yvesvidal

Folks,this model is the realization of a childhood dream. As long as I can remember, I have had a passion for submarines and more specifically for the German Type VIIc. A few years ago, Revell Germany proposed a very impressive model of the Type VIIc at the scale of 1/72 that was a nice match for their re-issue of the Matchbox Flower Class Corvette. A lot of negative things can be said about the Chinese quality and products, but in the domain of plastic scale models, they created a renewal, a revival of that discipline that no American or European companies have been able to even get close to. It started with their Bismarck and USS-Arizona in the scale of 1/200 and they have been relentlessly offering multiple models each time, bigger and bigger. The upcoming Titanic at 1/200 is another proof of their energy and commitment to this form of Hobbies. The models offered, the molding, packaging, artwork of the contents, quality of instructions and the size are absolutely unmatched by European or American manufacturers. Tamiya, being Japanese, remains in the leading group, but you pay for it. Their 1/48 U-Boat U-552 kit is probably the biggest kit that can be found on the market today, at least it is in my small collection. The following shows the box weighing 22 pounds resting against some of my pinball machines: That model is massive with a length of 1.440 meters, near 5 feet. The kit includes more than 1100 parts and is extremely well presented, packaged and molded as are the modern Trumpeter kits. All the parts are arranged into three large boxes with delicate parts carefully wrapped with bubble shields. The main hull and rear hull are located in their respective boxes, impervious to shocks and mishandling. Three booklets come with the kit: Instructions for assembly (70 pages), instructions for colors (20 pages) and a flyer for painting and assembling the 50 some crew members. on the PE side, it is very limited and spartan: However, two PE solutions are available: - Eduard with 3 sheets of PEs for the hull and conning tower - RCSubs with a fantastic offering (slightly more expensive than Eduard but ten times better and more protypical) of PEs, including the infamous Enigma machine in the scale of 1/48 - https://www.rcsubs.cz/index.php/photo-etched-sets/20-sets-for-u-boat-viic-1-48-trumpeter-06801 I have not made up my mind yet, but I am leaning very strongly towards RCSubz which allows to redo the entire deck and part of the hull, in brass. They are currently sold out but working hard to produce other PE kits. The amounts of parts is overwhelming: I have not replicated the instructions here, as it can be easily found on the Internet. Instructions are very precise, clear and are leading you step by step, towards a successful completion of that large model. The hull is provided with a grey side and a clear side: A lot has been said about that kit and numerous people have built it on the WEB. The best realization (in my humble opinion), being a French modeler who turned that kit into a museum piece with a galore of extra details. His Build Log can be found here: http://www.laroyale-modelisme.net/t20510-u-552-trumpeter-echelle-1-48 (in French): Here is another shot from a different builder, showing a beat-up and heavily rusty Type VII (Revell kit): People have been complaining about the clear acetate used to mold the Port side of the submarine and the starboard of the conning tower (mishap!!) and wished that both parts were molded with polystyrene. The Trumpeter kit insists mostly on the inside of the U-Boat and it is clearly what the Chinese tried to do with this massive kit. The Trumpeter kit is an enlargement of the Revell kit and all mistakes of the original Revell kit regarding the hull, have been carried over to the Trumpeter model. Despite these limitations, that kit remains an absolute must have (for submarine enthusiasts) and offers incredible potential for kit bashing and a level of details rarely obtained in naval plastic kits. I am not planning to start the building of this kit any time soon (other priorities to take care of) but still wanted to present it to you and perhaps get the motivation to tackle the biggest plastic model of my life. Yves

WOW!!! Yves

I like the bunny. Nice companionship. Yves

I love those yachts from the early 20th century. Yves

Still no update on that beautiful wagon?

You should post your review and Build Log on https://www.largescaleplanes.com/ YVes

Such a beautiful boat and impeccable construction. Yves

The floaters should be painted in the same way as the plane. Here is a picture from the LargeScale plane forum, where all experts are painting their Arado Ar196 in the same way. Yves

Beautiful work. Congratulations. Yves

Wow...that stuff is going to take off like a rocket.....! Yves

Nice to see this legendary kit assembled by an expert like you. I think you are right about this model being done to go along with an HO scale diorama (1/87). It will be interesting to see what you do with it. Yves

This is getting insane..... 1/700 parts on a 1/350 model.... Where will he stop ? Yves

Beautiful craftsmanship! I love the way you explain the assembly and construction process. And your workshop has this "essence" of the old and traditional wood shops where masterpieces are being created. I will follow with a lot of interest as I love the subject, having started an Emma C Berry kit a long time ago (and never finishing it). Yves

I am speechless..... !!! Insanely beautiful! Yves

So, what is the mystery ship under the sheet? Yves

So Reci, what is your next model.... ? Yves

Lovely boat. I can smell the tide, the algae, the shell fish and that wonderful atmosphere of South Brittany. Well done. Yves

Reci, Absolutely fantastic model of that legendary boat. Thank you so much for building it and posting your work on this forum. Yves

This model is adorable. Not trying to hi-jack your thread, but here are a few pictures of Eric and his daughter Marie on board of Pen-Duick: Marie is doing a 4 years trip around the world on the mythical boat. She has the intensity of her father....to say the least. Yves

Excellent summary of the benefits of CA adhesives. CA adhesives were primarily created for surgery applications, when sewing and sutures are not practical. Yves

Michel ce modele est absolument fantastique. Digne du Musee de La Marine. Yves

I truly enjoy watching these "Hybrid" models come up to life. Yves PS: Hybrid = Plastic/Wood

Beautiful hull weathering. You can almost smell the old rusty iron, decaying slowly. You truly are an artist. Yves

Great job. Eric Tabarly would have been proud of you, for folding these sails. Yves

Yes, I will be following too. As a kid I still remember the excitement when I could buy the Renwall Kit of that incredible submarine, in France. It probably was in the late 60's or very early 70's. I spent quite a few weeks putting it together and the final result was very impressive: it was a big model. I still remember the little spring allowing one of the Ballistic Missile to be shot from a tube..... a gimmick, but very pleasant to a young teenager. That model actually triggered a passion for Submarines that did not leave me until a few years ago. I have collected lots of kits and books and was once a member of the Submarine Committee. Yves