This is ICM's Type II A U Boat OOB, complete with omitted flood vents I complained about in an earlier thread. I tried drilling my own row of holes, but as a couple were off-center, the whole row looked awful, so I puttied them up again. I used the smallest crimping beads for the insulators, but they're still too big for 1/144. If anyone has a better suggestion please say!

For small insulators, try a drop of white glue. Paint it when it dries.

HTH

Yeah, I've used white glue for 1/700 and 1/350 and it's OK. But it shrinks so much that for larger scales it disappears!

Is that a second periscope next to the vertical antenna?

That's an antenna either attached to the top of, or emerging from the top of the port side running light housing, as per photos.
Maybe I misread your question. The first, and taller of the two verticals is the periscope, the second is the antennna, which is mounted on the outside of the conning tower.

What I mean, is that third mast with the black bulge on the
end next to antenna.
Cheers,

OK. You're responding to the wrong post. The pic your referring to is the Type II B. That third post is a mount for a pair of binoculars. It's just behind the second periscope and attached to the periscope mount. The black thing at the top is a miscellaneous part for the binocular mount. The binoculars will come later.

I am referring to the photo in this post.

Cheers,

On type IIA UBoats ( as with all u-boats) the only external mounts for optics are for the UZO attack binoculars - these are always the furthest forward equipment and on the centreline of the boat.

Going further back from there is the attack periscope (his highest one on the above pick).

Then there is the loop direction finding antenna witch has a housing to retract into (this is on inner side , halfway down left side of tower - not visible so retracted in the above pic)

Then there is the "night/observation" periscope ( this usually dose not extend as high as the attach scope, and has a larger objective lens and in some models can be panned up or down) hence the bulb appearance at the top.

At the same place but on the outer right hand side of the tower is a short range fixed aerial.

Then there is a bell ( most if not all crews deleted these as they made a racket when submerged ) on a downward curved bracket and a flag pole at an angle both directly on the rear centre of the tower.

I beleave you are seeing Both the observation periscope and the fixed sort range aerial ( though the picture is a fit fuzzy so you can't clearly see the seperatly.)

Then the bell bracket and the flag pole.

It's a lot clearer in this image https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/image/10196318z8/70/8

There where no other optics mounts on u boats as all where too costly in room and time to stow in case of need to dive quickly. So where all held by the watch crew. - UZO's only ever brought up and fixed for night attack on the surface.

For discussion purpose only.



As per the photo in this post...what is this?

Cheers,

As Chris has explained above, it is the night observation periscope.