I want to build a model of a WW2 German UBoat for a close friend of mine for his birthday. Can anyone give me a recommendation as to who makes a decent quality one under $50? Since I have to ship it across the country, the 1/72 scale kits are probably out of the question. The UBoat version (Type VII, Type IX, etc.) is less of a concern than finding a decent kit. I don’t know much about the availablity and quality of sub models/scales/manufacturers currently on the market, so any input from this group would be greatly appreciated.
Revell 1/125 early war VII type. (A VIIC I think) There is a resin conning tower available from Nautilus and I believe PE as well. Nice display size.
Ex-Gulfstream, ex-BWN, now YKM 1/350 U-boats. Resin with PE. Both early war and late war types.-very small kit.
Mirage 1/400. Many available with PE+ U-boat pen diorama available. -very small kit.
Avoid Asian 1/150 U-boat. Usually kitted as U-581. Available from Academy and others. Designed for motorized and porpoising action. Single propeller.
Aurora/Monogram 1/209 U-505 model which is an IXC type. Very old school. Can use generic 1/200 PE to dress up the kit. This kit is still available at the U-505 museum for about $13/$14. A bit on the smallish side for lone display.
I think just about any assembled and detailed model will likely suffer damage during transit.
Thanks. Yeah, I may have problems trying to send it via the USPS or any other package delivery company. I have read a couple articles describing ways to pack finished models for transit, so I will give it a try and see what happens. Again, thanks for giving me some ideas.
In 1/350 scale Yankee Modelworks new Ty Vllc and lXc are the most acurate I’ve seen in this scale anyway. The Revell 1/72 kits are okay but huge and more exspensive.
Don’t remember prices but Revell’s 1/144 scale Type VIID minelayer or Type XXI might be worth considering. Lots smaller and cheaper than the 1/72 versions. I think they’re about 18" to 21" long.—Rick Martin
The Nichimo 1:200 Type IXC makes a decent sort of model too. It has parts for motorisation but these can be left out and not compromise the model at all. It even has a couple of crew figures. Usually available on eBay.
How big in cm/in are the Mirage kits? Obviously 1/400th is bigger than 1/700th, and the latter has a few submarines available, so why the claim that Mirage kits are “very” small? (Small is relative.)