Slowly throughout the last five months, and with increasing speed since the avalanche season has concluded about a month ago. I have been working on a significant update to my Type VIIC’s Turm 4 bridge configuration. This configuration was found on most late-war Type VIIC’s. This configuration featured an upper platform with two 2 cm flak guns and a lower lengthened platform featuring a single 3.7 cm flak gun (not modelled yet). As my model represent a very late-war Type VIIC 41 there are small modifications from the standard Type VIIC’s Turm 4 bridge configuration. These modifications follow the German doctrine of making the U-boat simple and utilising less steel in the construction.
- An ever more straightforward wooden planks deck design. Planks are now straight cut and kept very plan.
- More metal deck hatches have be replace with wood.
- The upper platform handrail is now more straightforward, with tighter circumference to lessees the steel in the construction.
- The absence of any netting around the lower two handrails.
- A more straightforward radar drive shaft fairing. Expected to be easier to installation at a slightly in consuming more steel.
The key update to the model is, I have now modelled the internal framing for both upper and lower platform. This allow me to virtually build the platform and bridge from the inside out. Allowing me to correctly place rivets based on the framing location, to place individual sheets of plate steel and more precisely contour the platform casting.
The first four bridge renders are in 4K and parallel projection views for stern, bow, port and starboard.
Listed below is the key change log of elements I have added, enhanced or added more detail to.
- Construct internal framing for both upper and lower platform.
- Upper and lower platform casting is now attached and contour to the internal framing.
- The casting is now completely made up of individual sheet of plate steel.
- Some +2000 casting rivets were hand-place. Rivet placement is founded on internal framing, sheet metal edges and now not on that look ‘good’.
- Changed and added more detail on how the handrail are attach to casting.
- Added additional element and detail to the 2 cm Anti-Aircraft gun base on my visit got U-505.
- Reworked the navigation lighting casting.