Home copper.jpg (2701 bytes)

Submarine Reviews


redball.gif (371 bytes) 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.
redball.gif (371 bytes)
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. 
redball.gif (371 bytes)
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.
redball.gif (371 bytes)
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. 
redball.gif (371 bytes)
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
 redball.gif (371 bytes)
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. 
redball.gif (371 bytes)
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. 
redball.gif (371 bytes) 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.
redball.gif (371 bytes)
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.

redball.gif (371 bytes) 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.

redball.gif (371 bytes) 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.

redball.gif (371 bytes) 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.

redball.gif (371 bytes) 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.

redball.gif (371 bytes) 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.

redball.gif (371 bytes) 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.

redball.gif (371 bytes) 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.

redball.gif (371 bytes) 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.

redball.gif (371 bytes) 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.

redball.gif (371 bytes) 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.

redball.gif (371 bytes) 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.

 redball.gif (371 bytes)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.

redball.gif (371 bytes) 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.

redball.gif (371 bytes) Type VIIc German U-Boat - The Artitec model of a WWII Type VIIc U-Boat in 1:350 Scale is reviewed by Brad Crisler.

 redball.gif (371 bytes)1:350th scale Blue Water Navy SSN-593 USS Thresher buildup and review by John Sheridan

redball.gif (371 bytes) 1:350th scale Blue Water Navy SSN-637 USS Sturgeon review by John Sheridan

redball.gif (371 bytes) 1:350th scale Blue Water Navy SSBN-641 USS Simon Bolivar review by John Sheridan

 


Home copper.jpg (2701 bytes)