Hi all. I have a few pics of my rebuild in progress, and I will start a proper build thread here if it is ok.
The project is a VIIC/41 that I am building in 1:35th scale. I chose that scale because I am familiar with it from building armor, I have a billion spare parts that might find their way onto this boat at some point, and I figure I will be able to modify 1:35 scale figures to suitably man this vessel.
It will be a cut-away project, showing through major portions of the Stb. side, with as much framing, structural detail, plumbing, and the like visible through that side. The Bb side (Port) will be skinned, so I can paint and detail the exterior portions and play with weathering.
I am building this section from D.Spt 63 forward, which is the waterproof bulkhead at the aft end of the forward torpedo room.
Having said that, and having looked at the many builds I have seen on this forum and others, I decided to scrap my initial build. As mentioned in the other thread, I just did not like how it was going, and a total re-start from this point would be better than trying to fix what was going bad. Lessons learned!
Here are some pics from the initial work and the rebuild.
I kept the anchor and anchorwell... The anchor is built up from several laminations of .025" styrene and putty. For the large rivets at the base, I drilled tiny holes, inserted some stretched sprue, and when the cement was dry, helt near a candle to make the rivet head. The sprue mushrooms back and taadaa! Rivets!
The anchorwell was made of some carefully cut .015 styrene, shaped and folded origami style, and puttied.
Welds were added from stretched sprue melted with liquid cement and prodded into weld beads with the back of a pointy file
![](https://www.kabutographics.com/_VIICBuild/anchorwell001.jpg)
Wooden Torpedo Rohr proxies in the proper position, with a removable placement only bulkhead. This keeps everything aligned and in place till I can get the druckkorper in place.
Let me tell you - it was an exercise in trig to lay out and cut the holes in the metal end cap to fit the tubes. Three dimensional spherical elliptical nightmares to do by hand!
![](https://www.kabutographics.com/_VIICBuild/VIICRebuild001.jpg)
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Decks A,B,C,D, keel parts, and partial frame 106 bulkhead.
![](https://www.kabutographics.com/_VIICBuild/VIICRebuild002.jpg)
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Underside of Deck E showing supports, side stringers, and anchor chain locker...
![](https://www.kabutographics.com/_VIICBuild/VIICRebuild003.jpg)
Dry fitting decks and structural members.
![](https://www.kabutographics.com/_VIICBuild/VIICRebuild005.jpg)
![](https://www.kabutographics.com/_VIICBuild/VIICRebuild004.jpg)
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Opting to do more research on the interior stringer III section between decks B and C lead me to remove this cool looking but wrong truss.
It will only be seen through the oval shaped holes between torpedo hatches, but I want it to be right...
The thin brown paint is to relieve the starkness of pure white plastic, and to make photography slightly easier. These are not final colors! :-)
![](https://www.kabutographics.com/_VIICBuild/VIICRebuild006.jpg)
Pieces going together. Old HP air bottle and forward dive planes saved from old build.
Dive planes are made from laminations of .025 styrene, but I am currently applying Roland's texturing technique to them. More pics of that in the near future!
![](https://www.kabutographics.com/_VIICBuild/VIICRebuild007.jpg)
![](https://www.kabutographics.com/_VIICBuild/VIICRebuild008.jpg)
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Adding strengthening vanes to tubes I and III, plus outer door opening shaftwork, flanges, and drainage tubes.
I intend to ad Grandt Line bolt castings as needed in the near future (they are ordered) I will lay in lubrication lines for the shaft-work, and texture the tubes so it looks more like castings. I have a lot of work to do.
Tubes II and IV will only get the detail needed that can be seen from the planned openings on the Sbd. side, as the Bb side will be closed off.
![](https://www.kabutographics.com/_VIICBuild/VIICRebuild009.jpg)
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Here the old scrapped deck E is in place to evaluate stuff I need to do for Bb torpedo tubes - and my initial evaluation was that I needed to rebuild Deck E!
![](https://www.kabutographics.com/_VIICBuild/VIICRebuild010.jpg)
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Below is the start of the new Deck E. I will add connections to the sensors and other obvious parts, but I like this new deck better than the old!
![](https://www.kabutographics.com/_VIICBuild/VIICRebuild011.jpg)
![](https://www.kabutographics.com/_VIICBuild/VIICRebuild012.jpg)
![](https://www.kabutographics.com/_VIICBuild/VIICRebuild013.jpg)
Thus is the current state of the build.
I Still need to pick a particular boat, and am looking through available info to find a suitable boat to build this into. I planned on a VIIC/41, but that is not set (yet) in stone. I like the story of U-250 and its sinking, then salvage by the Russians. I know U-250 was a VIIC not a VIIC/41, but the pics I have seen of her show what looks like an Atlantic bow and Turm IV. My boat at this stage is still flexible enough to continue as either a VIIC or a /41.
It would probably be better to pick a boat that there are numerous references and pics of, but I am still looking.
Any ideas gents?
Thanks for your encouragement in the other thread - It helped me to decide to go on and do the best I can do with this project.
Cheers
Christopher