U-552 by yvesvidal - FINISHED - Trumpeter - 1/48 - PLASTIC - Type VIIC U-boat

[mbp521]

I was lost the minute I scrolled to the picture. I guess you just have to match them up part for part to know which piece to replace. Tedious process, but one that will be worth it in the end. Looking good though. 

 

-Brian

[yvesvidal]

Alright, the main gun assembly is completed. The gun can rotate and swivel up and down: 

 

 

 

 

Once again, the PE set from RCSubs saves the day and brings a great level of detailing.

 

Yves 

 

[Katuna]

The gun looks great. Vast improvement over the plain kit build. 

 

Good to see you back!

[yvesvidal]

Folks,

 

This thread is not over yet. I am sharing my time between work, friends, and many other projects. However, the U-552 remains in my mind and I am awaiting some parts to make a final decision, regarding the main gun of 88 mm.

 

In the meantime, I thought it would be worthwhile sharing with you some of the links and documents that have helped me all long the construction of that great model. Without these documents and archives, my model would not be what it is today as the Trumpeter kit can be sometimes a little bit crude and lacking details. This is even more obvious towards the end and specifically regarding the deck, guns, rigging and conning tower. It feels sometimes as if the designers of the kit, ran out of steam and decided to wrap it quickly in order to bring the kit to market. The Trumpeter instructions does not address at all, all the details of the rigging and antennas normally visible on the deck of these submersibles. Guns and anti-aerial defenses are lightly brushed over and no real information is given by Trumpeter. The last view of the instructions, is basically how to slap all the various modules into the semi-hull and be done with it.

 

Fortunately, there is a lot of material available on the Internet and in books, covering the German Type VII-c (and others) submersible.

 

The books and documents I have used and would highly recommend, are: 

 

•  Type VII U-boats by Robert Stern

 

 

• U-Boat Owners Workshop Manual by Haynes (interesting but lots of errors and confusion with other submarine types).

 

 

• Vom Original Zum Modell Uboottyp VII C by Fritz Kohl and Axel Niestle (in German).

 

 

• SECRET U-Boat information for U-Boat Type VIIc by Don Prince

This document can be obtained online at: http://www.uboatarchive.net/Manual/Manual.htm and is a must read.

 

• The Wolf Pack - A collection of U-Boat Modelling Articles

The document can be downloaded at https://amp.rokket.biz/docs/the_wolf_pack_compr.pdf

• The Wolf Pack 2 - Another collection of U-Boat Modelling articles

 

Again, the document can be dowloaded at: https://amp.rokket.biz/docs/the_wolf_pack_2.pdf

 

After all the reading, it is good to go outside and tour the real thing, in Laboe Germany: 

 

 

I will add more information regarding the source of data, in a following post.

 

Yves

[popeye the sailor]

good to see your still working on the sub Yves     the conning tower and the gun looks terrific!   really nice detail.....will look great on deck   

[mbp521]

Yves,

 

Thanks for the update. Glad that you are still working on this build. I’m sure you aren’t the only one that gets sidelined by other projects. They do provide a benefit in a way, they help to keep the other projects from becoming stale. 
 

Looking forward to future progress soon. 
 

-Brian

[yvesvidal]

A great book just came out, specifically on the U-552. The book is published in German and English at the same time, allowing English speakers to enjoy it. 

That book is rather expensive at 64 Euros and I did not purchase it yet: 

 

 

The Cover picture shows the U-552 in Saint Nazaire harbor, during the German invasion of France. You will notice that the conning tower has been modified to protect the crew from the large waves. The Trumpeter model depicts the early U-552 before the tower modification.

 

Below are a few pictures taken from the book. The picture below shows the early version of the conning tower: 

 

 

 

Yves

 

 

 

[Kevin]

coming to the end of the best submarine built i have ever seen, and in all the time i have watched you bring this build together, i have not seriously wanted to try it myself,  all the time i have spent at sea  in one means i could not replicate the memories

 

[mtaylor]

It's understandable about other things getting in the way.  It is really great to see the reference documents as this should help someone else or just to add to their library.   

[yvesvidal]

17 hours ago, Kevin said:

coming to the end of the best submarine built i have ever seen, and in all the time i have watched you bring this build together, i have not seriously wanted to try it myself,  all the time i have spent at sea  in one means i could not replicate the memories

 

Kevin, thank you for the compliments. I am admiring your builds, too.

 

Yves

[yvesvidal]

Continuing with the list of data and information to build an accurate Type VII-c model, there is a "gem" out there for the serious and perfectionist modelers (which I am not): 

 

https://models.rokket.biz/

 

This is the ultimate forum you will find about the Type VII-c in the English language. It is mostly driven by two individuals: Mr. Tore and Mr. Don Prince.

 

• Tore is quite old today (in his 90's) and one of the three persons still alive which have been sailing and commanding a Type VII-c submersible. He belonged to the Norwegian Navy who managed to capture and keep the famous U-995 which is now on display at Laboe in Germany. The U-995, one of the latest type VII-c submarine, was renamed twice while being operated by the Norwegian Navy. one of its name was "KNM Kaura". Below are two pictures of Mr. Tore during the various patrols that the Norwegian Navy did with Kaura: 

     

 

• The second main contributor to this web site is Don Prince. Don has started the incredible endeavor of gathering and documenting all the minute mechanical, electrical, plumbing and technical details of the Type VII-c and put it in a compendium that is to be published. His first attempt at publishing was a coffee table book with a luxury leather bound jacket, which turned out to be way too expensive. The book is fortunately available to download for free and I must say that I stand in awe at the incredible and enormous amount of work that went into this study by Don Prince. The "SECRET" book, previously mentioned is also authored by Mr. Prince.

I will be providing more links and information as we go along.

 

An excellent Norwegian video was produced on the KNM Kaura and is probably what will ever be the best footage of a live Type VII-c submarine in action: 

 

 

Yves

[yvesvidal]

A few more links and useful information for the Type VII-c builder and modeler: 

 

https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/collection/u4a2facb6-00be-441c-a5e5-ffd7a3c3549d/U-boat

 

This great web site provides 3D rendering of various parts of the Type VII-c submersibles. Below are a few examples created by NZSnowman: 

 

 

Still, on the subject of 3D rendering, a few pictures of incredible details are available: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yves

 

[yvesvidal]

Finally, a set of good plans is always useful when building a model. I know I used these a lot, all along the construction. These are available from the-blueprints.com: 

 

First, a late VII-C which does not fit too well, the early U-552.

 

 

And then a Type VII-D, which was designed about the same time as the early Type VII-c and is identical with the exception of the 10 meters long section, used to submerge mines. I suppose these were the ancestors of the ICBM found on modern submarines: 

 

And then, of course, two of my favorite blue prints: the tanks arrangement, which have helped me bring this model to a different level of accuracy: 

 

	Arrangement of Compartments and Tanks, and Tank Capacities
	INHALT BEZEICHNUNG SPANT BEZEICHNUNG Capacity Designation Frame Limits Cubic Meters Tons         TAUCHBUNKER 2 STEUERBORD A24 - D34 11.400 11.4 MB and RFO tank 2 STAR               TAUCHBUNKER 2 BACKBORD A24 - D 34 11.400 11.4 MB and RFO tank PORT               TAUCHBUNKER 4 STEUERBORD D46 - D62 13.400 13.4 MB and RFO tank 4 STAR               TAUCHBUNKER 4 BACKBORD D46 - D62 13.400 13.4 MB and RFO tank 4 PORT               REGELBUNKER STEUERBORD 1 D34 - D36 4.700 4.7 Regulating and RFO tank 1 STAR               REGELBUNKER BACKBORD 1 D34 - D36 4.700 4.7 Regulating and RFO tank 1 PORT               TREIBOLBUNKER 1 INNEN D29 - D40 37.900 37.9 FO tank 1, inboard               TREIBOLBUNKER 2 INNEN D20 - D40 32.800 32.8 FO tank 2, inboard               SUMME   129.700 129.7 Total               SCHMUTZWASSERZELLE 1 D31 - D32 0.760 0.76 Waste water tank 1               SCHMUTZWASSERZELLE 2 D53 - D54 0.485 0.48 Waste water tank 2               SUMME   1.245 1.24 Total               TRIKENWASSERZELLE 1 D29 - D 31 2.625 2.62 Fresh water tank 1               TRIKENWASSERZELLE 2 D42 1/2 - D44 0.465 0.46 Fresh water tank 2               TRIKENWASSERZELLE 3 D55 1/2 - D58 1/2 0.785 0.78 Fresh water tank 3               SUMME   3.675 3.67 Total               DESTILLATSCHALTER 1 D10 - D11 0.149 0.14 Water distilate tank1               DESTILLATSCHALTER 2 D13 - D14 0.199 0.19 Water distilate tank 2               DESTILLATSCHALTER 3 D14 - D15 0.153 0.15 Water distilate tank 3               SUMME   0.501 0.5 Total               MOTOREN ÖLVORRAT TANK 1 D18 - D26 3.270 3.27 LO supply tank 1               MOTOREN ÖLVORRAT TANK 2 D18 - D26 3.230 3.23 LO supply tank 2               MOTOREN ÖLSAMMEL TANK D23 - D25 0.800 0.80 LO collecting tank               MOTOREN ÖLSAMMEL TANK D21 - D23 0.800 0.80 LO collecting tank               SCMUTZMOTORENÖL TANK D19 - D21 0.790 0.79 Dirty LO tank               SUMME   8.890 8.89 Total               WASCHWASSSERZELLE D53 - D54 0.485 0.48 Wash water tank               WASCHWASSER VERBRAUCH BEHALTER D31 - D32 0.030 0.03 Wash water daily service tank               TORPEDOZELLE 2 D63 - D69 5.750 5.75 Torpedo compensating tank 2               SUMME   6.265 6.26 Total       The abbreviations A and D signify "Aussenspant" and Druckspant" respectively.  They denote the frames of the outer and pressure hulls in like order.  The tank capacities, given in cubic meters, are corrected into tons of 35 cubic feet of sea water.  One cubic meter = 35.3 cubic feet

 

Yves

 

 

[yvesvidal]

Let's review the assembly of the rear machine gun: The Flak Gun of 20 mm. That specific weapon was used to fight against air crafts, whereas the 88mm deck gun was used to attack nearby boats and ships. U-552 was an early Type VII-c and as such only had the single 20 mm MG151 gun. Later submarines, would see their Flak gun doubled and the platform to operate them,  was also increased in size.

 

The Trumpeter implementation of the FLAK gun is not too bad and a definitive effort went into the meshing used to collect used ammunition. 

 

Once again, the PE set from RCSubs helps bring that little model to a higher level: 

 

The two sets combined do provide a nice and accurate rendering of the FLAK gun: 

 

 

 

Yves

 

 

[yvesvidal]

Below are the two deck guns, painted and ready to be glued on the deck: 

 

Yves

[amateur]

Hello Yves,

 

I hardly dare to ask the question, but isn't the shoulderrest of the smaller gun upside down? I thought those brackets should rest on the shoulder of the gunman.

 

Jan

[reilly]

You are correct Jan. The shoulder rests on the 20mm are reversed.

 

Bob

[yvesvidal]

Good catch Gentleman. I have seen various pictures of models, showing different orientations. I also could not find a clear pictures of the real thing.

I will definitely reverse the shoulder-rests on my model.

 

Thank you.

Yves

[amateur]

Here you can see the shoulder-rests of the gun. (I think different type of gun/sub, but the principle is the same: the rests help to steady and point the rather heavy gun)

 

Tpic downloaded here: http://www.ww2technik.de/dsub_geschuetze.htm

 

Jan

 

 

[Katuna]

Yves - Where did you find those 3D cutaway/cross section pics? I've never seen those before. Are they Snowman's? Fabulous detail.

[yvesvidal]

2 hours ago, Katuna said:

Yves - Where did you find those 3D cutaway/cross section pics? I've never seen those before. Are they Snowman's? Fabulous detail.

Katuna,

 

No, I do not believe this is from Snowman. It is not his style. They are on the Internet and I suspect that they may be part of an upcoming 3D book on the Type VII-c. 

Yes, they are incredible of details and realism: 

 

 

Here is a link: https://blenderartists.org/t/cutaway-type-vii-u-boat-wip/1119855/65

 

Yves

[Katuna]

Yeah, I didn't think they were his. Just asked because you had them together with his drawings. I would love to see a book of all of those renderings! I keep a close watch on NZSnowman's page for new drawings. My files overflowith.

 

Everything you have listed are great references. I would add, there are multiple "after action" interrogation reports, both American and British of sunken or captured U-Boats that are a wealth of info. It's especially true if you're lucky like me and there is a report on the exact boat you are modelling (U-371). I found it odd how much information the crew gave up on their boat given that it was sunk and the Allied's would be none the wiser. I didn't think I would be so forthcoming if my boat was just shot out from under me.

[Katuna]

Ok, I just looked at the link to the forum mentioned above. 😲 Wow...just, wow. Add New Folder. I'm not so sure about the choice of carpet color in the one overhead shot of the officers quarters (lol) but otherwise they are astoundingly detailed. Thank you so much for the link. It was life changing 😍!

 

[yvesvidal]

4 hours ago, Katuna said:

I found it odd how much information the crew gave up on their boat given that it was sunk and the Allied's would be none the wiser. I didn't think I would be so forthcoming if my boat was just shot out from under me.

Maybe the OSS was very persuasive with their threats or promises for Citizenship.....

 

Yves

[amateur]

Sometimes Ithink those soldiers were very, very tired of war, and rather proud of their superior machines. In that case 'telling the enemy' doesn't count anymore, telling others on how the machine operates still does.

 

Jan

[yvesvidal]

I just installed the rear 20mm Flak gun: 

 

 

This is done with the Trumpeter kit and enhanced with the PE by RCSubs.

 

 

 

 

 

Yves

[yvesvidal]

For the main 88 mm gun, I just found out that EDUARD was proposing a resin/brass kit for the Trumpeter kit. For $20 on E-Bay, I decided to purchase it and give it a try and see how it compares to the Trumpeter gun, spiced up with the RCSubs PE. At first look, the details on the EDUARD kit are extremely impressive and this kit is a project in itself: 

 

 

Lots of parts in this little kit: 

 

 

And lots of explanations and assembly sheets. EDUARD proposes two ways of assembling the gun: Submerged or ready to fire: 

 

 

 

I will take the submerged option as this is how I am representing my model (no little people on the deck).

 

Yves

[Katuna]

Looking great! Love your rigging. That came out really nice. I'd like to see some more detailed shots and description of that (so I can steal all of your ideas for the future!).

[yvesvidal]

I started the assembly of the resin bit by Eduard. This is my first attempt at putting together a 3D printed resin kit.

 

I have to say that for me, this is quite different from regular plastic kits or wooden kits. The printing process leaves tons of materials to clean up and gluing the resin parts does not provide for such a nice and strong bond as the welding reaction obtained with polystyrene. I used Cyano-Acrylate glue as the regular plastic glue is totally inoperative on 3D printed resin parts. I cannot really say that I like it overall.... 

 

Anyway, these are the various steps of the construction. The main gun is represented as in the Submerged configuration: 

 

 

 

 

The drawback of the Eduard kit is that the gun cannot rotate or swivel. Everything has to be glued.

 

Yves

[yvesvidal]

Even though, the Eduard resin kit is not yet painted, I wanted to compare it with the Trumpeter/RCSubs combo kit. The Trumpeter gun is not fully finished and lots of painting details must be applied to it: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Close-up on each gun: 

 

 

 

And in situ, on the deck: 

 

 

 

Not sure yet, which one to chose for the final model. We will see after the painting, if I manage to paint that resin easily.... :-(

 

Yves