rvchima

Amati U-Boat 47 type VIIB

After building the Syren I didn't want any more rigging. After building the Arno XI Ferrari hydroplane I didn't want any more brass nails in the deck. After building the Anteo harbour tug I didn't want another double-planked hull. What to build next??? A submarine!
 
Amati offers an attractive kit of a German U-boat from 1939. You can get it for £225.00 from westbourne-model.co.uk, but I found one on eBay for much less. I've had the kit for 6 months and am finally getting started.
 
What's in the Box

The meter long box has two divided plastic bins on the sides and one large area in the center for flat materials. The bottom contains a cast resin hull of the submarine.
 

The full-sized plans are about 0.7m x 1 m, and are all in Italian. The hull seems to be two hollow pieces glued together, but I can't find obvious seams. Alas, there are no rivets, panel lines, or other details molded in the hull.
 

There is one sheet of laser-cut plywood parts used to build up the superstructure of the deck. There is also a heavy cardboard sheet, apparently used to identify the plywood parts.
 

There is also a large sheet of photo-etched brass parts used to make all the of the detail on the deck. It seems to be beautifully detailed.
 

One parts bin contains a resin cast conning tower, dive planes, and some miscellaneous small parts. The kit does contain two turned brass mounting pedestals but no wood base.
 

The other parts bin has a decal, and a nice cast sailor and anchor. The props and mounting hardware are, disappointingly,  plastic.
 


The instructions are 16 pages long and are written in Italian. But like Lego instructions they are mostly pictures, so I don't think they will be too hard to follow. The English translation is about 1.5 pages long.
 
I'll be starting on this after the holidays. Stay tuned for more.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Amati U-Boat 47 type VIIB

After building the Syren I didn't want any more rigging. After building the Arno XI Ferrari hydroplane I didn't want any more brass nails in the deck. After building the Anteo harbour tug I didn't want another double-planked hull. What to build next??? A submarine!
 
Amati offers an attractive kit of a German U-boat from 1939. You can get it for £225.00 from westbourne-model.co.uk, but I found one on eBay for much less. I've had the kit for 6 months and am finally getting started.
 
What's in the Box

The meter long box has two divided plastic bins on the sides and one large area in the center for flat materials. The bottom contains a cast resin hull of the submarine.
 

The full-sized plans are about 0.7m x 1 m, and are all in Italian. The hull seems to be two hollow pieces glued together, but I can't find obvious seams. Alas, there are no rivets, panel lines, or other details molded in the hull.
 

There is one sheet of laser-cut plywood parts used to build up the superstructure of the deck. There is also a heavy cardboard sheet, apparently used to identify the plywood parts.
 

There is also a large sheet of photo-etched brass parts used to make all the of the detail on the deck. It seems to be beautifully detailed.
 

One parts bin contains a resin cast conning tower, dive planes, and some miscellaneous small parts. The kit does contain two turned brass mounting pedestals but no wood base.
 

The other parts bin has a decal, and a nice cast sailor and anchor. The props and mounting hardware are, disappointingly,  plastic.
 


The instructions are 16 pages long and are written in Italian. But like Lego instructions they are mostly pictures, so I don't think they will be too hard to follow. The English translation is about 1.5 pages long.
 
I'll be starting on this after the holidays. Stay tuned for more.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

THE ANTEO SAILS!
 

My ANTEO harbour tug model is complete after only 205 days and 323 hours of my free time. This model was quite a bit more work than I expected, but it was worth it. I love the lines of this tug, and my long deliberations over the color scheme paid off. Now I just need a place to display it in our house.
 
Here are some details of the model.
 

Two beautiful hinged bronze anchors come with the kit, but the shafts are completely hidden inside the hull.
 

The plans show a rope bow fender on the model. There was plenty of rope but no directions were included. I Googled "How to make a rope bow fender," stayed up all night, and made my own. I think I could do better on a second try but I used all my rope. Maybe next model.
 

Little brass rungs were included for the ladders, but the brass wire was much too soft. I used music wire instead and glued the rungs in place with CA. The life raft canisters are hinged and will tip down, and the hand winches turn.
 

I love all the details around the engine room.
 

Here's the business end of the ship. The prop turns and the rudder is hinged. The plans show how to set the model up for radio control, but I would be reluctant to put this much work into the water.
 

I built a walnut base to hold my basswood stand.
 

And finally, here's a gull's eye view of the ANTEO.
 
COMING SOON - Amati U-Boat U-47 Type VII B 1:72 Scale - STAY TUNED!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Fore to Aft
 

You just gotta love the jib with all those lines!
 

 

The longboat was one of my finer pieces of work.
 

I copied Augie's mount for the bell.
 
 

Syren Update - Case Completed
 

I just completed a case for my Syren. It is my own design made from quarter-sawn white oak and plexiglass. The inner dimensions are fit to the Syren at 34" x 13" x 27" and the outer dimensions are 36" x 15" x 28".  Plexiglass is 1/6 the weight of glass so the case only weighs a few pounds and I can move it myself. The case is finished with a coat of Watco walnut stain, two coats of orange shellac to seal the grain, and several coats of a 1:1:1 mix of polyurethane varnish, boiled linseed oil, and mineral spirits.

Syren Update - Case Completed
 

I just completed a case for my Syren. It is my own design made from quarter-sawn white oak and plexiglass. The inner dimensions are fit to the Syren at 34" x 13" x 27" and the outer dimensions are 36" x 15" x 28".  Plexiglass is 1/6 the weight of glass so the case only weighs a few pounds and I can move it myself. The case is finished with a coat of Watco walnut stain, two coats of orange shellac to seal the grain, and several coats of a 1:1:1 mix of polyurethane varnish, boiled linseed oil, and mineral spirits.

THE ANTEO SAILS!
 

My ANTEO harbour tug model is complete after only 205 days and 323 hours of my free time. This model was quite a bit more work than I expected, but it was worth it. I love the lines of this tug, and my long deliberations over the color scheme paid off. Now I just need a place to display it in our house.
 
Here are some details of the model.
 

Two beautiful hinged bronze anchors come with the kit, but the shafts are completely hidden inside the hull.
 

The plans show a rope bow fender on the model. There was plenty of rope but no directions were included. I Googled "How to make a rope bow fender," stayed up all night, and made my own. I think I could do better on a second try but I used all my rope. Maybe next model.
 

Little brass rungs were included for the ladders, but the brass wire was much too soft. I used music wire instead and glued the rungs in place with CA. The life raft canisters are hinged and will tip down, and the hand winches turn.
 

I love all the details around the engine room.
 

Here's the business end of the ship. The prop turns and the rudder is hinged. The plans show how to set the model up for radio control, but I would be reluctant to put this much work into the water.
 

I built a walnut base to hold my basswood stand.
 

And finally, here's a gull's eye view of the ANTEO.
 
COMING SOON - Amati U-Boat U-47 Type VII B 1:72 Scale - STAY TUNED!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Hull Plates Completed
 
It took about 30 hours to finish the plates, cut all the ports in the bulwarks, and attach the plates with double sided tape and approximately 525 tiny brass nails. Not suitable for someone with a short attention span, but I suppose none of this is .
 
Final Details
 

I finally ran into some parts that were missing from the Panart kit. There are 6 oval ports in the bulwarks that are lined with cast bronze fittings. Only 4 fittings came with my kit, so I made 2 more out of brass sheet and wire. I formed the parts around a wooden form, soldered them together, and plated them with copper patina for stained glass. They don't look too bad.
 

The plans show the upper rails made out of 3 mm x 8 mm basswood, with no information about how to make them fit the compound curvature of the bulwarks. I didn't have enough basswood that size left, so I bought lots of 1/8 in. square strips. I traced the outline of the bulwarks onto cardboard, subtracted 1/4 in., and traced that onto a Masonite form that I then cut and sanded. Then I steamed the basswood strips with a wallpaper steamer, bent them around the form, and glued them with CA. Pretty complicated for a railing but they came out nice.
 

Here's the final result showing the ports and rail. The rail and deck all have 3 coats of orange shellac. The black arches (or whatever the proper nautical term is) were also steam bent out of basswood.  Cast bronze letters were provided and painted white for the ANTEO name.

4 Water Inlets

Any tug boat experts out there? Why would you have 4 huge water inlets on the deck of a tug boat? I sure don't know, but these were fun to make anyway. The bodies are PVC tube and the tops are laser cut ply. The brass hand wheels were rough but I chucked them in my rotary tool and smoothed them with 400 grit wet sandpaper. They screw into little posts made out of a dowel - the same dowel as the mast. Those posts were hard to drill, center, and align, but I got them right after three tries. The kit includes hundreds of little brass hinge posts that are glued into holes that you drill. I was a little apprehensive of them at first, but they work very well. In fact the lids on these water inlets were fully operable until I glued them into place. I figured that I'd never open them and they'd be dangling loose in 10 years.

Overall View
 

Here's where it stands today. The hull and stack are both primed grey and ready to paint. The engine house and aft structure are primed white and will be painted the same color as the stack.
 
There is a notch cut in the rudder support for installing the prop shaft. I will have to glue the cut out piece back in place and repaint after the prop is installed. Too bad the shaft can't be installed from inside the hull.

Cabin
 

While waiting for my paint to arrive I jumped ahead in the plans and completed the cabin. The instrument panels are made of lacquered cherry, and the planking is finished with 3 coats of orange shellac.
 

Panart supplies a lot of beautiful brass pieces for portholes, hinges, and railings that really dress the model up. They also explain the high cost of the model. So far I've run short of some wood strips, but every brass piece has been neatly bagged and in the box.
 

Here's a view of the bow with the cabin in place.
 
Lots of Little Parts. 208 hours, 160 days.
 
Lately I've been building lots of little, difficult parts.
 

The mast was hand planed to shape from a 12 mm dowel. The brass lights were all supplied.
 

These 13 braces support the deck where the cabin overhangs the lower quarters.
 

The funnels are made of a brass casting on top with wooden supports below.
 

Six life preservers are made from plastic rings and red striping tape. They will eventually hang on the cabin.
 

Six turned wooden barrels were supplied. I painted them, then wrapped them with model airplane trim tape. The fill caps are painted nail heads.
 
 

THE ANTEO SAILS!
 

My ANTEO harbour tug model is complete after only 205 days and 323 hours of my free time. This model was quite a bit more work than I expected, but it was worth it. I love the lines of this tug, and my long deliberations over the color scheme paid off. Now I just need a place to display it in our house.
 
Here are some details of the model.
 

Two beautiful hinged bronze anchors come with the kit, but the shafts are completely hidden inside the hull.
 

The plans show a rope bow fender on the model. There was plenty of rope but no directions were included. I Googled "How to make a rope bow fender," stayed up all night, and made my own. I think I could do better on a second try but I used all my rope. Maybe next model.
 

Little brass rungs were included for the ladders, but the brass wire was much too soft. I used music wire instead and glued the rungs in place with CA. The life raft canisters are hinged and will tip down, and the hand winches turn.
 

I love all the details around the engine room.
 

Here's the business end of the ship. The prop turns and the rudder is hinged. The plans show how to set the model up for radio control, but I would be reluctant to put this much work into the water.
 

I built a walnut base to hold my basswood stand.
 

And finally, here's a gull's eye view of the ANTEO.
 
COMING SOON - Amati U-Boat U-47 Type VII B 1:72 Scale - STAY TUNED!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Hull Plates Completed
 
It took about 30 hours to finish the plates, cut all the ports in the bulwarks, and attach the plates with double sided tape and approximately 525 tiny brass nails. Not suitable for someone with a short attention span, but I suppose none of this is .
 
Final Details
 

I finally ran into some parts that were missing from the Panart kit. There are 6 oval ports in the bulwarks that are lined with cast bronze fittings. Only 4 fittings came with my kit, so I made 2 more out of brass sheet and wire. I formed the parts around a wooden form, soldered them together, and plated them with copper patina for stained glass. They don't look too bad.
 

The plans show the upper rails made out of 3 mm x 8 mm basswood, with no information about how to make them fit the compound curvature of the bulwarks. I didn't have enough basswood that size left, so I bought lots of 1/8 in. square strips. I traced the outline of the bulwarks onto cardboard, subtracted 1/4 in., and traced that onto a Masonite form that I then cut and sanded. Then I steamed the basswood strips with a wallpaper steamer, bent them around the form, and glued them with CA. Pretty complicated for a railing but they came out nice.
 

Here's the final result showing the ports and rail. The rail and deck all have 3 coats of orange shellac. The black arches (or whatever the proper nautical term is) were also steam bent out of basswood.  Cast bronze letters were provided and painted white for the ANTEO name.

Hull Plates
 

The Anteo kit includes a large sheet of photo etched brass plates that surround the top of the hull. I felt that shiny brass was unrealistic around the top of of a tug, so I colored the plates black with a chemical used to patina stained glass.
 

The plates are a b*tch to attach. Most plates have a hole that has to be cut through a triple-planked basswood hull. No matter how carefully I drill, cut, or sand, the paint gets scratched on the outside, the wood tears out on the inside, and a tool slips and gouges my beautiful deck. It will take a bit of cleanup after the plates are all attached. The plates are attached with 3M double sided tape. That works beautifully. Each plate edge has 7 or more holes for tiny brass nails. The only problem is that the nails are too long so I have to cut them off. The blunt nails don't drive well so I have to pre-drill every hole. I'm getting about 3 plates done each night.
 
 

The Anteo Was Almost Launched

Two weeks ago my Anteo tugboat almost got launched. We had the "storm of the century" here and my basement rec room and workshop were flooded. The photo shows my rec room with my Syren model and Amati U-47 U-boat kit (future build) safely out of harms way, while my DeWalt tool bag floats by from my workshop. The ensuing chaos has kept me from posting for a while, but things are mostly back to normal and I am building again.
 
Final Paint Scheme
 


Before the flood I decided on a paint scheme: Emerald Green for the hull and Periwinkle for the trim. I love the final look.
 
Engine House
 

The engine house has 10 hinged windows. Each hinge is made with two brass "eyes" drilled into the house, a third drilled into the window, and a pin made of brass wire. Each window has a brass porthole with a clear plastic insert. I love the detail in the Panart kits!
 

I had planned to glue the windows shut so I didn't finish the insides, but the hinges were so cool that I had to leave them operable.
 
Lifeboat Containers
 

The lifeboat containers are vacuum formed plastic. They would probably be fiberglass on the real tug so I left them with their glossy white finish.
 
Stand
 

 
Kurt, thank you for identifying the Alice E model. It looks beautiful. I found the image in a Google image search. Do you have pictures posted on MSW? I ended up making a stand a lot like yours, but I still have to mount it on a wood base.
 
And the stand for the Coral Sea is awesome! There are more little details on the ground than I have on my whole boat.

THE ANTEO SAILS!
 

My ANTEO harbour tug model is complete after only 205 days and 323 hours of my free time. This model was quite a bit more work than I expected, but it was worth it. I love the lines of this tug, and my long deliberations over the color scheme paid off. Now I just need a place to display it in our house.
 
Here are some details of the model.
 

Two beautiful hinged bronze anchors come with the kit, but the shafts are completely hidden inside the hull.
 

The plans show a rope bow fender on the model. There was plenty of rope but no directions were included. I Googled "How to make a rope bow fender," stayed up all night, and made my own. I think I could do better on a second try but I used all my rope. Maybe next model.
 

Little brass rungs were included for the ladders, but the brass wire was much too soft. I used music wire instead and glued the rungs in place with CA. The life raft canisters are hinged and will tip down, and the hand winches turn.
 

I love all the details around the engine room.
 

Here's the business end of the ship. The prop turns and the rudder is hinged. The plans show how to set the model up for radio control, but I would be reluctant to put this much work into the water.
 

I built a walnut base to hold my basswood stand.
 

And finally, here's a gull's eye view of the ANTEO.
 
COMING SOON - Amati U-Boat U-47 Type VII B 1:72 Scale - STAY TUNED!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Hull Plates Completed
 
It took about 30 hours to finish the plates, cut all the ports in the bulwarks, and attach the plates with double sided tape and approximately 525 tiny brass nails. Not suitable for someone with a short attention span, but I suppose none of this is .
 
Final Details
 

I finally ran into some parts that were missing from the Panart kit. There are 6 oval ports in the bulwarks that are lined with cast bronze fittings. Only 4 fittings came with my kit, so I made 2 more out of brass sheet and wire. I formed the parts around a wooden form, soldered them together, and plated them with copper patina for stained glass. They don't look too bad.
 

The plans show the upper rails made out of 3 mm x 8 mm basswood, with no information about how to make them fit the compound curvature of the bulwarks. I didn't have enough basswood that size left, so I bought lots of 1/8 in. square strips. I traced the outline of the bulwarks onto cardboard, subtracted 1/4 in., and traced that onto a Masonite form that I then cut and sanded. Then I steamed the basswood strips with a wallpaper steamer, bent them around the form, and glued them with CA. Pretty complicated for a railing but they came out nice.
 

Here's the final result showing the ports and rail. The rail and deck all have 3 coats of orange shellac. The black arches (or whatever the proper nautical term is) were also steam bent out of basswood.  Cast bronze letters were provided and painted white for the ANTEO name.

THE ANTEO SAILS!
 

My ANTEO harbour tug model is complete after only 205 days and 323 hours of my free time. This model was quite a bit more work than I expected, but it was worth it. I love the lines of this tug, and my long deliberations over the color scheme paid off. Now I just need a place to display it in our house.
 
Here are some details of the model.
 

Two beautiful hinged bronze anchors come with the kit, but the shafts are completely hidden inside the hull.
 

The plans show a rope bow fender on the model. There was plenty of rope but no directions were included. I Googled "How to make a rope bow fender," stayed up all night, and made my own. I think I could do better on a second try but I used all my rope. Maybe next model.
 

Little brass rungs were included for the ladders, but the brass wire was much too soft. I used music wire instead and glued the rungs in place with CA. The life raft canisters are hinged and will tip down, and the hand winches turn.
 

I love all the details around the engine room.
 

Here's the business end of the ship. The prop turns and the rudder is hinged. The plans show how to set the model up for radio control, but I would be reluctant to put this much work into the water.
 

I built a walnut base to hold my basswood stand.
 

And finally, here's a gull's eye view of the ANTEO.
 
COMING SOON - Amati U-Boat U-47 Type VII B 1:72 Scale - STAY TUNED!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Hull Plates Completed
 
It took about 30 hours to finish the plates, cut all the ports in the bulwarks, and attach the plates with double sided tape and approximately 525 tiny brass nails. Not suitable for someone with a short attention span, but I suppose none of this is .
 
Final Details
 

I finally ran into some parts that were missing from the Panart kit. There are 6 oval ports in the bulwarks that are lined with cast bronze fittings. Only 4 fittings came with my kit, so I made 2 more out of brass sheet and wire. I formed the parts around a wooden form, soldered them together, and plated them with copper patina for stained glass. They don't look too bad.
 

The plans show the upper rails made out of 3 mm x 8 mm basswood, with no information about how to make them fit the compound curvature of the bulwarks. I didn't have enough basswood that size left, so I bought lots of 1/8 in. square strips. I traced the outline of the bulwarks onto cardboard, subtracted 1/4 in., and traced that onto a Masonite form that I then cut and sanded. Then I steamed the basswood strips with a wallpaper steamer, bent them around the form, and glued them with CA. Pretty complicated for a railing but they came out nice.
 

Here's the final result showing the ports and rail. The rail and deck all have 3 coats of orange shellac. The black arches (or whatever the proper nautical term is) were also steam bent out of basswood.  Cast bronze letters were provided and painted white for the ANTEO name.

The Anteo Was Almost Launched

Two weeks ago my Anteo tugboat almost got launched. We had the "storm of the century" here and my basement rec room and workshop were flooded. The photo shows my rec room with my Syren model and Amati U-47 U-boat kit (future build) safely out of harms way, while my DeWalt tool bag floats by from my workshop. The ensuing chaos has kept me from posting for a while, but things are mostly back to normal and I am building again.
 
Final Paint Scheme
 


Before the flood I decided on a paint scheme: Emerald Green for the hull and Periwinkle for the trim. I love the final look.
 
Engine House
 

The engine house has 10 hinged windows. Each hinge is made with two brass "eyes" drilled into the house, a third drilled into the window, and a pin made of brass wire. Each window has a brass porthole with a clear plastic insert. I love the detail in the Panart kits!
 

I had planned to glue the windows shut so I didn't finish the insides, but the hinges were so cool that I had to leave them operable.
 
Lifeboat Containers
 

The lifeboat containers are vacuum formed plastic. They would probably be fiberglass on the real tug so I left them with their glossy white finish.
 
Stand
 

 
Kurt, thank you for identifying the Alice E model. It looks beautiful. I found the image in a Google image search. Do you have pictures posted on MSW? I ended up making a stand a lot like yours, but I still have to mount it on a wood base.
 
And the stand for the Coral Sea is awesome! There are more little details on the ground than I have on my whole boat.

THE ANTEO SAILS!
 

My ANTEO harbour tug model is complete after only 205 days and 323 hours of my free time. This model was quite a bit more work than I expected, but it was worth it. I love the lines of this tug, and my long deliberations over the color scheme paid off. Now I just need a place to display it in our house.
 
Here are some details of the model.
 

Two beautiful hinged bronze anchors come with the kit, but the shafts are completely hidden inside the hull.
 

The plans show a rope bow fender on the model. There was plenty of rope but no directions were included. I Googled "How to make a rope bow fender," stayed up all night, and made my own. I think I could do better on a second try but I used all my rope. Maybe next model.
 

Little brass rungs were included for the ladders, but the brass wire was much too soft. I used music wire instead and glued the rungs in place with CA. The life raft canisters are hinged and will tip down, and the hand winches turn.
 

I love all the details around the engine room.
 

Here's the business end of the ship. The prop turns and the rudder is hinged. The plans show how to set the model up for radio control, but I would be reluctant to put this much work into the water.
 

I built a walnut base to hold my basswood stand.
 

And finally, here's a gull's eye view of the ANTEO.
 
COMING SOON - Amati U-Boat U-47 Type VII B 1:72 Scale - STAY TUNED!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

THE ANTEO SAILS!
 

My ANTEO harbour tug model is complete after only 205 days and 323 hours of my free time. This model was quite a bit more work than I expected, but it was worth it. I love the lines of this tug, and my long deliberations over the color scheme paid off. Now I just need a place to display it in our house.
 
Here are some details of the model.
 

Two beautiful hinged bronze anchors come with the kit, but the shafts are completely hidden inside the hull.
 

The plans show a rope bow fender on the model. There was plenty of rope but no directions were included. I Googled "How to make a rope bow fender," stayed up all night, and made my own. I think I could do better on a second try but I used all my rope. Maybe next model.
 

Little brass rungs were included for the ladders, but the brass wire was much too soft. I used music wire instead and glued the rungs in place with CA. The life raft canisters are hinged and will tip down, and the hand winches turn.
 

I love all the details around the engine room.
 

Here's the business end of the ship. The prop turns and the rudder is hinged. The plans show how to set the model up for radio control, but I would be reluctant to put this much work into the water.
 

I built a walnut base to hold my basswood stand.
 

And finally, here's a gull's eye view of the ANTEO.
 
COMING SOON - Amati U-Boat U-47 Type VII B 1:72 Scale - STAY TUNED!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Things have been a bit slow in the yard as the chief shipwright, deciding to use as #11 blade as a chisel, added his DNA to the build.  No major damage but a painful reminder that it's impossible to do the fiddly bits with bandaged fingers.
 
However, we did manage to get a start on the foredeck.  Here, we've added some coamings, companionways, and a second fife rail.  Note the chimney for the stove below.  I love that stove, now 80% invisible.  But we know it's down there !
 
 

THE ANTEO SAILS!
 

My ANTEO harbour tug model is complete after only 205 days and 323 hours of my free time. This model was quite a bit more work than I expected, but it was worth it. I love the lines of this tug, and my long deliberations over the color scheme paid off. Now I just need a place to display it in our house.
 
Here are some details of the model.
 

Two beautiful hinged bronze anchors come with the kit, but the shafts are completely hidden inside the hull.
 

The plans show a rope bow fender on the model. There was plenty of rope but no directions were included. I Googled "How to make a rope bow fender," stayed up all night, and made my own. I think I could do better on a second try but I used all my rope. Maybe next model.
 

Little brass rungs were included for the ladders, but the brass wire was much too soft. I used music wire instead and glued the rungs in place with CA. The life raft canisters are hinged and will tip down, and the hand winches turn.
 

I love all the details around the engine room.
 

Here's the business end of the ship. The prop turns and the rudder is hinged. The plans show how to set the model up for radio control, but I would be reluctant to put this much work into the water.
 

I built a walnut base to hold my basswood stand.
 

And finally, here's a gull's eye view of the ANTEO.
 
COMING SOON - Amati U-Boat U-47 Type VII B 1:72 Scale - STAY TUNED!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Hull Plates Completed
 
It took about 30 hours to finish the plates, cut all the ports in the bulwarks, and attach the plates with double sided tape and approximately 525 tiny brass nails. Not suitable for someone with a short attention span, but I suppose none of this is .
 
Final Details
 

I finally ran into some parts that were missing from the Panart kit. There are 6 oval ports in the bulwarks that are lined with cast bronze fittings. Only 4 fittings came with my kit, so I made 2 more out of brass sheet and wire. I formed the parts around a wooden form, soldered them together, and plated them with copper patina for stained glass. They don't look too bad.
 

The plans show the upper rails made out of 3 mm x 8 mm basswood, with no information about how to make them fit the compound curvature of the bulwarks. I didn't have enough basswood that size left, so I bought lots of 1/8 in. square strips. I traced the outline of the bulwarks onto cardboard, subtracted 1/4 in., and traced that onto a Masonite form that I then cut and sanded. Then I steamed the basswood strips with a wallpaper steamer, bent them around the form, and glued them with CA. Pretty complicated for a railing but they came out nice.
 

Here's the final result showing the ports and rail. The rail and deck all have 3 coats of orange shellac. The black arches (or whatever the proper nautical term is) were also steam bent out of basswood.  Cast bronze letters were provided and painted white for the ANTEO name.