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--Boris

Hello Boris!

You have done a great job, but alow me to make two comments to it (no harm intended, as usual, but consider this inputs for your next builts)

1 - Rust streaks don't happen bellow waterline. You only have the rusted area, it don't "run".
If you have the chance to visit a harbour, take a look at a ship on drydock during repairs

2 - With salt water and the rest of elements (cold, sun) the hue of the paint tends to get whiter not darker. Also see this on real ships. When you apply the same paint to a ship after a few months on the sea (sometimes even after two or three weeks) the shade will be much lighter!


As I said before, this are constructive critics, and I think that you have done a great job with the Revell U-boot!

Let me know what you think!

Skipper

Boris, great job...yours certainly came out better than mine. and Rui thnaks for the rust input. I didn't rust mine up very much as I was depicting her going out on a "cruise" rather than returning so I had very minimal rust. My flaw is the droopy antennea lines. One day I'll go back and fix them

Hi Skipper,

Thanks for your comments. I do not think it is critics at all.

First of all I am not big expert of pastel weathering or any weathering at all. I wanted to try it, as far as I had some private discussion about methods of rust weathering. I am not sure if I am 100% sutisfied with result, but the boat looks very realistic, even at close look.

I completly agree with you on colors shadows. I just wanted to make this boat a bit durty, I would say.

The rust weathering is more complex, for any submarine, and U-Boot in particular as far as undertand it.

I am not sure if we may apply "waterline" to u-boot. the line between upper and low colors could be called "waterline", but a lot of pictures shows us U-Boots when this line much to hight above the water, and simetimes almost at water level. Also, U-boot, traveling in rought waters of Atlantics almost newer has horisontal position. I agree with you that rust streaks should not go too down.

The "pathces" or "lopard" pattern should be applied there.
The same pathes of rust we may see along the hull where 88mm gun installed. But nature of this pathes is rsult of scrapping paint with water. On the underwater surfaces the patches are more likely the result of inside-out rust growing.

The rust on rivets is another topic, along with railings interconnections.

Saddle tanks rust and weathering is even more complex, and involves salt, wawes pressure, falling water strims and boat movements.

Another thing we need keep in mind, that U-Boots been painted before any new patrol. I understand it was to make boats less recognasible rather than protect from the rust.

I am not sure if lower part of the boat been painted with the same regularity. Especially at the end of the war period.

So, "upper" rust tend to be more "yellowish" or "fresh" and underwater rust looks more brown.

Again, I am not an expert on this stuff.

There are just results of my limited research and old pictures inspections.

In anty event it is great to exchange ideas and opinions, and this exactly why such forums exist.

Kind Regards,

--Boris

Hi Boris!

Glad that you understood my meanings!

I agree with some of your inputs, and also would like to add some more - also from analysing pictures, reading and seing some real subs on dry dock - not type VII-C's - I am not that old

When you make a VII-C and going to weather it , you have to consider the period of action (Paukenschlag or Happy Times versus the Bad period - the Hunted).
So, during Paukenschlag the U-boot force was most of the time allowed to surface at will and only went subsurface when really needed (attacks or being attacked). In this conditions the boat would suffer from "air exposition" with all the inerent rusting and weathering effects (not only rust, but paint fade and flake). Bellow the "waterline" the natural growings would happen as well as the usual corrosion to the paint and metal. A simple bump on the pier or to another boat while on harbour could make "nasty" looking effect to the outer hull...
The repainting would happen mainly to the upper works while on harbour or even sometimes while at sea, being these easily striped and making different tones and patches of the colour used, revealing the under colour.
Only on a grand repair or after a few cruises, and if it was really necessary, the boat would go to a dry dock and then all the hull got proper atention, making it "new boat".

After 1943, the conditions changed and the U-boats no longer could carry their "usual procedings", making the boat stay underwater more time, being attacked more often and not even during night they could surface confident to recharge the batteries, so the VII-C (and variants) and the IX-C and D are heavily weathered to all this situations - Salt can make a lot of damage! Schnorkel helped, but the boat would be underwater most of the time.
If you have the chance to see pictures of U-505 (a type IX) when it was captured you can see the amount of damage to the boat and paint that I have stated. I am not saying that all the boats would have this kind of look, but I can "guess" that they would look almost like that - depth charging and poor quality of the paints, small periods on harbour (with all the implication that comes with this "pit-stops" instead of major repairs).

Electro type boats (Type XXI and XXIII) suffered a lot in the last months of war. Try to find a Adalbert Schnee Type XXI picture and you will understand

What do you think?

Skipper

Skipper,

I think we have two different topics here.

The first is what we want to achive
and the second - how?

I absoluletly agree with you that particular time and boat construction makes tremendouse impact on weathering effects.

Totally agree that, for example, boats with snorkel was rusted and weathered much more like modern subs.

How to apply weathering effects is different story.
You probably saw my other boats and noticed diferent techniques I use all the time. I still experimenting.

One of my first weathering attempts anothe U552:

http://www.deepwatermodels.com/VIIC/552/


Well, at the end of the day, all of us, modellers, have a bit of artistic licence.

Also, unlike most vessel models, balanced weathering the model of U-boot looks very natural and almost desired, I would say.

--Boris

P.S.

Do not even think about to hook me up for colors discussion.

Hei Boris, c'mon!

This was just a friendly discussion how things would happen!
That's it! I am not trying to teach you nothing, since I enjoy your models a lot!!!

And since we were writing our toughts about weathering, this is a good chance to let others now more about it...

And I am the last person to be bothering others about artist license - since it's my way to weather my subs, a little info and the rest is art!

About the colour discussion.... :-) :-)

;)
Skipper

Skipper,

I don't think you got my mood right. I am very glad we share opinions and ideas.

what I am trying to say we need to explore this weathering topic more systematically and came to conclusion what is the best technique to reproduce this rust.

--Boris