yvesvidal

Much better stand that allows you to admire the beautiful curves of that hull. Yves

Don, I am humbled that the famous Mr. Prince is taking a look at my model. I am in awe at the extraordinary amount of work you have done on these German submarines and have learnt so much by reading your book (the PDF version). Also, thank you for introducing Mr. Tore to this community as he is probably one of the very few men having served on a Type VIIc vessel, still in existence today. There will be more of your material being used in this Blog. It is my absolute reference. Yves

My eyes are exploded. That engine is a challenge to build and to paint. It must have at least 100 parts to put together. I am building it pretty much out of the box. The only change I made was to cut the plastic pushers and replace them with metal wires for more realism. Not an easy thing to do: you need to drill 12 holes with the proper alignment. Trumpeter has been placing a lot of hoses and it makes the assembly a challenge: at the scale of 1/48th, these hoses are too big and are crammed, preventing a nice organization of all the parts, especially around the rockers. I have seen some modelers push the insanity at replacing the plastic valve springs with real springs. I just cannot do that. Besides they are almost invisible once the engine is in place. After painting the entire engine, some kind of "Hemp" color, it is time to install the pushers and paint all the details. My eyes are too shot to go any further today. Yves

Very nice mast. Yves

Thank you Katuna for all this very interesting material. I have thought about showing the oil pan on the engine and regrets that Trumpeter did not include that part in their otherwise extremely well detailed engine. I may fabricate it for the starboard engine, as nothing will be visible on the port engine. I wish you could show in a separate thread, the beautiful work that you have done with your engine, all the piping and oil tanks in the frame of the compartment. Maybe you will start your own thread on the U-371, as you are depicting it, in the Mediterranean sea. Yves

Please, post here what you think is relevant to the Diesel engines compartment. I'd love to see what you have. Yves

Katuna, I know you know, since we frequent the same very specialized forums. I simply hope I can get close enough to what You and Bianco are doing. I am humbled when I see the masterpieces and the extent of research and details that you are putting into these models. Katuna, I use your work as the reference for a lot of details and understanding of that submarine. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and skills with us. With gratitude. Yves

Let's look at some of the information I found on the Diesel Engine compartment. As shown by the blueprint, there are three main tanks in that compartment (and there are many secondary and very important tanks to operate such complex machine). There are two Fuel tanks located under the engines and multiple lubrication tanks located right between the engines, under the walkway. These 3D renderings will help: That first drawing shows the fuel cells under each engine and the multiple oil/lubrication tanks, pipes and associated pumps. Quite complex. The drawing above shows the two engines and the walkway installed between them. Notice that the two engines are not parallel to each other. This is not correctly represented in the Trumpeter kit. I will see if I can give the model some offset on the engines. The three following drawings are showing the armature holding up the two massive diesel engines. Fuel tanks are built in between the frames, whereas oil tanks are installed as separate cells between the main longitudinal frames. I have decided to not represent any of these fuel and oil tanks, as I like to be able to show the nice ribs arrangement. Here again, the Trumpeter kit does not provide the two elevated frames marked with a warning signs. The next diagram show the cooling and anti-corrosion system used for the diesel engines and electrical motors: We saw that the diesel engines were introduced by an opening on the pressure hull. That opening was bolted and carefully made waterproof. the two following pictures show that large opening. On the second picture, the opening is shown in greater details, but it is a later model than the U-552 (possibly even a Type IX). You can also see the large pipe bringing fresh air to the engine compartment. On the U-552, that pipe would be almost straight. Finally, some views and blueprints of the engine itself: I have to say that Trumpeter did an excellent work on the engine details. It is rendered in great details as we will see. Yves

Le Chasse Maree is an excellent magazine which has been published for many years and covers various subjects related to the sea and boats, in depth. I have a few issues at home and really like it. You picked up an excellent and traditional subject for your build. Yves

I am now moving away from the Trumpeter instructions.... not that I have followed them very much, since the beginning. What should have been glued last, is actually done first. This is done to allow me to fine tune the alignment of the engine(s) and transmission shaft(s). If you do that task at the end, as suggested by the assembly instructions, you run the risk of having the shaft not match the opening in the bulkhead (which is exactly what is happening, already). So, some intervention will be necessary at this location. I have two diesel engines, but they are identical and not symmetrical as are the real ones. So, we need to perform some important surgery on the starboard engine. In addition, keeping the two engines fully assembled will hide the "prototypical" and correct looking engine and presents to the observers, something that is not right. So, I have decided to cut down to the crankshaft case the second engine and prepare it for a little surprise..... If I can do it. More will come later, in a few days.... This is where we stand at this moment. hopefully, most details of the port engine will be visible over the "cut" starboard engine. This is going to be a very busy compartment. Thank you for all the "Likes", encouragement and support. Yves

This wonderful 360 spherical view of the Engine compartment is very useful: https://www.360cities.net/image/submarine-u-995-machine-room I already spotted another error done by Trumpeter, who installed the indicator lights over the rear bulkhead (wall between Diesel and electric engines) when in fact they are suspended to the ceiling, near the wall between Diesel engine and kitchen. When looking at this presentation, please keep in mind that the pictured U-995 is somewhat different from the early U-552 that we are depicting. In addition, U-995 has been modified heavily and retro-fitted with more technology than the early U-Boots. Therefore it may explains some of the differences between the pictures and the model. Yves

So impressive. It is gorgeous. Yves

Some updates, on the Diesel engine compartment: Basically, to give the roof and wall a more interesting appearance, I am doubling the molded wires with real conduits: twisted pairs from CAT5E cables. The fasteners are made of a small piece of tape sliced, to create the illusion of some metallic holders. Also, notice that I made a second hole for the exhaust of the starboard engine (missing in the kit, of course). Once painted, the result is not too bad. All the conduits blend nicely.... Highlight of some details and a touch of wash on the conduits. Still very clean overall, no grease and oil being spilled. Painting the chassis took forever, even with an airbrush: there are so many surfaces.... I cannot even imagine what it would be to paint this with a brush: Et voila, for the moment. Yves

Very true. Nice catch Keith. Yves

Great work Jack. You are very patient..... Yves

Before we dive into the model, let's present the Diesel Engines compartment. First, from the official blueprints: The U-Boot Manual offers a technical Comparison between the two types of engines used on the Type VIIc: the M.A.N. and the G.W. The main difference is in the forced induction: On the MAN, the induction is done through a turbine driven by the exhaust (Turbo-charger), whereas on the Krupp engine, the compressor is driven by a belt. The G.W. engines were much better and more reliable and MAN engines were retrofitted little by little, before the submarines were sunk...... M.A.N. Krupp (G.W.) Number of cylinders 6 6 Piston displacement 57.8. liters 57.8 liters Piston speed 7.2 meters/second 7.2 meters/second Efficiency 82.5 81.0 Speed 470 RPM 470 RPM Supercharger speed 10,900 RPM 10,900 RPM Performance 1400 SHP 1400 SHP Stroke 460 mm 460 mm Cylinder diameter 400 mm 400 mm Length (whole engine) 5630 mm 5600 mm Width (whole engine) 1400 mm 1400 mm Height 2810 mm 2895 mm Engine weight 38.476 tons 43.440 tons Weight to power ratio 13.75 kg/SHP 15.5 kg/SHP Fuel oil consumption (+) 0.165 kg/SHP 0.182 kg/SHP Supercharger Buchi Exhaust gas turbine B.B.C. Roots type charger G.W. Fuel oil regulation Over flow adjustment Chamber volume by means of beveled edge adjustment From a size and shape perspectives, both engines are very similar: The fantastic characteristic of these Diesel engines is that they could run in both directions (reversible) thanks to a very ingenious mechanism to change the distribution. You only had to stop the engine, swing a lever to change the distribution at both end of the engine, and restart it. It would then run in the reverse direction. The operation did not take very long (less than a minute) and could be performed with one or two mechanics. One of the most incredible task during the construction, was the insertion of the massive Diesel engines into the Pressure Hull. This was done through a large opening on top of the pressure hull, which was then welded once the electric motors and diesel engines had been inserted: A smaller and similar opening was also made in the pressure hull, for the insertion of the front electrical batteries. Once installed, the Diesel engine compartment was very full and always maintained in a very nice condition (which is not the case with the Swedish crew, as you can see on the picture): The picture above shows the Swedish crew that took possession of the U-995 at the end of the War. That boat is the only Type VIIc in existence and on display, in Europe. The air intake was provided by the two openings at the top of the sail. These two intakes were funneled through a large duct, running above the Control Room, the rear compartment, the kitchen and entering on the roof of the Diesel room. Thus, fresh air was injected in the Diesel room for the engines (and the crew....) to breathe. I have included the schematic below, for those who wish to understand some of the intricacies of the propulsion system: I will be adding more technical data as we move along with the construction. The above should whet your appetite.... Yves

Dave, I am with you and have a profound hatred for wars and conflicts in general. They only profit the ones that are behind the scene: the canon makers and international bankers and an elite who only wishes to control and enslave human kind. Now, that being said, like many modelers I have a passion for certain instruments used to fight wars, not so much for their ultimate purposes, but for the engineering that went into them. I abhor all armored vehicles and deplore that current trend in plastic modeling at replicating all these weapons of civilians destruction, in the scale of 1/35th. On the other hand, I enjoy all the sea vessels going on the surface of the water or under it. It is one of these polarities that makes us humans and that we have to reconcile and forgive. Yes, I am compassionate of your father and the sheer terror he may have felt during his Atlantic crossing. The terror was shared on both sides, as more than 75% of the German sailors did not come back. The movie Das Boot, clearly depicts the unbearable life of a German submariner, during WWII. Once Man refuses to fight unjustified wars, then all this nonsense will stop. Women should refuse their bed to all men who are partaking in wars. That would put an end to it, immediately. Yves

I am waiting for new blocks to realize the rigging of the sail. I ordered some blocks from Syren, but really went way too big with the size ordered (1/4 inch). I was fooled by the size and thought like an imbecile that it was the scale (1/48th). I am trying to depict insulators and not blocks and got carried away with the size. This time I will get the 3 mm ones that should come closer to the 1/48th scale ceramic insulators. So, to spend the time on these rainy and windy weekends of November, it is time to start a new module: the Diesel engine room !!! It is a very complex module and it will take a certain (read loooonnnnggg) time to complete it. I also wish to replicate both sides of the compartment, having the incredible opportunity (sheer luck, really) to have most parts in duplicate. Here again, the "Trumpeter" has taken some regrettable short corners and we will get in more details as we build it. The first task is to build the frame that will support the diesel engines! Yes plural for engines as I have two of them! This is exciting! First, this is how the "Trumpeter" envision the assembly of the frame. Basically, for the observer, you only see a flat piece of framing (T1 on the assembly manual). All the nice ribs are hidden and on the non-visible side. They are used to support the diesel engine. Once again, the "Trumpet Player" could have duplicated the ribs and offered the observers (and enthusiasts) a better rendering of this extremely interesting part of the Type VIIc vessel: Thus, thanks to the incredible generosity of The Nautilus Drydock (Thank you Bob !), I am able to build a full chassis with symmetrical framing: You will recognize that it has more punch than the original design. The two bulkheads are also slightly modified, to accommodate the new starboard framing: Once we insert the frame in the hull, it offers a beautiful depiction of that extremely sturdy section of the Type VIIc: For modelers who do not have the luxury to use a second set of parts, it is worthwhile to replicate the parts with plastic sheets, but it is a lot of work. Of course, some adjustments will be required as the original Trumpeter kit is not exactly symmetrical (the starboard - transparent - side being thicker) and I will have to do some sanding of the hull, internally. Overall, it fits almost perfectly, a little bit tight on the stern side. Yves

I agree with you that they are not made of wood. However, wood blocks can be made to look like these insulators, better than a flat PE part. We'll see how that goes. Yves

Just a couple of pictures showing the sail in color, and matte clear coated: There is still plenty to do but the lights have been wired and most details installed. I still need to create the lenses (out of clear sprues) for the navigation lights and perhaps do a very subtle weathering. I am representing the vessel in the early days of teh U-552, and as you can see from this famous picture, the sail was very clean: I have ordered some blocks from Syren and will try putting together some of the rigging. That should be interesting. Note that Trumpeter have nothing planned or described about the wires and antennae and I did not purchase the Photo-Etched set from RC Subz for the rigging. As you can see from the picture, the blocks are round and not flat as would be photo-etched parts folded on each other. We'll see how this goes. Another first for me.... Yves

Impressive of realism. Fantastic work. Yves

Beautiful boat and excellent choice. Yves

Coming to a closure on the conning tower. First the attack periscope and its strong platform with a compass: Details of the compass. I need to find some print of the compass, scale it down and glue it in place, once everything is painted. Below is the front of the platform: Observation periscope shaft, the UZO holder (used to hold all kinds of pointing devices and binoculars), the round Direction Finding antennae (DF) for taking bearings on beacons and for receiving Very Low Frequency messages from the U-Boot Commander In Chief (BdU). Front Compass: Attack periscope in place: I still need to finish the wiring of the navigation lights, paint the whole tower, decals and final matte clear coating. Yves

Beautiful, beautiful. This is going to be a hell of a model! Yves

Well, I thought a "Quack" was perfect for a Trumpeter.... 🙂 Yves