The Type IXC U-boat from Revell Germany is the late version of U-505; no deck gun, but additional antiaircraft guns.
No doubt U-505 has been visited by more Americans than any other U-boat. It was captured by the U.S. Navy in 1944, towed to Bermuda and studied extensively, and in 1954 donated to the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago.
Revell Germany offers two sets of markings for U-505; one for its German service, the other for after its capture. A set of paper flags, pendants, and string for rigging are provided.
The first order of business in building this model is to reserve space; it is nearly 42" long! Before you begin, make sure you drill the holes called for in Step 1.
Building the forward torpedo tubes and hull front halves presented no problem. I built the stand and painted it with Krylon stone. The rear halves of the hull went together well, too.
But mating the front and rear halves of the hull presented a hard-to-hide seam. All the sanding endangers nearby rivets. On top of that, there was a slight dimensional difference between the front and back halves that also had to be smoothed over.
All the lower-hull dive planes and rudders have pins that, despite their large size, can still easily break. I installed the propeller shafts, then painted the hull Tamiya NATO black (XF-69).
The propellers are painted with Testors Model Master Metalizer brass. I painted the upper hull Tamiya sky gray (XF-19), and the decking Testors RLM 66 schwartzgrau. The deck and hull were a tight fit that left no gaps.
The antiaircraft gun mounts had seams to be filled and holes to be redrilled because they were oblong. I painted the mounts Tamiya dark gray (XF-24) and the cannons Testors flat black.
The conning tower also received dark gray, with RLM 66 decking. Periscopes were painted Testors flat black and Metalizer aluminum before being installed in the tower.
After installing all the guns and handrails and gluing the conning tower to the deck, I painted the navigation lights with Tamiya clear green and clear red.
The handrails (parts 78 and 79) had flash that needed careful cleanup, and their ends were brittle. The illustrations in the instructions are not clear on the rigging attachment points, nor whether they are normal tied knots or something else. I chose to super glue the string to all attachment points. I dampened the national flag in water and fixed it to the pole. No swastika: you’ll have to look to your spares if you want one. I weathered with rust and light gray pastels.
This kit took 27 hours, but it should have been easier. Because of the fit issues, I recommend it to advanced modelers.
Note: A version of this review appeared in the October 2014 FineScale Modeler.