¹⁄400

Building a Type IX U-boat, 1/400 scale...

the build...

The Mirage kit consists of four sprues of gray plastic with approximately 30 parts and includes a small stand to hold your masterpiece once finished. A small decal sheet is also included. Detail is good, but could be better especially where the deck is concerned. The deck has recessed panel lines that are thick, shallow and clumsy looking. This becomes a minor problem when weathering the model as a wash tends to be easily wiped away. Instructions consist of a single page with multiple panels printed on all sides with a short history of U-511.



Assembly of the model is pretty straightforward and the instructions are easy to follow. Construction begins with the hull and decking, then moves onto the conning tower, control surfaces, prop shafts and props. The rocket launcher assembly consists of two parts that look a bit clunky. I drilled small holes where the launcher frame should be to give it a lighter appearance. This is one area where scratch building talent would come in handy.



One disappointing aspect of the kit is the lack of railing for the conning tower. I solved the problem by making my own from thin pieces of wire. First I drilled holes in the coning tower then inserted lengths of wire vertically and secured it with a little CA. Then I bent two pieces of wire around a hobby knife and secured them, one at a time to the previously drilled holes and the ventricle wires. This process took about 40 minutes and the results look pretty good. Some time after I completed this project, I discovered that Mirage makes a photo-etch detail set for its U-boat series, as does Tom’s Model Works. Maybe I’ll use one of these on my next project.

the finish, and cleaning up...

Painting was pretty straightforward. I used Model Master Enamels and weathered my U-boat with artist oils after a coat of Future floor wax was applied. A painting guide is supplied in the instructions but the colors are way off.

Here’s where research pays off....the instructions recommend the lower hull be painted flat black, but he Kriegsmarine never used this shade in that capacity. The correct colors are a dark gray and medium gray; pretty basic. The actual shades changed during the war but I’ll leave it up to you to discover the details of that.

wrapping it up...

This was a fun build and I’d recommend it to anyone thinking of starting their own U-boat collection. Mirage makes a plethora of U-boat kits from the early Type II to the later Type VII.

Construction took me about six-hours, painting and detailing took another four.

References

German Navy in World War Two: An Illustrated Guide to the Kriegsmarine, 1935-1945 (Hardcover), Jack P. Mallmann-Showell, Naval Institute Press (October 1979), 224 pp.

Kriegsmarine am Feind, Friedrich Meier, Verlag Erich Klinghammer (1941), 78 pp. The Type VII U-Boat (Anatomy of the Ship), David Westwood, US Naval Institute Press; Revised edition (July 2003), 95 pp.

The World Encyclopedia of Submarines: An Illustrated Reference To Underwater Vessels Of The World Through History, From The Nautilus And Hunley To Modern Nuclear-Powered Submarines, John Parker, Lorenz Books (September 25, 2007), 256 pp.

Type VII U-Boats (Shipcraft, Vol. 4), Roger Chesneau,Chatham Publishing; 1st edition (May 2005), 64 pp.