DKM U-Boat Type VII-A

[Mike]

DKM Type VII-A U-Boot

1:350 Hobby Boss

The U-Boat menace from WWII is well known to many, and of these craft, the Mark VII was the most infamous, with over 700 were built during WWII. It was the workhorse of the Kreigsmarine, and sent many a merchantman to their doom.

First built in 1934-5, the VII owed its heritage to the WWI designs, and in part to a contemporary Finnish and Spanish designs. It was capable of carrying 11 torpedoes, mounted a powerful 88mm cannon on the deck, and was capable of 17knots surfaced, or 7 knots submerged, and could stay submerged for many hours.

The kit is a new mould from Hobby Boss, and represents the early A model, which were built before WWII began. The kit box is small, top opening, and contains one sprue of styrene parts, the two hull halves, split horizontally for waterline modelling, two alternative conning towers, or "sail" as it's known in modern nautical parlance. There is also a small fret of Photo-Etched metal that provides deck parts for the two sails, and replacement railings for those looking for more finesse than the plastic parts can provide.

As you can imagine at this scale, the model is small, and should give a good idea of the relatively diminutive size of these craft. You'll also be able to fit quite a few on your shelves, should you go wild and start collecting them.

Construction is simple as you'd expect, with the majority of the 2-part hull seam covered by the saddle tanks. There will still be a little on view however, so careful gluing will really pay dividends here, as there is a fine raised line that passes through the area.

For those unused to handling Photo-Etched parts, the plastic rails should save them too much frustration, or act as fall-back parts if the bending of the photo-etch goes awry. All builders will have to use the photo-etch deck grating for the fin however, as there is no alterative part on the sprues. It's a flat part though, so even a novice should be able to handle installation, as long as they remember to cut the part out on a hard surface.

The painting guide is in full-color, and shows two color schemes, with paint callouts for Mr Hobby, Vallejo, Model Master, Tamiya and Humbrol. Although the decals are provided for these two schemes, a selection of numbers are provided for a range of boats from U27 to U36. Flag decals are also included, with the swastikas partly rendered on the flags, and tiny crosses to finish them off on separate decals for those territories where it isn't outlawed.

The second fret of Photo-Etch is in a much heavier gauge, and contains four parts to construct a stand for the finished model, with its designation etched into the sides.

Conclusion

While the Revell 1:72 VII is a wonderful kit, it doesn't fit with the de facto standard of 1:350, so these kits fill a useful niche. The moulding is excellent for the scale, as is the inclusion of basic photo-etch detail. The surface-use weapons are of reasonable quality, but I understand that the 88mm cannon is available as an aftermarket part if you're looking for a little more detail.

Careful construction and painting will result in a great little model, that will bring home the cramped conditions these brave submariners (of all sides) fought in when compared to your average battleship.

Review sample courtesy of

[richellis]

that looks nice, Is it as small as it looks?

[Mike]

I'd say about 5" from stem to stern.

[richellis]

Not too bad then. Any other in the range?

[Greg B]

that looks nice, Is it as small as it looks?

Probably not the first time Mike has heard that one!

[Mike]

Not too bad then. Any other in the range?

Yeah - it seems to be a growing thing. Bronco & a few others do some different types too.

[Madam I'm Adam]

Err...some problems with the kit however. The Type VII A only had one rudder. There is quite a good build on modelshipwrights stand by torpedoes thread.

cheers

Adam