U-510 Late War Type IX C Monsun U-Boat

[LSP_K2]

1 minute ago, Uncarina said:

No worries Kev, I’ve seen this myself. I’m carefully studying period photos and taking notes. 

 

Cheers,  Tom

 

Good man, me too. The flak boat that I referred to, also had huge vertical rust streaks that ran down well below the waterline, which is, of course, near impossible. The one thing that does have me puzzled though, is the frequent appearance of light colored areas, particularly on the sail, but also elsewhere. I don't know if this is exposed primer, or some sort of weird salt deposits.

[Uncarina]

Dougie Martindale’s site offers some great reference articles, including colors and weathering:

https://amp.rokket.biz/lib_uboats.shtml

 

In particular:

 

https://amp.rokket.biz/docs/u-boat_colours.pdf

 

His chapter on weathering begins on page 33. He explains that some parts of the tower consisted of galvanized steel, and the paint would commonly peel back severely.

 

Cheers,  Tom

Edited June 17, 2022 by Uncarina

[LSP_K2]

Thanks, Tom, that certainly answered that question. Many of my U-Boat in Focus books, specifically show that sort of effect, and I intend to recreate that on my next Type VIIC.

[Rockie Yarwood]

Your work is making me drool. I have the Type VII in the stash, and you are tempting me to make a start on it.

[Uncarina]

Work your magic Rockie!

 

Cheers,  Tom

[Gazzas]

Beautiful work on this Uboat, Tom!

[Uncarina]

Thank you! I appreciate the encouragement.

 

Cheers,  Tom

[dodgem37]

Lots of great delicate work here.

 

Sincerely,

Mark

[Uncarina]

Thank you Mark! I have the Pontos sets for the Rodney and the Mikasa as well, and would say the one for this boat is a great entry-level choice. I’ve already used up most of the photoetch, just the armament and various antennae are left.

 

Cheers,  Tom

[Uncarina]

"The Monsun U-boats were perhaps the most special "wolfpack" in the war as they operated very far from Germany and its occupied countries, namely in the Indian Ocean out of Japanese provided bases in Indonesia. They operated out of Penang, Jakarta and Sabang in 1943-1945 and scored some hits against allied shipping. In the beginning the Monsun operations were almost like the "Happy Days" or better as most shipping in the Indian Ocean was conducted like in peacetime, however in 1943 this started to change and eventually these waters became just as dangerous as the North Atlantic."

--U-boat.net

 

I've made a bit more progress, concentrating on the upper railing. The kit offerings are definitely too thick for scale, but I believe they are salvageable with some judicious filing, which I've commenced here on the right:

 

I've also taken the first steps towards making U-510 different than the kit by scratchbuilding the ladder which extended on the port side of the fairwater/tower, which can be seen from this photograph:

 

 

 

 

And an overhead photo:

 

 

Cheers,  Tom

Edited June 27, 2022 by Uncarina

[steinerman]

OMG Tom!  This is simply incredible.  What you have here is a museum quality model. What incredible detail, and the little tiny extra you have added really makes it stand out as a super model.

 

Fantastic job, Tom!

 

Larry

Edited June 22, 2022 by steinerman
added signiture

[Uncarina]

Thank you Larry! That is very kind. I’m glad you’re liking it!

 

Cheers,  Tom

Edited June 22, 2022 by Uncarina

[Madmax]

This really is a work of art Tom!

 

I hardly ever get to this section of LSP, but a recent discussion with my preferred printer (Andreas - a wonderfully talented German chap) had me scouring the internet for information about U-510. That's how I stumbled upon your build. The interesting part is that Andreas's father was a submariner... on this very U-boot! He survived the war, which is an incredible feat when one considers the loss rate of the U-boot fleet. I think they were an exceptional, or at least exceptionally lucky crew. Running out of fuel just days before the war ended (and subsequent capture by the Americans) probably helped.

 

Andreas remembers a saying his dad must have taught him: 'Bedenkt und verlasst euch darauf U-510 taucht immer wieder auf!' which loosely translates to - Reflect and rely on this, the U-510 keeps on popping up (surfacing)! 

 

Cheers,

 

Sean

[Uncarina]

Sean,

 

Thank you very much for the praise and historical perspective. I think I share with most of us here that the research is half of the pleasure we get from this hobby. It’s great that you have a personal connection.

 

Cheers,  Tom

[Rockie Yarwood]

Do I hear chanting? Paint! Paint! Paint! Paint!