1:400 Type VIIb U-Boat

[mylo]

[color=#000000]I am doing a 1]http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid186/p8219856345cbb91b1a23ae8cb976aa31/f25b7154.jpg[/img]

This is the contents of the kit as well as the brass details.



Step 1]

[gerwalk]

Excellent! Keep posting this kind

Excellent! Keep posting this kind of projects! I like the idea of the glass and white board.

[mylo]

Gerwalk,

I discovered the glass

Gerwalk,

I discovered the glass / white board thing completely by accident one day. I brought in a little piece of my type IX project into the house to fiddle with it on the kitchen table. We have a glass top on the kitchen table and I quickly realized how nice this surface was to work on as opposed to my pitted and scared modelling bench. I then slipped a piece of white paper underneath the glass on the kitchen table so that I could see the tiny parts better. That's when the idea came to me. I built my hobby work station using the glass door from an old stereo cabinet and the white particle board was left over from a kitchen cabinet. The thing is about 2 1/2 x 2', which I find just right. I carefully laid the grid out on the particle board as well as an HO scale ruler for my railroad projects. I then just glued the glass right on top with CA (That's what those round patches are in the photo). The thing works fantastic. Old dry glue and "stuff" chips off, as I mentioned, when I run a razor scraper over it.

It doesn't show it in the initial photo but, the kit came with the hull halves and conning tower halves separate. I glued these together before I realized that I would like a shot of the kit contents. Ooooops.

I hope you get a tip or two from this. It may take a bit. I'm not the most speedy model builder in the world.

Myles.

[mylo]

STEP 2]http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid187/p7c7d92d4f7415df78968faa2fd8fc7cb/f24bfc73.jpg

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http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid187/p8b5243be69e

STEP 2]http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid187/p7c7d92d4f7415df78968faa2fd8fc7cb/f24bfc73.jpg[/img]

[gerwalk]

I like that sanding pen.

I like that sanding pen. It's a 3M thing so it should be widely availlable. I modified a round file by bendin it's tip into a hook. That's allows me to sand (or file!) very small spots.
Keep posting!

[mylo]

STEP 3]http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid187/pfe9b1b45a032dc72007b12a2133c312b/f24ab98f.jpg

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http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid187/p999dbceacf8

STEP 3]http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid187/pfe9b1b45a032dc72007b12a2133c312b/f24ab98f.jpg[/img]









STEP 4]http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid187/p53778993907e872e80abb6e6c9da8540/f24ab850.jpg[/img]





* As you can see from the photos, I have assembled the sub stand that comes with the kit. This should actually be the first step in this project so that you have something to put the hull on, even if you don't entend on using it in your display. *

* Another invaluable tool I have on my hobby bench is a hobby vice. The rubber jaws hold things well without marking. The quick suction mount works excellently on the glass surface, allowing you to move and remove the vice as you see fit. The one I have has a totally adjustable head allowing you to tilt the model as needed. I think I paid $20.00 for this one *

* Steps 1-4 took approx 3 hours to complete *

[mylo]

STEP 5]http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid187/padb8850f55ae2ebeb723510e9c9383df/f249fbfb.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid187/p7dad271b9e3ff45eebaae040f4d24e95/f249fba4.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid187/pb565347dc97

STEP 5]http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid187/padb8850f55ae2ebeb723510e9c9383df/f249fbfb.jpg[/img]

[mylo]

STEP 6]http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid187/p1e02b693ae33879a224917e040666218/f249cfbc.jpg

On the tip of

STEP 6]http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid187/p1e02b693ae33879a224917e040666218/f249cfbc.jpg[/img]

On the tip of this hobby knife is the recoil pads I mentioned and on the self healing pad next to the tip of the knife is the 20mm AA gun. I'm not sure if they can be seen. Gives you an idea of the size.



Sorry, my cam just isn't capable of capturing the fine detail of this model in general. It's not rocket science and you shouldn't need photos for this part. It's just very teeny parts that you have to fiddle with a bit to get looking right. The small scale of this model will eat up time installing and mounting very small parts. If this intimidates you, do not build this sub. If, like me, this challenges you to make a very small model have enough fine detail to make it look like a much bigger model, you will enjoy this kit combined with the brass details. If the end product turns out similar to the type IXc kit I built, I will be pleased with the results and the photo shoot of this type VIIb should be cool.

It took me 2 hours to do the work on this conning tower.

[captain nemo12]

Wow! Such a great thread

Wow! Such a great thread for such a small boat! I can't believe how precise your work is Mylo, I remember doing the conning tower of my Type IXb U-107, the boat was from Mini Hobby Models (old Trumpeter brand) and the scale was 1/200. At 1/400th scale, the work must be twice as hard! Especially dealing with so tiny parts, I imagine tweezers and hobby knives are a must! Anyways, keep it up! I've always wanted to do a small Mirage Type II. Plus, those box arts gotta be some of the best looking ones in the world!

[mylo]

Nemo,

Thanks for the response.

[color=#000000]Nemo,

Thanks for the response. My intention here is to cast some light on what building one of these little babies is all about. I learned some lessons the hard way.

I said it the best I could when I said that if you like being challenged to make a small boat look more like a big boat, you will enjoy these 1]http://www.subcommittee.com/forum/icon_smile.gif[/img]. It's actually the photographing of them that I am starting to get "into."

I encourage you to try the type IIA kit. I always include the brass details for these subs. For the IIa, it is the guard rails included in the brass detail kit that really set the sub off. You can imagine how tiny they are. The actual guard rails being 2" in diameter and the kit being 1]

[mylo]

STEP 7]http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid187/pb01a9bf0a1c4c47ca358afe48644c7d4/f23a582f.jpg

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STEP 7]http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid187/pb01a9bf0a1c4c47ca358afe48644c7d4/f23a582f.jpg[/img]

[mylo]

STEP 8]http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid187/pa7119e3e9331c4ce2c7e04fa026c47ca/f232a0c9.jpg

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STEP 8]http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid187/pa7119e3e9331c4ce2c7e04fa026c47ca/f232a0c9.jpg[/img]







** Tip of the Year ** I forgot to mention this in my phase that included the grinding with the motor tool. * WEAR SAFETY GLASSES * I'm not saying this as some sort of disclaimer. The reason I'm saying this is because...well...I USED to be one of those "Ya, ya...whatever" type of guys when it came to wearing saftety gear. That all changed the day I got a sliver of brass in my eye from grinding something. I couldn't get it out myself so down to emerg I go, wait in line all day, have the Dr. put drops to freeze my eye, then pluck the sliver out with some surgical tweezers, patch on my eye for the rest of the day, then go home. I lost an entire day that I could have spent doing something I enjoyed. I find that I put on a good pair of safety glasses and will forget that I'm actually wearing them. Learn from someones stupidity. They really are a good idea.

[mylo]

STEP 9]http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid188/p469de90929e0f63160e71c8f788bde28/f22d7346.jpg

Dabbing CA. The fingers

STEP 9]http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid188/p469de90929e0f63160e71c8f788bde28/f22d7346.jpg[/img]

Dabbing CA. The fingers that aren't holding the toothpick with the CA on the end are resting on the vice to provide stability.



Burning excess CA off with the soldering iron.



The VIIb is ready for paint.

[mylo]

STEP 10]http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid190/p6ba6470e960bb69a7bc42c389a44a5b4/f1e6b003.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid190/p8226e81c2374b4619a9174a287e42db2/f1e6aff0.jpg

STEP 10]http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid190/p6ba6470e960bb69a7bc42c389a44a5b4/f1e6b003.jpg[/img]

[mylo]

STEP 11]http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid192/p8431b406070eb7ecb79b524432221c46/f1b740da.jpg

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http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid192/p09d02b8e75

STEP 11]http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid192/p8431b406070eb7ecb79b524432221c46/f1b740da.jpg[/img]