a few questions related to the typ VII

[jc carbonel]

[color=#000000]Hello

I have "attacked" Revell's big box but as I am no expert I have a few questions ]

[sam reichart]

1. lots of discussion always

1. lots of discussion always around this one. Everyone sees the red color done in "U-Boats in Action" and assumes it is factual. Meanwhile, others state no boat ever went out in primer red. Paint it how you like it. Either argument has its defenders. Shouldn't it be about what you like too?

2. Yellow bands on U Boats denoted boats for training Flotillas. Mike Dory paints just about every R/C U Boat he owns with this type of ID stripe. It's different, looks nice, and may help visibility for R/C boats.

3. Most will argue that the dark grey is the same for type VIIs...search these forums and you will find many references to the correct "light grey" and "dark grey" color discussions.

4.What you have surmised is correct. There were tubes behind the outer shutters, like the IXs. Some of the books on UBoats actually have some decent photos of the inner tubes...(vom original for the Type XXIII comes to mind. shows how they alined the tubes with a type of "jig"...)

hope this helps...

[jc carbonel]

Thank you for the reply

Thank you for the reply !
This will help me a lot.
Actually two more questions "surfaced" in the mean time ] level and with the containers is listed as just typ VIIC in a big book called "the U-boat" which I have . And I am really puzzled because I have also seen the label "VII configuration 1944" applied to this variant. Which label exactly should I put on my model (I know the configuration is correct because in the "In Action" there is a pix of a ship with just this config ...

Thank you

JCC

[sam reichart]

JC-
Can't help you on the

JC-
Can't help you on the first one- but I know a few members have a book that shows all the insignias for the UBoats- there may be an explanation there.

I believe your describing the "speaktube" - it looks like a funnel, and in pictures is actually quite a bit higher than the Revell model shows. I believe it was used to communicate with crew below the tower. Also in front of the tower was a speed indicator...although I don't know if the speed of the boat could be controlled from here, or just shown. I'm sure there's an expert out there that could answer that one.

Your 3rd question(s)- yes, the four containers in front of the tower were for storing life rafts. Things got so dicey for the U Boats that they were probably added to try to increase the survival rate of the crew in the event of an attack. There were many variations on Type VII configurations, addition of the Atlantic bow, and later variants of conning towers- including adding Flak, doubles, quads, Flak platforms in front of the conning tower, machine guns, etc. etc.

Additionally, you have to be careful on some models, since they may or may not be correct according to plan....Revell's famous "U 505" designation on a Type VII U Boat comes to mind. I don't know about the Heller kit, but your best bet is to get your hands on some more reference- Anatomy of the Ship- Type VII, vom original zum modell - type VII are two decent ones (there are more...!) for specifics about the boat you're building.

The later in the war it got, the more the Type VIIs changed- more armor around the tower, more armament, more radar antenna, less tower decorations or heralding. There are a few instances of U Boats that retained the 8.8 along with the extended wintergartens, but the generally 8.8 was deleted with the addition of the extended conning towers.

Hope that helps some. There are a lot more knowledgeable people on specifics of the UBoat. Also, make sure you visit the premier U Boat site- www.uboat.net

cheers,
Sam

[JWLaRue]

JC,

You are referring to the

JC,

You are referring to the U-69, correct?

The story goes something like.....

After Prien's successful attack at Scapa Flow, the 7th U-Flotilla decided to adopt the symbol used on the U-47 as the symbol for the entire flotilla. This was communicated to flotilla headquarters in writing, but did not include any details of what the U-47 symbol looked like.

Since no one was around who knew what the "Bull of Scapa Flow" symbol looked like, one of the officers of the U-69 tasked with adding this new symbol to his boat's conning tower went in search of 'model' to base it on. He found a package from a well-known French cheese....which had a laughing cow on it.

The officer handed the package artwork to a worker at the shipyard with instructions to paint such a figure on the boat. When he returned he found that the worker had faithfully reproduced not only the exact figure of the cow, but the words as well.

With that the "Laughing Cow of Lorient" was born.

(from memory, based on reading Hogel's "U-boat Emblems of Workd War II 1939-1945)

-Jeff

[raalst]

Hi,
Your waterhose thinghy

[color=#000000]Hi,
Your waterhose thinghy ]



Edited By raalst on 1073074630

[JWLaRue]

Ronald,

If I'm thinking of the

Ronald,

If I'm thinking of the same two openings.....

The upper one is where the insulated connector for the antenna is located.

The lower one is the horn.

-Jeff

[raalst]

there are three openings (in

there are three openings (in the kit but also on photos)

one antenna feedthrough above the spray deflector on starbord
and two under the spraydeflector (one almost in it) on
the port side.
two down, one to go...
any idea ?

finished drilling up the decks btw. phew...
blisters on my hands (really !)

[JWLaRue]

....sorry, my mistake.

The two below

....sorry, my mistake.

The two below the spray deflector are the horn(s).

-Jeff

[jc carbonel]

Thank to all of you.

[color=#000000]Thank to all of you. I did not want to get into opening all the grids as I figured that
1- it would be tiresome, lengthy and difficult to do in a clean way (oval openings)
2- on pics of real ships it looks just like black holes
3- on a 1/72 model you would need to add the pressure hull and all the paraphenelia in-between ....


Final (I hope) question ]

[sam reichart]

JC-
see the rather detailed postings

JC-
see the rather detailed postings that Ronald van Aalst has going on building this model under the R/C Modeler forum on this board- the first post titled
"Revell VIIc shipping in Holland"- Ronald has opened all the slots and has photos of the work in progress.

When you say "wood dressing" - do you mean the wood slats on the inside wall of the conning tower? (to keep look outs from freezing to the side walls...)
I would do them in a gray color, since exposure to weather would certainly change them from brown/tan pretty quickly.

Jeff LaRue can recite by heart the colors used for U Boats- Jeff??

[JWLaRue]

We've got our U-boat color

We've got our U-boat color thread at]Type VII paint scheme[/url]

Also, the current issue of the SubCommittee Report has an article on the paint scheme specifically for the U-47.

-enjoy!

Jeff

[jc carbonel]

Thank you. The reference to

Thank you. The reference to "green" is surprising because Revell and most of the color renditions I have seen use greys (with the difficulty of red OR dark grey for the underwater section)

Should'nt there be "somewhere" a plate with the U-number ? Revell supply nothing of the sort, only a larger rendition of the plate to use on the display stand but nothing for the ship herself

Sincerely

JCC

[sam reichart]

JC- don't mistake "grun" for

JC- don't mistake "grun" for a real "green color"...it's more of a dark gray with a green cast to it. You have to see it to appreciate the color.

As far as a plate with the U number on it (only very very early boats had this, usually at the bow...) I'm not sure when this practice was discontinued.

[jc carbonel]

Thank you ... no I

Thank you ... no I just have to take my brush and my cement and go modelling.

Thanks to all on the board

JCC