Flagman

1/350 German U-boat type VII C/41

Kit Number: 235003

Reviewed by  Kip Rudge, IPMS# 40597

MSRP: $26.98 Website: www.flagman-models.com Distributed by: www.dragonmodelsusa.com The Type VII U-boat was the Panzer IV tank or Bf 109 fighter of the Kreigsmarine. A pre-war design, the Type VIIs formed the backbone of the Nazis’ submarine force. Continually upgraded, they – unlike their armored or winged counterparts – almost turned the tide of the war in Germany’s favor by nearly strangling England’s ability to keep their transatlantic supply lines open. The Type VIIC/41 was a slight upgrade over the VIIC. The changes included a stronger pressure hull for deeper diving and lighter machinery that actually made the Type VIIC/41 slightly lighter than the VIIC. The Germans produced 91 Type VIIC/41s. In fact the only surviving Type VIIC in the world is a Type VIIC/41. Apparently several Type VIIC/41s were used by the Soviet Union after the war. And no, the Type VIIC/41 was not the sub used by the Penguin to attack Gotham City in Batman – The Movie. But the flipper-powered Penguin boat was based on a U-boat salvaged for use in another movie. Flagman’s model of the TypeVIIC/41 is a one-sprue wonder. Also in the box is a spiffy clear stand for your completed sub. The kit comes with options that include two conning towers and different deck guns. The decal sheet is pretty extensive, containing markings for nearly a dozen different machines.

Construction is the standard sequence. The hull matches pretty well, but a couple of sink marks on the stern need to be filled. Imagine sink marks on a sub… Anyway, a little Mr. Dissolved Putty took care of those bad boys. Putting together the screws and rudder assembly will test your patience. Lots of small parts with no positive location holes make it a test of wills between you, your styrene cement and the parts. The conning tower also suffers from sink marks as well. Assembly is pretty straightforward and the complete subassembly marries up nicely with the deck. The gun decks on the conning tower rear would benefit a great deal from photo-etch railings. After the conning tower is attached, it’s time to add the fittings for the snorkel and the snorkel itself. It’s not clear from the instructions whether the snorkel should be installed in either the raised or stored position. So I made it raised. The last additions were the 37mm flak and two twin 20mm flaks. These were two-part affairs that reminded me of gluing fleas together. If you didn’t already know, the key to gluing fleas is to not drown them in super glue accelerator. The Flagman instructions give you four different color schemes for TypeVIIC/41. Two of the color schemes focus on the conning towers while another is a very nifty gray mottle. I opted for the standard lighter gray over dark gray. While the Germans had some very colorful markings for individual subs, in 1/350 scale the decals would be very small and hard to see. I applied a decal for U-1009, hoping the red would contrast enough with the gray to jump out. But alas, it failed to jump. Flagman does supply a good selection of sub markings, but I’m not convinced they are all applicable to Type VIIC/41s. Soviet markings are supplied as well for post-war fans. Once decals were sealed in with a gloss coat a dark wash was applied. The cured wash was sealed with a flat coat and a light dry-brushing was applied. The model scales out closely to the dimensions I have found for the Type VIIC/41. With the addition of some photo etch and rigging this kit can be made into a nice little sardine can. Thanks to Dragon Models USA and Flagman for the review sample.