Bronco Type XXIII in 1/35th scale

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

It is reported that Hitler once lamented to someone, "I have a National Socialist air-force, a Prussian army, and a Catholic navy".

It's my sincerest hope that most of the Reich's navy were simply good German soldiers doing their National duty; and were not the goose-stepping idiots who knew of and/or practiced genocide. Yes, I know that's a conceit but I cling to it whenever the model work gets me up so close and personal with the subjects history as to force me to think of just what it is I'm representing here in model form. So: no Party salutes on my bridge. Ever. Nor will that battle ensign fly from the portable flag staff.

What my figures will depict are three guys in submarine cover-all's. One enlisted guy with his garrison cap, the CO with his dirty-white 'soft' peaked cap, and another officer with a dress peaked cap. The head-gear appropriate for a boat either returning or leaving port for operations.

Wish I had time for a deck-hand with heaving-line in hand, but I'm rushed to put this fittings kit to bed.

Very nice shots there, Warpatroller. Thank you so much for sharing them here. Good stuff!

As applied to motion picture special effects miniatures -- work Ellie and I did starting in the late 80's -- the term 'practical' denotes features on the model that either did or appeared to perform a function. The annotation and like instruction from the productions Art Director, noted in the productions story-boards and miniature working drawings. So, when I say 'practical torpedoes', I'm saying that the model will employ what appears to be working torpedoes -- they'll travel in the water, but won't go boom.

David

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

I'm getting desperate to wrap this epic job up! Got a few of the production tools done the last few days. These are formed from the harder mold making rubber -- this to insure accuracy as I cast up a set of production masters from each. The production masters, or copy masters, will be used to make multiple copies of the production tools. Time is everything in the shop, so if I can achieve three complete sets of parts per pour, then that's a money maker. More on the tooling later. This is as far as I got as of last Tuesday:



Four solid days of work on the figures and I can definitely say: I hate those ****ing NAZI's!!!!! Tomorrow should wrap up work on the three guys who go up into the bridge. "ALAAAAARM!!!!!!"

[Warpatroller]

I commend your effort to even include figures, at all, with your fittings kit. David can do anything with these models.. What you do accomplish, in such little time, is amazing! And with Caswell breathing down your neck too.. Your good!

I think what you'd like to believe, in regards to the U-boat men, is probably a bit more true than you might think.. Those guys had an extremely high rate of loss. Life expectancy was only about two months. Three out of four never came back, when they put to sea. Especially, during the final year of the war, they knew they were on a suicide mission, each time they went out. But it was instilled in them, from their highly regimented training, to carry on the fight, to obey orders, for the Fatherland and the Führer. Defending the Fatherland, being I think, the more powerful notion in their minds.

Dönitz even gave a speech to the men, that indicated that they were buying time to get the new boats in the water (XXI and XXIII) so that when they got out in force, the tide of the war at sea would change in their favor. Continuing to send them out in the obsolete VII and IX boats, was to tie down Allied resources and hopefully buy some time, for a price..

Another crew photo from the tower of the little wunderwaffe you've been working on. Note that this boat actually has an emblem.. The three monkeys, hear no evil, speak no evil, and see no evil..



Steve

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Looks a bit contrived for the camera -- these guys are in parade garb.

These were working boats. Coastal types, with short legs. Likely deploying no longer than a week, maybe just a day, depending on how long it took to loose the two weapons they carried. With so many sorties in such a short period of time I assume that all stayed in their working togs and only dressed up for when the Commodore came a calling.

David

[Warpatroller]

Most of the 61 fully constructed boats were in either acceptance trials or training phases by the end of the war. The photo I posted above, was taken during the boat's commissioning (into the Kriegsmarine) ceremony. All those photos that show the men in the dress coats are commissioning photos. Some Nazi Saluting, as you can see, was going on during those ceremonies as well. That was probably the only time that the party saluting occurred on board, being that is was a very "official" and noteworthy event. The "Monkey boat", is U4709, constructed at Germaniawerft. Photo taken at Kiel on March 3, 1945. Only 6 boats actually went on war patrol (all constructed at Deutschewerft). So the "Monkey boat" was not one of them..

Steve

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Good sleuthing, Steve. And appreciated. I'm interested in presenting a generic model, one showing the front-office equipped with working guys, going in/going out for a days work. Hence the heavy submarine coveralls for the enlisted guys and two officers. I represent the second officer with a 'dress' peaked cap thinking that he would want to carry on with appearances while the boat was within the break-water and sight of base brass.

Just about done with the guys -- tool making tomorrow.

[Warpatroller]

It may be a generic boat, but it is not a generic model! This is the prototype model for the Bronco XXIII Sub-Driver Fittings Kit. This model already has historical significance in the RC model submarine world. It was used to produce the world’s first RC Fittings Kit designed for a 1:35, injection-molded, non-midget submarine model. The first 1:35 injection kit to use the SAS Sub-Driver. The first 1:35 Fittings Kit to include crew figures. Feel free to correct me if I am mistaken about any of this..

And my personal favorite first, the first Fittings Kit, period, to have propeller design advisement (implemented) from a person with only “minutes” of practical RC submarine experience (building or assembling and operating of such models). In contrast, his years of reading on the subject and years of unassembled RC sub kit ownership has schooled him well. He even had been watching Manfred’s videos, on Youtube, over the past four years. Not realizing, until a few days ago, that “Knikebein”, on Youtube, is indeed, actually Manfred..

With minimal available tools, little practical experience, no Evercoat product application experience whatsoever, and no real workshop of any kind to attempt to do work in, I shall somehow get that sleek Elektroboot in the water and operating in a practical manner. I equate it to the German situation, late in the war, with the Allied bombing raids attempting to severely disrupt construction, combined with a lack of available workers with skilled labor experience (there are no Davids, or anyone who even comes close, out here in the desert).

I await Mike’s posting of the availability of the final production copies of said Fittings Kit. And, of course, photos of what the average man, with functional RC U-Boat dreams, will receive in exchange for his hard earned money..

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

One step closer to completing the production tooling: just finished the work on the three 1/35 scale Nazi sailor's that go up into the Type-23's bridge. Ten *** days of solid work!

A vital tool was this little, low torque 'engraving' tool I got from Harbor Freight. Pick one up if you can, these things are not always in stock. I'm showing how -- with the creation of a little brass adapter collar, a quick lathe job -- you can adapt it to accept both 3/32" and 1/8" diameter tool shanks. The little rotary grinder is perfect for the finer sculpting jobs, like these figures. And note the tool-caddy I made to hold both the rotary tool and bits.

[Kazzer]

Good grief! What a complete waste of time. I'm chucking those things out! They look like the props from a kid's animated cartoon skit!
"Orrible!"

How can a submarine on patrol be taken seriously with those 'orrible little faces peering over the conning tower?Very Angry The one on the left looks like a gay Popeye without the arm muscles.


Camberwick Green comes to mind!Swearing Smiley

[Subculture]

How'd you know what a gay Popeye looks like- you been hangng out in the wrong boozers?

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Good grief! What a complete waste of time. I'm chucking those things out! They look like the props from a kid's animated cartoon skit!
"Orrible!"

How can a submarine on patrol be taken seriously with those 'orrible little faces peering over the conning tower?Very Angry The one on the left looks like a gay Popeye without the arm muscles.


Camberwick Green comes to mind!Swearing Smiley

FU!@!!!!!.......................

[redboat219]

Will these figures have separate arms so you could different poses?

Alternative might be to try using modified 1/35 scale German tank commanders.

[trout]

I do not see why they need separate arms to pose. If you do not like the pose they are in, you can cut, reshape, and attach. That is part of modeling. I see these men as a bonus not a detriment.

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Will these figures have separate arms so you could different poses?

Alternative might be to try using modified 1/35 scale German tank commanders.

Want repositioned arms and legs? Then, you go Doctor Mengele their Nazi butts ... just as Tom suggests.

I can't use a commercial product in the professional master work without permission, you know that! Doing so would be unethical and wrong.

(in the voice of A-Number-1) "What did I teach you!?"

[redboat219]

[QUOTE=He Who Shall Not Be Named;26586

I can't use a commercial product in the professional master work without permission, you know that! Doing so would be unethical and wrong.
"[/QUOTE]

What I meant here was if they don't like your gay Popeye figures then get some of those commercially available 1/35 WWII German tank commander figures and modify them repaint them to look like sub commanders.