1MC - Shipwide Announcements > AMP NEWS
AMP7202 1/72nd Type VIIC deck and floods PE set
dougie47:
Hello folks,
In the next two months we will be releasing a new PE set - AMP7202 1/72nd Type VIIC deck and floods set. Here is a photo of the test sheet -
It will be a 168 part set intended for the 1/72nd Revell VIIC U-boat kit.
This set has been designed over the course of several years. It has taken us so long because we have not relied upon any plans and we have not simply copied the Revell pattern. It was designed solely using period photos of real Type VIICs. Here is some information (copied directly from our instruction booklet) which provides info on the research and design -
Aftermarket sets have been previously released to replace the deck on Revell’s RV5015 Type VIIC U-boat kit. However, when we researched Type VIIC decks in detail we found numerous areas that could be further improved and corrected, both in the kit deck and the aftermarket alternatives.
With many hundreds of Type VIIC U-boats built, slight differences existed between the slots upon the decks of different VIICs. These slight variations in slot patterns ensure that it is impossible to design one drawing which covers every single boat. This set cannot, therefore, be entirely accurate with regard to the slot pattern of every single VIIC. This set does, however, correct the inaccuracies in the Revell deck (such as slot sizes and the position of hatches and details) and provide a much improved slot pattern. The set also includes many of the small deck details that are missing from the kit deck and aftermarket alternatives.
Although VIIB and VIIC deck plans do exist, we have found them to be inaccurate with regard to position and size of features. They cannot, in our opinion, be relied upon to design an accurate deck. At the time of the kit’s original release, a decade ago, we did not possess enough period photographs to design an entire VIIC deck using only photos. For this reason, and our reluctance to rely upon plans with accuracy issues, we were not in a position to design our own photo-etched brass deck. After years of collecting more period deck photos, it slowly became possible to cover every aspect of the VIIC deck, all the way from the metal section at the bow, through the main wooden deck (which ran on top of most of the boat), to the metal section at the stern. Even with hundreds of deck photos, and the studious use of a magnifying glass, it was only just possible to achieve this goal. Although we did refer to deck plans, the design of the AMP VIIC deck was completed using only period photos of Type VIIC decks.
As previously mentioned, a deck design which is perfect for all boats is precluded due to the slight variation in slot patterns between boats. However, other than the slot patterns, a deck design which is accurate with respect to every other feature does exist because of the nature of the slot-based wooden deck and the relative slot-to-feature system inherent in this design. An explanation of this is provided below.
On Type VIIC U-boats the wooden “slotted” deck was built with slots which allowed water to drain through the surfaces of the deck. As can be seen on the drawing below, adding wooden spacers in between wooden planks left a distinctive pattern of slots on the deck.
This distinctive style of planks, spacers and slots was used on all U-boats in the immediate pre-war and early-war period. Therefore the decks of the Type IIs, Type VIIs (of all variants) and Type IXs built in this period all had this characteristic type of deck. Around the autumn of 1942 new U-boats were built with a simplified “planked” deck. This planked style was not retrofitted to existing boats so any VIIC launched before the autumn of 1942 retained their slotted deck until their demise.
On AMP set 72-01 we created a photo-etched Type IIA deck similar in style to the VIIC deck. With both sets it was imperative that we ascertained at the earliest opportunity the exact slot width and length, plus the distance between slots. The drawing below shows the important measurements.
After calculating the Type II and Type VIIC deck slot measurements independently, we found that each of the four measurements for A, B, C and D were exactly the same in both types of boat.
Distance A is the main feature which is noticeably too large on the Revell plastic deck. Other distances on the Revell deck (and other aftermarket decks which copied the Revell deck measurements) were fractionally out with regard to B, C and D. For example, distance B (slot width + plank width) is slightly too large on the Revell kit. This can be evidenced just behind the cook’s hatch: on the plastic Revell deck, 21 slots fit across the deck, whereas on the AMP deck (and real boats) there is space for 23 slots to fit across the deck. This is an example of the cumulative effect of small inconsistencies having a noticeable effect upon slot patterns.
The reason that these measurements are important is because once accurate slots dimensions are ascertained the pattern of slots creates a grid. The size and position of all the deck details can be determined by their size and position relative to this grid. An example can be found below. Imagine we are looking at a photo which shows a hole in the deck next to a hatch and we wish to determine the exact position. We can determine the horizontal position because we can see that the centre of the hole is aligned with the left hand side of slot A. We can determine the vertical position because we can see that the hole lies midway between slots B and C.
On the AMP VIIC deck (and Type II deck in set 72-01) this relative slot-to-feature system was used to design every part of the deck.
By doing so the AMP deck has several original features or improvements, many of which have not featured in other sets –
· Correct slot sizes and distances between slots; this allowed the correct number of slots to be placed across the deck.
· The small round holes along the deck edges; these were used for the removable deck railings on the real boats.
· The incorporation of the extra “dashed” lines of slots on the deck on either side of the tower. As can be seen in Stage 1, these dashed lines were features of the early Germaniawerft VIIBs and VIICs (and can easily be filled in to model other VIICs).
· The anti-slip bumps on all the metal deck surfaces.
· All metal hatches are provided separately so that the slight gap around the hatch can be depicted on a completed model.
· The small openings used for the torpedo loading apparatus; this includes both the rectangular or circular holes in full-etch plus the surrounding surface detail in half-etch.
· Corrected placement of hatches, bollards and deck details.
· An air identification plate (with authentic placement offset to port) with bolt heads. We included the holes in the deck where the plate was attached to the deck in case the modeller wishes not to use the identification plate.
· A full set of strips – complete with anti-slip bumps - around the 88mm deck cannon and capstan.
· Improved pattern of slots around the 88mm deck cannon.
· Semi-circular holes on the wooden hatches on the aft deck.
· All the other deck details required to build an accurate deck.
Due to the desires expressed by fellow modellers, we included saddle tanks hatch covers and sacrificial anodes as a bonus. Another bonus is the one-piece wooden tower seat used on the railings at the rear of the tower on early Germaniawerft boats (including popular boats such as U 69, U 94, U 96 and U 201).
As soon as the first shots of Revell’s RV5015 Type VIIC U-boat kit became available online, it was evident that there were deficiencies in the free-flooding vents in certain areas of the hull. The first and most obvious problem is that some slots are produced as rectangles in the kit; unfortunately the real boats had oval slots. This was especially apparent in two main areas –
· Front floods - the group of vents just behind the forward dive planes
· Rear floods - the group of vents just ahead of the read dive planes
Our floods pieces K1 to K4 have the oval shapes.
Please note that there is a sizing issue with the front set of floods on the Revell kit. This has not been corrected in other PE sets but has been corrected in our 7202 set.
The set will come with a 20-page instruction booklet, 2 parts identification guides and one plan. As a bonus the first few production runs will come with a free brass nameplate -
We estimate being ready to release this set in the next two months. Details about price will follow when it is released.
Cheers,
Dougie Martindale
Accurate Model Parts
OldNoob:
i like the larger slots
dbauer:
:) This PE Set will be a great improvement to what is already out there.
Looking foward to it's availability.
Dan
dougie47:
Hello folks,
We now have our Type VIIC deck and floods set (AMP7202) in stock and can be ordered for €39.95 + €7.95 shipping. This can be found at -
http://amp.rokket.biz/am_type7set.shtml
Cheers,
Dougie
falo:
Hi Dougie,
stunning piece of craftsmanship. Congratulations to you and your team. I admire the endurance and consistency to accomplish this PE set. Hope this set will find many purchaser.
Regards
Falo
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