Revell Type IX C (U505 Late) 1/72nd

[sam reichart]

I forgot you had this one on the bench, Tom.

[salmon]

yeah....bright whiney objects get me ALL the time. I am refocusing on getting some of the things off my bench. It has been a while since I got serious on this. Let's have fun and knock it out.....

[steveuk]

Great to see you catching up on this project. I'm still watching and learning for when I put mine together. For what it's worth I want to build mine oob as much as possible too. No photo ecth. I have however bought a deck gun.. The empty deck mount was just too tempting Very interesting to see how your power train connects. Have you run the drive motor with the Dumas dog bones in place yet?

[salmon]

Very interesting to see how your power train connects. Have you run the drive motor with the Dumas dog bones in place yet?

Ha! not yet.....I will soon and will update (Christmas decorations need to go up - so I must obey).

[salmon]

I could not wait, I hooked up the dog bones and fired up the engines........
It is noisy and sounded like a Model A car motor. Maybe it is fitting for a WWII boat to have a diesel sound (like the sound in Das Boot in the engine room)LOL.

Cool, now I will get the pushrods connected. Before I do that, I will make sure the servos are centered and screwed down. I did this before, connected the pushrods, but the servo was not centered. Then it took a while to understand why the rudder did not keep the sub straight. What I connected looked centered, but the servo was not centered so in running the servo moved to center and the rudder was now causing the boat to turn. Then I could not get the even port - starboard swing.

[steveuk]

Tom I laughed at the speed that your last two posts changed from not yet to couldn't wait. Sorry. I do feel partly responsible. I did suspect there might be some noise. I am still going to follow this method. Maybe I will get a nice diesel sound like you too. Do you have a test tank when the time is right or will she have to wait until spring to get her tail wet?

[salmon]

I have a couple of options for a test tank - the tub and a pond liner. We will not need to wait until spring. Las Vegas does not get hard winters, right now it is 21 degrees Celsius (70 degrees F) in the day and rarely do we get many freezing nights. The opportunity to get it in the water is good.

[steveuk]

Tom, I know I am coming to the party late, but I would like to add my penny (dime) toward your earlier discussion on colour. First your light coloured deck hatch covers - it is my view that some of the smaller deck hatch covers and tread plates were made of pressed metal (like some utility manhole covers) which have that typical chequer plate pattern. Here is a very close up shot of U 505 stripped of paint before she was repainted. Then I looked at various different U boats in service. Some appear to be painted the same as deck colour whilst others seem to have them picked out in a contrasting colour. So my view is that you could go either way and be right.

First Here are photos showing what appears to be metal hatch covers

[steveuk]

Next here are some photos showing the hatches which appear painted the same as the deck colour

[steveuk]

Next here are some photos where the hatch covers are picked out in a contrasting colour.

[steveuk]

Lastly on the question of the very paint chipped tower on U505. It is my view that what we are seeing is the dark layer of grey chipping off down to the previous colour scheme underneath. This coiud have been very light grey. Or it may have even been off white. I have seen examples of U boats painted so light as to be possibly white. Here are some examples which show what I mean. The last photo though it is a type VII looks undeniably to me to have her tower painted white. We know that some S-boots were also painted white. Maybe the white schemes were found to be less effective since U boats would most commonly surface only at night once the war got going. Same reason deck guns became no longer fitted. Daylight fight outs didn't end well for the surfaced U boat. So I think your dark grey paint chipped tower photo could be showing the previous white scheme ( or at least ultra light grey! ) breaking through where the paint has fallen off.

Here as some examples of very light schemes that had been employed

[salmon]

Thank you! I love the research and detective work we do to find an answer! You have helped tremendously, Steve. Thank you so much. I believe at the time of capture the 505 did have the contrasting or lighter gray hatches and it is not an artifact of reflection (which is something to be careful about). There are other subs (as you have shown) as well as the post capture photos that confirm the in action shots show a light gray paint on them. The white you suggest is awesome thought and great analysis. Really gets me thinking. My hope is this weekend, I can get the pushrods connected (really not a lot to do there). I best get painting too (thanks Steve - LOL)

[steveuk]

You're welcome Tom. I wonder will you have a go at the paint chipping effect. I would like to have go at this sometime. I bought a jar of the chipping solution but have yet to experiment with it. But I have seen some great tutorials using the product on Youtube - which inspire me to have a go. Happy painting.

[salmon]

Yes, I will paint chip.
Did a color (colour) modification to this photo. Figured the waves at the bow are white.

This was a training boat? I see the yellow stripe near the bow, is that like the yellow stripe used on the Type XXIII Tower?

[feet wet]

Yup, a training boat. See the crew taking exams on deck....LOL