Kevin

good evening everyone

the engine conversion will take me quite a while so here is some more progress, should you be interested

the first of the outboard exhausts only requires the six pipes to be cut off, and turn the manifold upside down 

the rest of todays photos are trying to get some shape to the after end of the  stbd engine, No its not perfect by a very long way, i need to see what it looks like after a bit of filler, more shaping a coat of primer

good morning everyone

thank you for comments likes and messages

lol i now have realised the full amount of work involved in this idea i had

everything now has to be rotated 180 degrees, and the easy bit is done, most of it will have to be scratched 

as i went along removing the ends of the block, i could have avoided taking the head off 

me again

well i managed to turn the hull supports form the port side to the stbd

removed some tabs and adjusted the bulkheads by cutting where the diesel support beams go, i don't suppose for a moment that  the further I go into this that it will be easier, but for me thats a great start

good morning everyone

the forward torpedo compartment is coming to an end, just a few things that are in paint, but i am unable to fit for now until i decide how to set the build up in its final setting

right for me its silly time

i want to do something with this build that  i have not seen before, or found on the net

as discussed she only has one engine in the kit, which is a port side inboard , which has some hull framework underneath it

there is no stbd engine or frame work under the diesel to support it either, 

i want to build a stbd side engine from the port side, using it as a doner unit  the port one can be cloaked in covers whist welding work is carried out

reason for doing this

because i want to, as the kit does not represent the confined space they endured 

how am i going to do this?

I dont know, but i mess it up im up a creek without a paddle

both engines are symmetrical  as in both sides have the controls inboard, which also means the blocks are different as well

i am going to start with the superstructure first whilst i get my head around the best way to do this

the boocks are the same but above that everything is 180 degs out

good morning

yes the lighting wont work like it is, it was just setup for now to see if the effect i was after was going to work, i work put un any lighting until the outer hull is ready, mush later on

however i was quite happy with the results and it shows the areas i need to improve, loving this build,

another surprise is the interest others have shown

good afternoon everyone

 no lights

not much achieved today, but i did a quick temporary wire up of the 5 leds in the compartment, im happy now as it is how I wanted it to look

some lights

i will change the lights to warm white and dim them later on in the build

good afternoon everyone

thank you for comments and likes

the after bulk head went in after a primer and Lifecolour DKM50, picking out a few colours along the way

next the torpedo stowage deck with just primer dkm 50 and Flory grime

the torpedo's i never went the full hog on them, going to be pretty well hidden, alclad aluminium and a bit of brass for the props, Tamiya dark grey for the bang bit of the torpedo, i then put a bit of brass around one of them to simulate be secured in the stowage

t

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the bulheads are now fitted, just the deckhead left to go  in the next couple days

left to do

torpedo crane

torpedo tube rear doors

lighting

weathering, but not going heavy at all on the rust, she is a new boat going out on first patrole

 very nice

i have never seen a successful planking done like that

lovely work

good afternoon everyone

thank you for comments likes

submarines never had space under the torpedo tubes, there was a multitude of pipes, strainers, and valves, so although this is artistic licience, i closed the gap in a bit, no one is going to be able to follow a pipe

mig oil stain used under the tubes, 

my loading torpedo get the chop after a aluminium paint job and a new set of props

the bunk beds from the kit were discarded as the bunks would have been raised whilst loading the fish

sorry about the poor photos, i need one hand to keep it all together

arrived today

8 hours ago, mtaylor said:

Those illuminated panels will really pop when installed.   Just curious here.... should then be red?   Or did the subs have dual colors for night and day use?

8 hours ago, lmagna said:

I am pretty sure they did, but I read somewhere the choice of color in the German navy was blue not red. 

im not sure what colour they are, i don't even know what the panel is for, although i am presuming it is a control state board for the tubes, colours can be decided at anytime when i know for sure, its just a filter at the light source, at a quick quess i would say red/green and power status

2 hours ago, Landlubber Mike said:

Wow, that's super cool Kevin!

Thank you Mike

good afternoon everyone

Lighting

this will be a mixture, of lamps LEDS and fibre

i put one light between the tubes, fed a wire through the bulkhead and hollowed out some of the panel to light up in different directions

the firbe wires, im not so sure about, i should have ordered .5mm not 1.0

i drilled far to man holes and i dont think i am going to be able to bend them enough as the space behind the panelling is tight when the pressure hull goes in, but i am experimenting with different colours and if i use more than one lamp i might be able to get them to fit, as it wont be so bulky

3 hours ago, Barbossa said:

Aside from the high level of your weathering skills...

 

who me?

dont know about that, i just copy what others have done

but thank you

good afternoon everyone

thank you for comments and likes

did another photo of the panelling, in daylight, to me that looks better

everything has had a grey primer, and  im using DKM 50 on the bulkheads with a different shade for the numerous boxes and panels

the torpedo tubes were in a Lifecolour flat white with Vajello brass and Flory grime wash

well the wooden panel certainly dont looks as bad as that

thank you for comments and likes

its a strange kit by trumpeter, they wanted a display item, then never fully thought it out how best to do it, so much detail is missing, in an attempt to get as mush seen, but not giving the impression of the tight space restrictions there or any sub suffer fom

the forfends deck is an example, the air bottles are not in the open as per kit they are hidden away like on the port side, which again is not tall enough to cover them, so the stbd side now has them enclosed, lol my first scratching for

this kit

the starboard side aft of the tubes will have bunk beds behind which wooden personal lockers are fitted, i tried to achieve thes with burnt umber oils on a tight tan base coat

the top of the pressure hull is work in progress with grey primer NATO black preshade and a lifecolour dkm 50 top coat

and a few photo of how she appears at present

Thanks OC

good evening everyone

whilst i decide what to do with the torpedo's in a diorama setting i have in mind, i got on with the  tubes 

Confession time, i made the tubes up yesterday morning, not feeling very well at all and well just glued two halves together, well the result was not as expected, each of the 8 tube halves has its own number on the sprue NOT one pair was correct so all dismantled and redone, a real pain as they did not want to part at all, i think with all the added detail they came out all right i have  primed them now

the larger compartment pieces have also had a coat of primer on them the deck head as had the light fitting drilled out to take a 3mm lamp

each tube when built correctly goes into position A-D

primer on the top one

still to sort the ends out and decide which one is going to be open

good morning everyone

not much of an update, i wasn't very well yesterday, having had a Covid booster on Thursday, all 3 injections have knocked me back for 24 hours, im fine today

my intentions are to build as the the instructions, and not leap about doing bits i fancy

page one section one Torpedo's

the kit kits provides 12 of these , and the first 5 will be hidden under the decking, i am making them all up and will take the best for other areas as the build progresses

each one is made up from 6 parts

the PE addons replace the nose  fuse, the propellers and some inspection points

U-552 was fitted with five 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and one at the stern), fourteen torpedoes,

List of World War II torpedoes of Germany - Wikipedia

1 hour ago, Old Collingwood said:

Wowzer  mate  - there is some serious stuff in that box  - whats the plan  - straight out the box build  - an extra detail build   -  a dio?    lends its self to so many  Ideas only limited  by  your own Imagination.

 

Gonna be great  I can feel it in my water...

 

OC.

def a extra detail build this one, lol i can i not do that

good morning everyone

trumpeter German U Boat U552 kit number 06801

its a large box, mainly as the hull is supplied in approx 1/4 3/4 split

the sprues number greater than 30

instructions are well made along with guides on painting the 40 odd supplied crew

very little PE is with the kit 

addons

i bought a full set of goodies from RCSubs with includes not only the detail but repair kits for the definite no no;s for the kit like the rounded pressure hull ends where as trumpeter made them flat

and a couple of useful books

32 minutes ago, Old Collingwood said:

Im here Kevin   - this will be a superb build.

 

OC.

thanks OC

37 minutes ago, yvesvidal said:

Kevin, Some fierce competition coming my way... I will be following with a lot of interest.

Do not neglect too much the Panart, Enterprise and many other kits you have, though.

 

Yves

relax my friend, your a far better modeller than myself

1 hour ago, Veszett Roka said:

Good luck Kev! You have another follower

yiieeee that makes two of us lol

i wanted a change from the wooden builds, and used the D9R to bring me up to speed with the airbrush 

this is yet another long term build, and possibly the last large build i will ever purchase, (subject to change)

the kit is trumpeter 06801

paints will be mainly Lifecolour but i will be using some metal paints

the photoetch is from RCSubs  Sets for VIIC 1/48 Trumpeter 06801 (rcsubs.cz)

extra also include fibre optics for lighting

i have been following several builds one of them on here