ICM

1/72 Seehund Type XXVIIB (Early)

Kit Number: S006

Reviewed by  Pablo Bauleo, IPMS# 46363

MSRP: $22.99 Website: www.dragonmodelsusa.com ICM has join the 1/72 scale plastic scale submarine club by releasing the U-Boat Type XXVIIB "Seehund", a midget submarine with a crew of two. During War World II the Seehund was used to harass convoys across the English Channel (post D-Day) and to supply isolated German garrisons in French harbors during 1945. This kit is typical ICM standards, with good fit and no alignment pins. Construction is very simple and straightforward. No interior detail is provided, but this kit would be a good canvas for those that want to scratchbuilt and super-detail the interior of a submarine. Just a few comments on the construction: The bow 'eye' was broken in my example. I had to replace it using some styrene sheet and a round file to reproduce the 'eye'. Parts A15 and A16 must be swapped in the instructions. Otherwise they don't fit to the hull sides. I had to use a circular file to enlarge the hole where part A33 fits. All of these are very simple issues to deal with and presented no serious challenges. I would recommend careful mating the top part of the hull halves to achieve a step free seam to the risk of perhaps having a small step in the bottom. The bottom part of the hull is obscured by the torpedoes, making easy to hide a minor step. The submarine and torpedoes screws are very fragile. Be careful when cutting them from the sprues. There are a few other parts, which are tiny and delicate too. Two marking options are provided. The decals are thin and a little bit fragile. There is a Kriegsmarine flag included in the sheet which is a little bit out of register. The flag is not used in neither of the finishing options. Painting instructions for the torpedoes are vague. I just "guessed" where to paint There are extra parts and decals and in the boxing. I think that a "late" version of the Seehund is possible "OOB", but I don't know enough about this midget submarine to be sure. I've spent five very fun and relaxing hours putting together this kit. I hope ICM releases other 1/72 midget submarines. Due to the lack of alignment pins and some very small and fragile parts, this kit is recommended to everyone but the absolute beginner. I would like to thank Dragon Models for the review sample.