Published to Scale Plastic Aircraft Modeler’s Facebook. This is a great review by our forum member Scruffy, aka Ernie Schafer—enjoy.
USS U-2513 AFV Club 1/350 Type XXI U-Boat kit review by Ernie Schafer
The History
The U-2513 was one of 118 Type XXI U-Boats completed before the end of the Second World War. Launched in September of 1944 she was not considered operational before the War ended and spent most of her time tied up in a Norwegian port. After being surrendered by her crew in May of 1945 the U-2513 was sailed to Oslo and then on to Ireland. In August she crossed the Atlantic Ocean and arrived at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard where she received repairs and a thorough survey.
As part of the U.S. Navy, the USS U-2513 operated off the East Coast of the United States developing submarine and anti-submarine tactics, as well as having her capabilities and systems thoroughly tested. In November, 1946 President Harry S. Truman became the second U.S. President to sail aboard a submerged submarine when the USS U-2513 carried him 400 feet below the surface of the Atlantic. By mid-1949 the batteries aboard the sub had reached the end of their useful service and the vessel was towed back to Portsmouth where she was stored until 1951. In the fall of 1951 the sub was towed to Key West and sunk by rockets fired by a USN Destroyer.
The Kit
The contents of the kit bear a striking resemblance to the DML Type XXI kit first released in the 90’s. As the DML kit was not bad for its time, and is still a decent kit, I figured it was worth another go. It is a generally uncomplicated kit that goes together well. One area that does require a bit of extra work is the insert for the bow torpedo doors, which requires a bit of putty, sanding and re-scribing.
Painting was done with Model Master Enamels, RAL7016 anthracite grey below the waterline, and RAL7000 KMS 51 dark grey above the waterline. The RAL7000 was over sprayed with RAL7001 KMS 50 light grey to break up the dark grey. These KMS colors were commonly used on U-Boats. The kit supplies a nice looking decal sheet with draught markings and sail numbers for four vessels.
Weathering reflects the appearance of the sun when she arrived at Portsmouth in 1946. A dark wash highlights the kit’s nicely scribed detail. Light steaks around the free flooding vents and areas of rust at bow, stern, as well as around the deck bollards complete the weathering stages. The final finish is protected by Model Master Dullcote.
USS U-2513 AFV Club 1/350 U-Boat kit review by Scruffy
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