White ensign P-E is perplexed over VII C!

WOWgo figure!!

Could it just be political psychobabel that really means that they didn't get the set done in time for the release? Since when does a PE manufacturer say, "We can't improve on this." NEVER! That's like saying Monster Machine's Jesse James said, "Nope, can't improve on that Mustang." I just think production or molds got delayed, and they're trying to cover for it. JMHO.

QUOTE: Originally posted by demono69 Since when does a PE manufacturer say, "We can't improve on this." NEVER! That's like saying Monster Machine's Jesse James said, "Nope, can't improve on that Mustang.".

Amen to that Brother!

You'd certainly never hear Aber say that!

Still......that says something about this kit......even the pics at Revell show that alone.

They'll have a kit for the Sub anyways.

It also shows that WEM is an honest place.

James

Now its just a matter of waiting to see 'when' it comes to America.

Ok that sounds funny.......We WANT a U-BOAT to come to the U.S.

My limited experience with the White Ensign team has been very positive. I think you're getting the straight story. With respect to photo etch for this model I doubt there is much that could be done except deck detail, some handles, parts for the gun, etc. But I would have to agree with them that there is no sense in trying to produce something unless it adds value to the end result.
Dave

Sounds right to me weebles

Loren Perry of Gold Medal Models lives near me...great guy and a DANG GOOD BUILDER! His 1/350 Titanic is AWESOME!

I am looking for some of the aftermarket folks to provide mods for this kit that would allow late war extended conning tower configurations. One of our club's members (The SubCommittee) is contemplating a photoetch brass deck in place of the plastic. (forget opening all those flood and drain holes!) I could see that leading to a deck with a schnorkel well for a late war version as well.
A US fleet boat in this scale would be signifcanly larger, but would be a runaway best seller, I'm sure.

I'm thinking about putting all the hatches in the open position and building just what you could see inside.......with some proper lighting of course.

Welcome Sam that does sound promising.

Yes of course! WELCOME Sam!

Now in the film U-571 the sub they modified to look like a German sub would have been a bit smaller than the U.S. subs I'm aware of......did the U.S. Navy have any Subs that would have been close to the size of a VII C?

Are you all aware of the Amati kit? It's been around for some time now. It's 1/72 scale, resin and photo etch. From everything I've seen it looks a little more detailed than the Revell kit. It sells for $180 on line. If somebody makes photo etch decks and resin upgrades for the Revell kit, you'll probably end up having as much money into it as if you went out and bought this kit which has all that already. Just a thought. Here's Amati's web site.

http://www.sell-it-easy.de/amati/english/index.htm

Dave

thanks for the kind welcome...

I have the Amati kit. I'm predicting the Revell kit will be more successful than the Amati for many reasons, but the biggest I can give you is that the Amati kit has no weld lines, no scribe lines, no flood vents, except for what is on the PE deck and uppe hull sides. No torp doors, no flood vents. You have to add/scribe all that detail in order to bring it up to the Revell's "already there for ya" detail.

Don't get me wrong...the Amati kit is very nice, and with some effort can even be molded from, to build a nice small scale R/C U-boat. But it will take lots of work to get it to the detail level of what Revell is going to release.

If anyone wants more info about the Amati model, contact Model Expo- www.modelexpo-online.com
I believe they still offer it.

Additionally, the Amati is representative of U-47, a Type VIIB variant. The Type VIIC sports a different conning tower than the B; additionally, there were some exterior differences.

Good references for Type VII U-Boats:
Vom Original zum Modell: Uboottyp VIIC (German) - ISBN 3-7637-6002-4

Anatomy of the Ship -The Type VII U-Boat - ISBN 0-87021-886-7

The U-Boat - ISBN 0-304-36120-8

Good information on the Amati kit. Proves you can't tell everything from photos!
Dave

Hey Folks,

I know John and Carolyn from White Ensign...if they say it can't be improved on, that's what they mean...

We have to remember in 1/72, photoetch loses alot of its effectiveness. Railings for example, are obviously not rounded welded pipes with cables running through them, but are flat, one dimensional pieces of brass. It's also difficult to represent the effective thicknesses of some of the parts in this scale, especially when talking about warships.

That is not to say there are going to be parts that could be effectively done with PE. But WEM has to look at how much they fit onto a fret, is there enough to warrant a detail set if it's done effectively in plastic?

I built the Amati kit...and although it looks great in the box, it's a bear of a model to build. I went even further and converted mine into a Turm IV Type VIIC U-242, which added to the madness.

A photoetched deck for the Revell kit would be nice, but it's going to cost as much, if not more, than the actual kit. Drilling the drain vents and even thinning the underside of the plastic parts will go a long way in improving this model.

With regards to the towers, you can expect resin conversions to cover the various Turm configurations and variations. Additionally, it's not that difficult to scratchbuild the mods made to most of these ships.



Jeff