hide something that is the length of a city block weighing 3 times the Statue Of Liberty? Well, its an interesting question to ponder since , as I mentioned earlier in the review, fifty U-boats are still out there, resting in the deep ,dark depths of the ocean. Where are they? I recommend the movie Das Boot, a very amazing German made film about a U-boat crew, and also the book Operation Drumbeat to further inspire you. Good luck on your U-boat! Steve Zuger