Author Topic: Early Type VIIB Deck Question  (Read 6144 times)

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Offline dougie47

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Re: Early Type VIIB Deck Question
« Reply #15 on: 27 Jan , 2009, 14:58 »
Inaccuracies In The Amati 1/72nd U 47 Model Kit
Part 1

The Amati 1/72nd Type VIIB U-boat model depicts U 47 during the Scapa Flow attack on the 13th/14th October 1939. The mixed-media kit consists of a 3-foot long resin hull, wooden interior supports and a photo-etched brass deck. I bought my kit several years ago for around

Offline dougie47

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Re: Early Type VIIB Deck Question
« Reply #16 on: 27 Jan , 2009, 15:00 »
Inaccuracies In The Amati 1/72nd U 47 Model Kit
Part 2

Conning tower

The shape of the Amati resin tower captures the look of U 47

Offline Mr. Bill

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Re: Early Type VIIB Deck Question
« Reply #17 on: 28 Jan , 2009, 13:25 »
Many, many thanks to everyone that has responded with advice and information!  I have searched everywhere for this kind of information and only here was able to find the answers.  Having a look at the other projects here is a real inspiration for a newbie and I do appreciate your help and comments.  It will take me a few days or so to digest all of this information and better plan for my build of an early VIIB (probably U-45), but I will be sure to post my progress from time to time and seek advice as needed. 

Thank You,

Mr. Bill

bracco_n

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Re: Early Type VIIB Deck Question
« Reply #18 on: 07 Mar , 2009, 14:21 »
Hello Mr. Bill, I found a website that might be of help to you: http://www.u47.org/
It has a large collection of photos of U-47. By the way, have you made any progress on your model?

Offline Mr. Bill

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Re: Early Type VIIB Deck Question
« Reply #19 on: 09 Mar , 2009, 21:26 »
Thanks bracco_n for the website link, it has some great photos and information about U-47 including some pre-war.  The assistance and information that everyone here has provided me has been fantastic and has given me the encouragement to move forward with my project. 

After reviewing all of the great information that was provided to me, I have have selected U-45 as the subject of my build and have been hard at work this past month.  There are a group of excellent photos of U-45 taken in 1938, including some commissioning ceremony snaps that are very good.  I will be using both the Revell and Amati kit to model this very early, actually first, Type VIIB.  Once I get my digital camera functioning again, I will start a work in progress and post photos. In the meantime, a brief summary of my progress:

I have been concentrating on the conning tower and it is about 90% complete.  After reviewing all of the excellent information that was provided to me, I decided that my early attempt on the conning tower could be improved.  The biggest challenges were the flooding holes on the sides, the bronze eagle on the front, the conning tower deck, and the attack periscope housing.

After trying several approaches on the flooding holes, I finally found an excellent, but tedious solution, using some obscure railroad photoetch grating that, when modified, provides an exact match for both the hole size and pattern. The results are very impressive. 

The bronze eagle emblem that pre-war boats had fastened to the front of the tower was a real scratch building challenge for me.  The eagle is very small in 1/72nd scale and has to be curved to conform to the tower shape. I ended up carefully carving/shaping the eagle from an old spare part having the proper curve.  The most difficult part involved constructing a tiny swastika for the circle that is grasped in the talons of the eagle.  I am not 100% satisfied with the result, once I post a photo perhaps someone can suggest a way to improve my effort.  Alternatively, if anyone knows where I can obtain a properly scaled white metal or photoetch eagle, that would be the ideal solution.

Initially, I tried to modify the Amati photoetch conning tower deck.  It needs added square holes where the incorrect air duct is located.  I did manage to make the holes and attempted to square them somewhat, but the brass is too thick to obtain decent results.  After some careful measurements, I found that the Revell Type VIIC tower deck could be modified to an early VIIB configuration.  This involved some tricky styrene surgery and very carefully alignment to rearrange the various deck grating pieces.  The results are very nice and far superior to the modified Amati brass part.

Based on photos of early VIIB boats, I believe the shape of the attack periscope housing is very different from later boats.  It appears to have a more wider base that tapers toward the rear ending in a vertical trailing edge that runs from the deck up to the top.  Viewed from above, it would appear as a water drop.  The holes and foot rail are also different from later boats and there is an angular bracket attached to the bottom rear of the housing that I think was used to hold a life belt.  There is no rail at the top of the housing where the scope tip is located.   I think I got it right - I will post a photo as soon as possible.

There is one feature of the scope housing that I am uncertain about. I don't think these very early VIIB's, at the time of commissioning, had a compass attached to the forward part of the scope housing like the later boats.  In the photos of these very early boats, I can't see the compass, but I can't be certain.  Does anyone know?

Another odd conning tower feature (that others have pointed out to me - thank you) of these early VIIB boats is a device that is located in the extreme forward tower inside just behind the tower wall and just in front of the sky scope.  It is a cylindrical tube similar to the sky periscope housing with a short pipe extension coming upward from the centre.  The extension has a 90% fitting, like a pipe elbow joint, pointing to the side that ends with a smaller flexible hose which curves around along the front inside edge of the tower until it meets with a smaller cylinder that is bolted to the inside edge of the tower.  I can't tell from the photos what extends from the other side of this smaller cylinder, but I think it might be a small hand held speaking tube.  I will post some photos of this device and perhaps someone can identify it and explain its function.

Thanks again to everyone that has helped me, look for my U-45 progress photos in the near future as soon as my camera is operational again.  In the meantime, your comments and suggestions are always welcome.

Bill   

Mr.Mox

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Re: Early Type VIIB Deck Question
« Reply #20 on: 10 Mar , 2009, 01:55 »
Hi Bill

Looking forward to the pictures, a very ambitious project!

Regarding the eagle there is one included in the Special Navy type II A kit, its very nice and if someone is making there kit in a later war configuration you might be able to trade a surplus one.

Even if the practice with the eagle was discontiued at the beginning of the war, I have seen pictures of U6 sporting one in spring 1941 - guess old habbits are hard to kill.

Cheers/Jan

Offline Mr. Bill

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Re: Early Type VIIB Deck Question
« Reply #21 on: 13 Mar , 2009, 16:52 »
I need to get a new battery for my digital camera so I can post some progress shots of U-45.  In the meantime, please have a look at this photo that shows the "flexible voice tube" equipment that appears on early Type VIIB boat.  I scanned this photo from page 247 of "The Armed Forces of WWII" by Andrew Mollo.  Does anyone know what the device looks like behind the Commanders head?

Thanks,

Bill
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