X-Craft,
British Midget Submarine, Admiralty
Model Works 1:350 Scale, Build Review by Felix Bustelo
- Admiralty Model Works has gained a reputation for well-cast 1/700
scale kits and 1/350 scale accessories and now they are venturing into 1/350
scale submarine kits. They had
already released kits of the Foxtrot and HMS Astute class and Felix Bustelo
was pleasantly surprised to hear Pavel Vacata’s announcement that Admiralty
Model Works was going to release a 1/350 scale model of the X-Craft
British Midget Submarine. 
Project 641, NATO
Code Foxtrot, Attack Submarine, Admiralty Model Works 1:700 Scale - The
Admiralty Model Works 1:700 scale Project 641 Foxtrot Soviet
diesel attack submarines provides two excellently detailed models of the class,
one waterline and one full hull. The excellent resin castings are further
supplemented with a photo-etch fret, brass rods, superb decals and comprehensive
instructions. 
Lira Class Project 705, NATO
Code Name Alfa Soviet Attack Submarine, OKB Grigorov 1:700 Scale -
With your 1:700 scale OKB Grigorov Alfa
you can put the pedal to the metal, at least until the liquid metal lead/bismuth
coolant causes you to glow in the dark.
USS Gato SS-212, Fleet
Submarine 1941, AFV 1:350 Scale, Review by Greg "Gunner" Stitz
- Greg "Gunner" Stitz
reviews the USS Gato
SS-212
kit in 1:350 scale from AFV. Greg was a Gunner’s Mate (Guns) First Class and
is now curator of the
Delfin, Project 667 BDRM,
NATO Codename Delta IV, OKB Grigorov 1:700 Scale - Have you been waiting for a 1:700 scale Soviet Boomer, other than the
Typhoon? Now your wait is over because the Bulgarian firm of OKB Grigorov has produced the Delfin
Project 667 BDRM, NATO Codename Delta IV.
Venus,
Daphne Class French Diesel Submarine, L'Arsenal 1:400 Scale, Build Review by
Felix Bustelo - The
Daphne class was the end result of
a 1952 design request and construction of the first three (Daphne,
Diane & Doris)
commenced in 1958.
Daphne,
Modern French Diesel Submarine, L'Arsenal 1:400 Scale, Review by Falk Pletscher
- L'Arsenal has produced
a nice 1/400 scale kit of the Daphne
French medium-seize hunter-killer submarines,
which served mainly in the
U-14
Austro-Hungarian Submarine 1916, U-Boat Laboratorium 1:350 Scale, Build Review
by Felix Bustelo - On 20 December 1914, the French submarine Curie
attempted to infiltrate the Austro-Hungarian naval base at Pola, only to be
caught in the harbor defense nets. She
was forced to surface and was sunk by gunfire. She was raised,
refitted and renamed U-14. In
1916, U-14
was fitted with new engines, given a German-style conning tower and had an 88mm
deck gun mounted forward. These
changes not only dramatically changed her outward appearance; it also
significantly improved her fighting capabilities. Under the command of
Lieutenant Georg Ritter Von Trapp (of “The Sound of Music” fame) the U-14
was one of most successful submarines in the Austro-Hungarian fleet. The U-14
kit is the latest submarine kit from the St. Petersburg, Russia based U-Boat
Laboratorium.
Curie,
French Submarine 1912, U-Boat Laboratorium 1:350 Scale - Another
very unusual 1:350 scale resin and brass kit has been provided by U-Boat
Laboratorium with the French submarine Curie. This unique design of
a 1912 design, provides another fine example of the evolution of the submarine.
Mariotte,
French Submarine 1908, U-Boat Laboratorium 1:350 Scale, Build Review by Felix
Bustelo - U-Boat Laboratorium is known for producing unusual
subjects in 1:350 scale. The 1908 French submarine Mariotte
certainly fits this description in spades. This early submarine presents a shark
like profile but with a vestigial conning tower, more like a cupola than a sail.
Felix Bustelo has prepared a build review with the finished model
emphasizing the boat's unusual features.
UB-1,
Germaniawerft Coastal Submarine 1915, U-Boat Laboratorium, Review y Felix
Bustelo - The German invasion and occupation of Belgium in
September 1914 gave the Imperial German Navy a forward base of operations in the
ports of Zeebrugge and Ostend. It also became clear that a new design for a
small coastal submarine was needed to operate in the shallow waters of English
Channel. Measuring about 92 feet long (28 meters) and displacing little more
than 150 tons, the tiny UB I class
had two bow tubes and the capacity for 4 torpedoes. Felix Bustelo review
the 1:350 scale kit of the UB I from U-Boat
Laboratorium.
HMCS
Ojibwa, Canadian Oberon Class Submarine, Resin Shipyard 1:350 Scale, Review by
Felix Bustelo - The Resin Shipyard kit of the HMCS
Ojibwa in 1:350 scale represents a post-SOUP version, with the
larger sonar dome. Any of the three operational boats in RCN service can be
built with this kit. Felix 'Man About Town' Bustelo reviews the Ojibwa.
German
Type VII C-41 U-Boat 1943, Flagman 1:350 Scale - Flagman
presents a good kit of the mid-war Type VII C-41 U-Boat in 1:350 scale. With
optional conning towers, armament and decals, the modeler has a lot of choices
among ten German U-Boats, as well as the Soviet boats after the war.
Agosta,
Modern French Diesel-Electric Submarine, L'Arsenal 1:400 Scale, Review by Felix
Bustelo - The Agosta, the
first in a class of four French patrol diesel-powered submarines, was launched
in 1974. This class of conventionally powered submarines proved to be a very
successful design which featured innovative architectural elements and
state-of-the-art equipment. Felix Bustelo reviews the L'Arsenal
1:400 scale kit.
I-400
Japanese Aircraft Carrying Submarine, Aoshima 1:700 Scale - Where
do you go to get your long-range strike boats for your attack on the US Pacific
coast? Well the answer is the Aoshima 1:700 scale model of the I-400.
The largest submarine built in World War Two, this submarine had a hangar for
three float plane torpedo bombers.
K-407
Novomoskovsk, Project 667BDRM Delfin, Delta IV, Nuclear Ballistic Missile
Submarine, Alanger 1:350 Scale - The Alanger 1:350
scale K-407 Novomoskovsk, Delta IV,
ballistic missile submarine has detail but it is somewhat overdone. It has the
subtlety of a T-34 tank, in that it has simple assembly but gets the job done in
an efficient manner. This is a big model of a big Boomer and now you can add it
to your fleet. Once completed and painted, the Alanger Novomoskovsk
will present a very striking model of one of the best, if not the best, of the
Soviet ballistic missile boat designs.
SMU-5,
K.u.K. Imperial Austro-Hungarian Submarine Holland Design, Wiener Modellbau
Manufactur 1:350 Scale - The next time you see The Sound
of Music and the sugary singing von Trapp children, you can sing, "The
Hills Are Alive with the Sound of Torpedoes!" The SMU
5, under the command of Georg Ritter von Trapp scored one of the
most significant successes of the Austro-Hungarian Navy. All three boats of this
Holland design were active throughout World War One. Now you can have a 1:350
scale miniature of these boats in this outstanding kit from Wiener Modllbau
Manufactur.
USS
Virginia SSN-774, Attack Submarine, PitRoad 1:700 Scale - Originally
designed under the name Centurion
class, the first unit, USS Virginia,
was laid down on October 3, 1997. The photographs here show the PitRoad
1:700 scale kit of the USS Virginia
SSN-774. This kit is part of their "The Seven Oceans Story" line of
kits in this scale.
Akula
Class, Russian Attack Submarine, Pit-Road-Takara 1:700 Scale - This
model is just right for those that do not have time to assemble and paint the
kits that they already possess. Since there is minimal assembly and everything
is pre-painted and marked, in less than an hour a collector can have a whole
fleet of Pit-Road-Takara submarines on display. The 1:700 scale Russian
Akula class is as good a place to start as any.
USS
Cachalot SS 170, USN Experimental Submarine 1933, Loose Cannon 1:700 Scale
- Man Bites Dog! - How else would you describe a
submarine attacked by a tanker? Loose Cannon again succeeds in
presenting an unusual and obscure subject. Loose Cannon provides a whole
class of submarines in 1:700 scale in one box. Of course the Cachalot
class of 1933 only consisted of two boats.
U-803
Type IX C/40 Turm II U-Boat, Mirage 1:400 Scale -
With all of the excitement over the Revell of Germany 1:72nd scale Type
VIIC U-Boat, Bruce Simard wants to show an alternative to
the large U-Boat kit. His selection is the U-803,
built as a late war version of the Type IX C/40 Turm
II U-Boat from Mirage in 1:400 scale.
Orzel,
Polish Submarine 1939, Niko Model 1:700 Scale -
The primary offensive weapon of the Polish Navy at the start of World War Two
was a submarine division consisting of five submarines. These submarines were of
two classes, the Wilk Class of three
boats built in France in the early 1930s and the larger Orzel
Class of two boats built in the Netherlands from 1936 to 1939.
The Orzel, which means Eagle in
Polish, arrived in Poland in early 1939. As Poland fell Orzel
made an epic journey across the Baltic to continue the fight from Great Britain.
Niko Model has produced a 1:700 scale model of this historic boat. Review
by Steve Backer.
U-Boats
of the Kaiser, A Look at Three World War One U-Boats, HP-Models 1:700 Scale
- How many submarines have sunk two battleships and
one cruiser during their career? The German World War One U-Boat U-21
under command of Otto Hersing did. HP-Models has released a series of
1:700 scale resin models of the Kaiser's U-Boats. This article looks at three of
them, the U-5 early heavy oil burning
submarine; the battleship killer U-21
and the U-Kreuzer U-156 originally
designed as one of eight merchant submarines. Review by Steve Backer.
Casabianca,
1,500 Ton French Submarine, L'Arsenal 1:700 Scale
- The Casabianca
was one of the large group of 1,500 ton submarines of the Redoutable
Class. She probably was the most effective French submarine of
World War Two, as she fought with the allies from start to finish. L'Arsenal
has produced a model of Casabianca in
1:700 scale. The waterline kit is comprised of resin and brass photo-etch parts
and a full decal sheet.
Kursk
K-141, Project 949A "Oscar II" Cruise Missile Submarine
- The Kursk K-141
and the ten other boats of Project 949A
were to be submarine equivalents to the Soviet surface navy Rocket Cruisers.
Their prime mission was to kill carriers with their 24 Granit missiles. In
August of 2000 the Kursk was lost
northeast of the North Cape. The Russian company Zvezda has produced a
1:350 scale injected plastic model of this huge cruise missile submarine.
K-21, K Class,
Katyusha, Series XIV, Soviet Submarine Cruiser 1938
- The K Class
was the best Soviet submarine design to serve in World War Two. These large
submarines were designed with crew comfort in mind, to serve in the Arctic with
the Soviet Northern Fleet. Highlights of the career of the K-21
were her attack on Tirpitz in July
1942 and the first cruise of a Soviet submarine off the coast of the United
States in October 1948. Combrig has a 1:700 scale model of the K-21,
one of six of the first group of the K Class.
D-2,
Ex-Narodovolets, Soviet Medium Submarine 1931 -
In 1926 the Soviet Union approved plans for their first submarine design. The Dekabrist,
later D-Class, was this unsuccessful
design. Six boats were built in this class, which is Series I in the Soviet
submarine program. Combrig has just released a 1:700 scale model of D-2,
one of three that were laid down in March 1927 to become the first of the Soviet
submarine fleet.
L
3, Ex-Frunzovest, Soviet Medium Submarine 1933 -
Since 1925 the Soviet Union sought to build a very large submarine fleet. The
second medium boat design was the L Class,
originally called the Leninet Class.
This design corrected the mistakes of the preceding design. Twenty-five of this
successful design were built from 1933 to 1942. Combrig now produces a
1:700 scale model of the most successful boat in the class, the L
3.
Casabianca,
1500 Ton Class French Submarine -
The largest submarines in the French Navy prior to World War Two, except for the
solitary Surcouf, were the
1500 Tonnes Type, also known as the Redoubtable
Class. The Casabianca
was one of the last of the 31 boats in the class to be built but had the most
significant operational history. L'Arsenal has just released a 1:350
Scale kit of the Casabianca in
resin and brass but with optional brass relief etched nameplates for all 31
boats in the class. In-Box Review by Steve Backer.
The
Type VII C U-Boat by Combat Subs -
Combat Subs, one of the model lines from Pitroad of Japan,
produces 1:350 scale submarine kits. This one is the most numerous type of
German U-Boat in World War Two, the Type VII C.
In-Box Review by Steve Backer.
M
Class, Series XII, Soviet Coastal Submarine 1939 -
The Soviet Union had a very large submarine fleet at the start of World War II.
The most numerous class of submarine in the Soviet Fleet was the M
Class, coastal Submarine. Combrig has produced a 1:700
model of the M Class Series XII Soviet
sub.
USS
Halibut, SSGN-587, From Regulus to Special Ops
- The USS
Halibut, SSGN-587 was the only submarine
constructed specifically to launch the Regulus cruise missile. With the success
of the Polaris, the Regulus was relegated to history and the Halibut
gained a Special Operations mission. Tom Dougherty looks at
both the Regulus and Special Ops versions of the USS
Halibut in 1:350 scale from Combat Subs.
1:192nd
Scale Virginia Class SSN John Sheridan
conducts a review of the new J&D Productions kit. This is the newest
Nuclear Attack Submarine to be built for the US Navy and Don Pruel's kit is a
accurate representation of this class of submarine.
1:192nd
Scale Ohio Class SSBN John Sheridan conducts a review of
the new J&D Productions kit. Measuring in at 35 inches when complete,
this beautiful model is waiting for those who want bigger and better resin kits.
Type
VIIc German U-Boat - The Artitec
model of a WWII Type VIIc U-Boat in 1:350 Scale is reviewed by Brad Crisler.
1:350th
scale Blue Water Navy SSN-593 USS Thresher buildup
and review by John Sheridan
1:350th
scale Blue Water Navy SSN-637 USS Sturgeon review
by John Sheridan
1:350th
scale Blue Water Navy SSBN-641 USS Simon Bolivar
review by John Sheridan