Revell 1/72nd Type VII U-Boat.

[Guest]

look very nice so far Richard!!

how easy does the pigment-wash wash off? do you have any pics after you had wiped off the excess to see the affect?

so this is going to be a static dive sub or just a surface?

[Guest]

Pictures Number six and seven show the wash after it was wiped off. it removes very easily so the trick is to take care that you don't remove too much.

You don't get the final effect though until the matt varnish is applied.

This is only a surface running model as I am going to fit flags and figures for the maximum detail effect on the bridge plus I want it to sail at a normal draught rathetr than the decks awash level that you need for a diving model.

[Guest]

The next step in the process was to try to simulate paint chippings, which I did on the light grey finish only.



Unfortunately I still feel that I have a lot to learn with this technique and I am not happy with the finished effect. When I look at how they do it in Tamiya Model Magazine International I think I need to use an even smaller brush than I did. Modelling is a continuous learning process and this is something I need to do a lot better with.



Anyway it stands as I it did as a part of the learning curve and I moved on to adding some rust effects. I am a lot happier with this and decided, based on the scale, to use a dry brush technique. It is very difficult to decide just how much to do with rusting, particularly with U-Boats, which seem to range from freshly painted to absolute wrecks in my photo archives. I went for something that I hope is somewhere in the middle and I hope it doesn’t look too much.



Anyway after the paint chipping was done and the rust added it was time to coat the entire hull and tower with a matt clear topcoat. I used a large spray tin on a waterproof Acrylic matt varnish and put three coats on. Taking care to get the varnish into all the recesses where the wash was residing.



The next couple of pictures show the hull at this stage before moving on to adding the remaining detail to the tower.

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[Guest]

that look lovely richard! to be honest i think you have done the paint chip effect very well, you see normal boats in a dock with more paint chipping away and rust so for a sub i think it looks brilliant and just right!!!

do you use pastel pigments or special pigments (as in you use one called rust)??

[Guest]

I use MIG pigments in a range of colours such as Dark Earth, Light Rust, Dark Rust etc. and mix as I go along.

The paint chipping effect was Tamiya acrylics and the rust was Tamiya acrylics in Purple, Orange and Earth colours.

Thanks for the comments.

[Guest]

how much does a kit like that cost?

[Guest]

The basic Revel kit costs in the region of £40.00 ($60.00).

The wooden deck and Photo-etch set cost about the same again and then this particular model has the motors, shafts, props, receiver, speed controller, servo and batteries as well to add to that.

[Guest]

i have never built an RC and liked the subs that i had seen on this web site, and thought that i might give it a try. maybe??? so the model that you priced for $60.00 does not come with the motors, shafts, props, receiver, speed controller, servo and batteries? and can you give me a rough estiment on how much all that cost?

[Guest]

Taylor,

The model is not actually designed as an RC model so it has to be modified to become one.

The basic plastic kit is about $60.00

Wooden deck set, $45.00

Photo-etch set, $25.00

Motors, shafts, props, tubes, couplings about $45.00

Rudder Micro-Servo, $10.00

Micro-Receiver, $45.00

Two Channel Radio, $60.00

Two 6 'C' cell 7.2 volt Ni-cad packs, from my bit box but would probably be about 7-8 dollars each.

Charger if you haven't got one.

The wooden deck and the Phot-Etch can be omitted and the other items are based on memory and British prices so you may do a bit better with American stuff if you can get it easily.

The modifications basically consist of drilling out the hull to take the new shafts and tubes, adding ballast, fitting the RC gear and arranging for access to all the RC components.

This has all involved a lot of work as I perticularly wanted a scale working model. If you want a much easier introduction into RC subs you may well be better of with a simple kit such as a Robbe Seawolf where it is designed from the start as a RC model. They are available in the UK for £114.00 (nearly $200.00) but that includes all the shafts, motors etc. so you only need batteries and a radio.

[Guest]

Well today I worked on getting all those little bits and bobs finished and getting the deck looking as I wanted it.

The whole idea of the expense of the wooden deck was so that the laser cut holes would look neat and the wood texture would look far more realistic than the plastic original.

After the original coat of matt dark grey was applied, the real decks were coated with a matt black paint, I made up a wash of very thin brown enamel paint. This was painted over the recessed detail and then immediately wiped away with my finger. This left the wash in the detail and it also shaded the deck colour nicely.

When that was done I then dry brushed matt white in patches over the deck surface. Being a wooden deck regularly submerged in sea water just about every picture I can find of a U-Boat deck shows very clearly white salt deposits on the deck. I have never seen this simulated on a model yet so I particularly wanted to show this effect.

The final effect on the deck was a gunmetal dry brush over the areas of the footholds around the 8.8 cm gun and the capstan, which was actually scuffed pieces of metal on the real boats. I made these out of stretched sprue and plasticard.

I then added a soot deposit in way of the deisel exhausts with an airbrush, which is really the only way to generate such a softly shaded paint effect.

When this was done I have to say I was really pleased with the overall effect of the deck. The detail looks crisp and the weathering looks quite realistic and nicely contrasts with the steel areas of the deck and hull.

The rest of the day was then spent adding bits of detail and attending to the rigging. The rigging was a bit of a challenge, as it has to be removable to allow the removal of the centre section. I incorporated a section of rubber cord into the forward wire and a hook so that the rigging can be released quickly and easily. The centre section will still be attached by the aft wires but it can be conveniently sat on the aft deck when removed.

The final couple of bits remain to be completed such as the hand rail wires and the making of the stand, which should be completed tomorrow and the final touch of a few crewmembers may well be done during my next trip away. I am hoping that my flag (including Swastika!) from BECC will arrive soon to finish off the detail of the bridge.

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[Guest]

the deck looks really good Richard!!! the salt deposit is a really nice touch!!!

any chance of a picture of the whole thing?

lovely work!!!

[Guest]

It should make it's maiden voyage tomorrow morning when I will take a couple of shots of it. It needs to be pretty calm though so it may have to wait.

It won't be completely finished until the figures and the flag are on it which may not be for a while yet.

[Guest]

thanks Richard for taking the time to explain it all to me! im going to look into the seawolf and see what the avaliblity is in the states. thanks

[Guest]

thanks Richard for taking the time to explain it all to me! im going to look into the seawolf and see what the avaliblity is in the states. thanks

That's what we are here for.

[Guest]

I actually got the flag from BECC today so that was the last peice to be fitted. It certainly is a vast improvement over the original, and it has the correct Swastika on it of course.

The only remaining thing now is to paint and fit the figures but I think I will do them on the ship next time.

Apart from that it is now finished, had her sea trials and will be going with me to the pond tomorrow.

The finishing touch was a stand which was made from a couple of peices of mahogany, cut to the original stand verticals, two brass bars with turned down brass screws to hold them into the uprights and a base of yet another 95p surplus kitchen drawer from from a garden centre.

So a couple of finished pictures to end the project. I can't remember the last time I actually started and finished something, scary!!

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