Author Topic: Deck Fading  (Read 2314 times)

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Offline pumpjet

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Deck Fading
« on: 04 May , 2015, 09:24 »
Hi Guys,

Didn't the decks look faded grey with black streaks due to exposure to the salt water and sun bleaching?
I am just trying to figure out what looks better on a model.
Fresh out of the building docks or weathered after a year or two of service ( if the boat was lucky and not sunk )

It looks cool also not painted and just the etch as a highlight.

Bob

Offline GlennCauley

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Re: Deck Fading
« Reply #1 on: 04 May , 2015, 09:32 »
Here is a link to a wonderful document that covers many aspects of U-boat colouring (including decks).   Many of us use this as "the Bible" as a key reference source.

http://amp.rokket.biz/docs/the_wolf_pack_compr.pdf

(Deck information starts on page 42.
Glenn Cauley
President, IPMS Ottawa
gc-scalemodels.ca

Offline tore

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Re: Deck Fading
« Reply #2 on: 05 May , 2015, 07:22 »
Wooden deck.
I have seen many variations and colours on the models having wooden deck, anything from suggesting teak to light coloured spruce. If you would like to have a model with teak coloured deck and shiny brass details, it is fancy but does of course deviates considerably from a WW2 VIIC. Even a 1943 VIIC with shiny brass propellers would be incorrect as I guess these VIICs had cast steel propellers. The only shiny items would be the Zinc corrosion anodes on the hydroplanes and A brackets, the shiny metal would quickly become dull though.
The colour of the deck and other items seen from above (plane) is very important, in fact so important that the German Naval high command issued an instruction to the COs to paint the deck and other item in dark almost black colours and to have some paint available for repairing possible paint damages. See relevant pages of the German Naval Highcommands COs handbook below.
As a rule we were cautious of these details as well. So if you would like to have an authentic model, resist fancy deck colours.

Offline SG

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Re: Deck Fading
« Reply #3 on: 05 May , 2015, 11:08 »
Tore,
- Did the Kaura retain the original blackish-gray of the Kriegsmarine era? Were there any discolourations of the deck showing the original teak colour at the time of re-commissioning in the Norwegian Navy as you recall of?
- Pre-1943 propellers were made of brass?
Thanks in advance

Offline GlennCauley

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Re: Deck Fading
« Reply #4 on: 05 May , 2015, 12:07 »
Propellers:
Early U-boat propellers were made of bronze. Bronze propellers are bright and shiny when new, but turn darker and lose their shine with age. A slight greenish tint can accumulate in the corners.
From about January 1942 the propellers were made of steel.
Glenn Cauley
President, IPMS Ottawa
gc-scalemodels.ca

Offline tore

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Re: Deck Fading
« Reply #5 on: 05 May , 2015, 12:58 »
SG
Yes, the wooden deck  was never teakcoloured, I guess the wood was a kind of German spruce, but in spite of that, the deck was kept very dark grey and container hatches, bollards  and other  items were black. The cast steel propellers were susceptible to heavy cavitation corrosion at the hub close to the blades.
Tore

uboatfan

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Re: Deck Fading
« Reply #6 on: 06 May , 2015, 02:26 »
Hello at all,

in U-Boot im Focus 12 (Yust out now) you will find a very good color (recolored?) picture of an used wooden deck on a type VII.

I cant post a picture here but if you go to EBAY you will find it inside the descripotion:

Link: http://www.ebay.de/itm/U-Boot-im-Focus-Nr-12-unveroffentliche-Fotos-NEU-U-Boote-Modellbau-No-12-/331546903744?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_77&hash=item4d31bc44c0

Regards,

Uboatfan

Offline SG

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Re: Deck Fading
« Reply #7 on: 06 May , 2015, 08:21 »
Another reason to order that issue 12 soon! Thanks Uboatfan and thanks to Tore and Glenn too, i'll take advantage of this information to make the correct choice in my U48 project. Am afraid am too far from propellers and deck-painting phases right now :-[
« Last Edit: 06 May , 2015, 08:26 by SG »