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Nautilus Models 1/72 Replacement Deck for Revell 1/72 Type VII U-boat |
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Reviewed By Dave Morrissette, #33653 |
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MSRP: $42.50 USD Being a great fan of the Revell 1/72 U-boat, IPMS (and I) were lucky enough to receive a sample of the Nautilus Models (http://nautilusmodels.com/) replacement U-boat decking for review. The set is different than any other aftermarket set in that it is laser cut wood and resin castings used to replace the plastic decking of the kit. One thing obvious on most U-boats is that the decking, which was stained wood, was not solid. Cut-outs were placed clear through to the interior pressure hull to aid the ship in removing air pockets while diving to speed the process up. The Revell U-boat has these holes cut in relief but to be accurate, they would have to be thinned from the back and opened. Nautilus solves this problem by using a laser to cut the holes through the decking and open up the holes. The Nautilus set includes a 2-part main deck, the conning tower deck, replacement wood parts for the interior of the conning tower, and a backing plate for the deck join-all made of laser cut wood. The wood has a very fine grain and comes on a backing sheet that I cut away using a sharp knife, scoring the edges from the back. One very nice touch is that the decks and back plate already have holes cut in them for the periscopes so no surgery needs to be done. The remainder of the set includes a nicely cast set of resin hatches and bollards and a very good set of instructions. The directions also indicate that there are two options. The very fore and aft sections of the type VII u-boat deck were steel. Nautilus points this out and offers the option of cutting and adjusting the set for this by using the kit plastic for the steel and the wood where the real wood decking existed. To me, the real test of aftermarket parts is the fit and how they look on the kit and this set does not fail in either aspect. I taped together the hull of the u-boat and both decks slide perfectly into place. They are the perfect height to just come to the top of the hull. Same with the conning tower decking as far as its’ fit- right on the money. They also look great. I really can recommend this set with no reservations. Fit and finish are great. Directions as good as it gets and although the directions say that the set is for advanced modelers, I cannot see why most everyone wouldn’t be able to get the set installed properly and enhance the look of their model nicely. The set is $42.50 delivered to the US and worth the money. I want to thank Jim Corley and Nautilus Models for the opportunity to review this kit and also thank them for supporting the IPMS Reviewer corps. As a note, Nautilus is also producing (by later this year hopefully), one of the later war conning towers with additional armament, and they also do wood decking for the Revell Lionfish and the Trumpeter Hornet or Yorktown kits. |
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