SCALE MODEL NEWS

SHIPPING FANS HAVE some tasty Revell kits and accessories to look forward to in 2015. Of particular interest to naval modellers, the Revell 1:72 scale U-boat can now be displayed with a new-tool crew, made to the same scale. Mat Irvine: The giant 1:72 scale German wolf pack U-boat ( header, above ) was used on display at the 2015 London Toy Fair as a same-scale display base for a new-tool set of World War II German Navy crew members. Adding scale figures ( above, below ) really brings the Revell U-boat to life, not only in adding a sense of scale but also to show the busyness displayed on all naval vessels as they prepare to leave (or when they return) to port. A huge value to this kit - and the figures - is that it is made to model aircraft-standard 1:72 scale, which opens the door (or lowers the gangplank) to all sorts of diorama possibilities. Remember the U-boat docked in port  we showed here ? Last time we looked, the handsomely crafted display was still for sale - then again...

A great subject for diorama fans, the Revell Type IXC World War II U-Boat is produced to model aircraft-standard 1:72 scale. The finished submarine kit is a big one, measuring some 1063 mm (41.8 in) when assembled from 160 components. This is one of Revell’s best sub kits, though there are plenty of others to choose from, including an example from the same era and to the same scale, the Type XXVIIB Seehund mini-sub, which measures just 165 mm (6.5 in) long. The Type IXC is supplied with two sets of decals and flags, allowing you to choose between two periods, the U-505, as captured by the US Navy in the Atlantic Ocean, June 1944, or the same sub, as she appeared before capture, March-June 1944. Since 2005, U-505 has been exhibited at the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago , and is the only fully-restored U-boat of this type. Revell submarines available here.

Here's a good example to show that it's well worth keeping an eye open for interesting stuff, even in non-model emporia, as we found out this weekend. Here, among the bric-a-brac of a Cotswold antique shop, was a beautiful World War II diorama. Lurking in a dusty corner of the front window was this well-crafted cased model of a German Mk VIIB U-boat, next to it, an excellently rendered section of harbour, with rail line and steam locomotive with a line of wagons. Question of scale It appears to be a HO-gauge 1:87 model, with German loco and wagons almost certainly to the world-standard rail model gauge. British rail fans stick resolutely to their independent and definitely non-standard 00-gauge 1:76 scale, but that's another story. Dust of ages It's difficult to tell, but the half-track could be a RoCo item to the same scale. The truly excellent submarine is detailed and nicely done, too. Overall, the only critique we'd have is a slight lack of colour throughout, bu...

1:144 scale model makers can home in on the latest Revell nautical kit, the World War II-era U-2540 (‘U’ stands for ‘unterseeboot’, or undersea boat btw). Revell’s kit of this Type XXI submarine - now known as the Wilhelm Bauer - is a neat and tidy rendering of the 76.7 m (251 ft 8 in) original that was launched in January 1945. Details, details... The kit reissue contains 163 components, which build up to make a model some 532 mm (20.9 in) long, and for display purposes the U-2540 can sit neatly on the included stand. On deck, anti-aircraft guns, antennas, periscope and snort mast are included. But it’s the cutaway port side that turns this model into a desirable addition to a miniature naval force. As you can see in the pictures, the torpedo compartment, crew quarters, control room, diesel engines, electric motors, and batteries are all present. U-2540 in German Navy service U-2540 was built by Blohm and Voss in Hamburg, but was scuttled at sea after little more than four months act...

SMN report Italeri’s latest 1:35 scale nautical kit is the neatly produced Biber (‘Beaver’) one-man midget submarine from World War II. To this big military-model standard scale, even the Biber works out to a fair size in model form, in this case some 186 mm (7.3 in) long. It comes with two well-sculpted figures, as well as decals for three different subs, and a small etched-metal fret with super-detail parts. Biber on view at the Imperial War Museum There are quite a few Bibers on display in military museums across Europe - the one pictured above is on view in the UK’s Imperial War Museum, London. It’s a place well worth visiting, and if you build the Italeri Biber kit, seeing the real thing complete with its quota of lumps, bumps, scrapes, dings and dents, will allow you to add those extra details to take the Italeri sub from smooth-but-a-bit-dull ‘stock’ to knocked-about-and-real ‘superb’. Biber armament In service, the Biber could carry two 530 mm (21 in) torpedos or a pair of mine...