U-228 is Commissioned

[Greif]

U-228 was commissioned today after a lengthy delay to repair bomb damaged suffered in an allied air raid while undergoing final fitting out prior to launch.

Well it took longer then expected, but I managed to repair the damage suffered when my young nephew decided to play with my model while unattended.  I managed to either repair or replace the damaged/destroyed parts making the model at least publicly presentable.  I'll spare all of you the details but repairs took a bit over 22 modeling hours to complete.  Overall I am mostly statisfied with the end result.

The model represents U-228 loading torpedos prior to her sixth and final war patrol which began in August 1944.  Commissioned on 12 September 1942, she completed 6 patrols and sank exactly zero ships.  She was one of several Type VIIc u-boats retro-fitted with a snort; her's being installed in July 1944.

U-228 was badly damaged by a bombing raid (In this case modeling seemed to have a paralleled real life!) in Bergen after completing her sixth patrol.  She was stricken in October 1944 and scrapped shortly thereafter. 

I attempted to represent U-228 in a slightly worn state without turning her into a rust bucket.  Though my poor photography does not show it well, the rust effects turned out subtle and they are one of the areas I am very pleased with for this build.

Enough rattling from me.  I have attached a few pictures in the "Completed" section of the Gallery for you all to enjoy.  Comments, positive, neutral and negative are welcome! 

Ernest   

[Siara]

Ernest- really good effort there mate!
You have done the good job repairing the damage, as i couldnt spot any signs. Well done.
The boat looks great- just a little bit too clean for my liking, but hey- if they all looked the same way it wouldnt be so interesting to look at other modellers work. I like the stand with brass finials also.
Good effort!
Remember to cover the boat with perspex, or glass- it keeps the dust away, and most important it protects the model from unwanted nephew attention.

[dougie47]

Hi Ernest,

Great work, your U 228 looks really good. Love the two insignia. Remember to keep it protected from more bomb damage!

Cheers,

Dougie

[bracco_n]

Congratulations Ernest! it turned out nicely and I couln't spot any damage to it. I hope My U-1023 turns out as nicely as yours!

[Rokket]

So pleased you were able to launch, and no sign of the damage! (Better keep it ina  bunker). She looks very nice, you should be pleased.

[Mr.Mox]

Nice and clean buildt and paintjob, good work on the crew too and a nice looking wooden stand.

Haven

[Greif]

Thanks for the kind comments guys!  As soon as the brass name plate arrives and is put on the boat goes to my brother-in-law for display at his house.  I guess my efforts to fix or cover up the damage turned out ok.  Well that and carefully not taking macro photos of the repaired areas. 

I have already urged the B.I.L. to buy a acrylic cover for the model to protect it. 

I have already began construction on the Type IIA.  I don't know if I'll post a series of "In Progress"  shots, as Jan has covered the construction process as well as it could possibly be done.

Again, thank you for the kind and generous comments.

Ernest

[bracco_n]

Ernest, would you mind uploading some pictures of your central drainage area? I'm about to place the ribs above the saddle tanks and would like to see how you did it.
Thanks in advance.

[rabapla]

es hat sich gelohnt, sich nach der Katastrophe zum Weiterbauen aufzuraffen.

Super Ergebnis!

[Greif]

Ernest, would you mind uploading some pictures of your central drainage area? I'm about to place the ribs above the saddle tanks and would like to see how you did it.
Thanks in advance.

Hi bracco, I added the only two pictures I took of the central hull slit area while building my model to the "On the Bench" section of the gallery.  For some reason I still can't post pictures to a thread.  The pictures are not the best so I'll try to explain how I did the area.

First I cut the plastic away using a scriber and new number 11 xacto blade.  I then cut a 40mmX40mm evergreen plastic strip into 88 6mm long pieces.  I glued the pieces with thin modeling glue, lining each strip up with the rivet line on the model.  I left two gaps; one for the hull bulkhead and the other gap between the 6th and 8th strip from the front.  In that gap, I glued a piece of 60mm diameter rod to simulate a round bracing strut.

You will need to use 20mmX40mm strips on the port side adjacent to the recessed area for the snort so that the snort trench will fit.  I found out the hard way that 40X40 is a bit too wide.

Glenn Cauley shows a different technique on his U-673 build.  The ribbing is more accurately shaped, but it is alot more work.  Frankly, IMHO once everything is together and painted the technique I used above, and I think Wink used on his U-557 build looks just fine.  It is worth looking at Glenn's page to compare the two techniques to see which you prefer.  The link to his site is:  http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/.

Hope this helps,
Ernest

  

[Greif]

es hat sich gelohnt, sich nach der Katastrophe zum Weiterbauen aufzuraffen.

Super Ergebnis!

Vielen Dank rabapla!  Es war ein harte stuck arbeit.

Ernest

[Siara]

Bracco-n, im sure youll find this interesting:
http://u-552.blogspot.com/2008/03/ribs.html
http://u-552.blogspot.com/2008/03/stern-ribbing-and-exhausts.html
http://u-552.blogspot.com/2008/04/midship-ribs.html

[Greif]

Bracco-n, im sure youll find this interesting:
http://u-552.blogspot.com/2008/03/ribs.html
http://u-552.blogspot.com/2008/03/stern-ribbing-and-exhausts.html
http://u-552.blogspot.com/2008/04/midship-ribs.html

Siara's site is the gold standard for techniques.  And I should have guided you there in the first place Bracco.  Sometimes I don't see the forest because of the trees.

Ernest

[bracco_n]

Siara and Ernest, sorry I didn't reply to your posts. But I read them and the results can be seen in the thread I'm posting, Thank you!
Ernest I'm going to bother you again, could you upload one or two photos of U-228 bridge (showing UZO, periscopes, etc) ?
Thanks in advance!