I don't have much detail. but has anyone else looked into converting the Revell 1/72 VIIC to a B version? (Would like to do U-47)

I am not looking for detail down to the inch, but does it seem within the realm of possibility?

Thanks

Martyn

Hello Martyn,

Here is a link for you. Although in German, you can easily
navigate through the site.

Click on products on the left and then Turme.

These are photos of 1:40 scale tower made for the Robbe
u-boats. Very good visual reference of the B tower.

https://ssl.kundenserver.de/s100610978.einsundeinsshop.de/sess/utn;jsessionid=1543d410d125157/shopdata/index.shopscript

The only discrepency I have found is that the L shaped
air intake trunking seems to be on the portside on this
tower. All my photographic references show it as being
on the starboard side. Also the air intake duct and grill
which is fused to the attack periscope housing was
common in many type B.

The conversion can be accomplished with a little patience.

Would it not be great if these people made them in 1:72 !!!


Joe

You could try and find the old Amati 1/72 Type VII-B U-boat.

The hull is resin and very poor in details, but the deck is PE and the resin CY and weaponry are first notch.
Since the revell VII-C was released, every now and then, these models appear in e-bay

Skipper

Hello Martyn,

If you are interested in modelling U 47 then please do email me at [email protected]. I can send you the side-profile drawings I did of U 47 (as well as 135 photos of U 47 and nearly 170 of other VIIBs). The drawings and 8500-word article are intended to show how and when U 47 was modified.

I found the expensive Amati kit quite tricky to build. There are also loads of inaccuracies so it would probably be easier to convert the Revell VIIC to a VIIB. The tower in the Amati kit is an early VIIB tower with no 20mm on the tower.

There were a number of modifications to VIIB towers and these can be confusing at first so I shall attempt to give an overview -

The early VIIBs (in 1938 and 1939) had no 20mm on their towers. The 20mm - usually minus the barrel - was on the aft deck).

Around about the winter of 39/40, the towers on the VIIBs then had their 20mm moved to the rear of the tower. The towers were rebuilt to accomodate this. At this time there were no L-shaped trunks.

A few months later, L-shaped air trunks were added to both sides of the tower. I have a few photos to show that the trunks were on both sides.

U 47 was sunk before any more modifications were made but others like U 48 lasted longer. At some stage in 1941, the two L-shaped air trunks on U 48 were removed. They were replaced by a central air duct behind the attack periscope housing, as Joe says. The late VIIBs such as U 86 had this but no VIICs as the trunking was built up within the side of the tower on VIICs.

I have the Dream Arts VIIB tower and hope to add it to an Accurate Armour waterline kit to model U 47. It took 12 weeks delivery and 2 reminder emails to get this but the product is good. He's obviously copied the Accurate Armour tower then modified it to a B. Two L-shaped trunks are provided, even though the photo of U 100's tower has only one, on the port side.

The two main differences in converting a C to a B (a 1940 onwards B that is) is that the rear of the VIIB tower slopes in the opposite direction and that the B has a number of extra free-flooding drainage holes just ahead of the saddle tanks.

I can only concur with Joe's sentiments about the Dream Arts towers. If they made them in 72nd scale it would be great.

Cheers,

Dougie

Hi Dougie

I have to agree with you on the Amati kit, but I must say that for me this was the turning point! And submarines started to rule!
Back in 1995/96 with the lack of info I had on U-boots, the content that was available in the internet (very poor, comparing with today) I think that I had made a good job with it

Regarding your article... It just made me curious
Was it published already?
If not, do you accept publishing it here as a Feature Article?

Thanks,

Skipper

Hello Skipper,

I still have a soft spot for the Amati kit, which I found to be a difficult but very rewarding build. It was this kit that got me interested in U-boats. More specifically, my old article on the inaccuracies in the kit got me studying and learning about U 47. It then got me writing about not just modelling but about the patrol history and Scapa Flow. I visited Scapa Flow a few months ago, which was very interesting indeed. It was also this kit that got me interested in U-boat colours as I wanted to find out whether or not the red colour that I painted on the lower hull of my Amati model was right or not.

Please email me about the Feature articles page.

Many thanks,

Dougie

Dougie,

Check your email

Skipper

Hello Dougie,

Is this info available to us. Will you publish an article or
just add to the great pages on u-boat colors?

Regards,
Joe

Hi Joe/Skipper,

Please check your messages/email.

Regards,

Dougie

Hi Dougie!

I haven't received nor email or PM
Could you send it again , please? (if you have any attachment, please check if it isn't bigger than 2Mb)

Thank you,
Skipper

Hi Skipper,

Sorry but I'm having a few problems sending large emails at the moment. When I tried to send my first message to you (with large attachments) I had to send several times. It mustn't have gone. I sent two yesterday to your private message box because like an idiot I accidentally deleted you email.

Thanks,

Dougie

Hi, Dougie, I'm also very interested in yours photographs about the u-boats type VIIB. If you could... or if you like to send me this information, I will agreed you very much.
Thanks

Hi all

To all that may be interested in this particular subject, some features will be released soon, so please...
stay calm

Skipper

Thanks Skipper, OK, I'm waiting with impatient this information. Best regards, and happy day.