The Bronco model appears to generally represent a "typical" late configuration of the XXIII boat. It has the late style Balkon Gerät hydrophone array under the bow, the ladder rungs up the front of the tower. The depth sounder opening under the keel is missing though. I believe boats with the late Balkon Gerät would have the depth sounder in the keel.. The Balkon Gerät could have been done better, including how it mates to the hull.
It must be noted that the XXIII boats were NOT all clones of each other. Variances can be seen from boat to boat, especially with the flood hole arrangement on the towers. Also, some had ladder notches running up the tower sides, and no ladder rungs on the tower front. Two boats, had a test tower variant, with an inward facing mantle (splash guard). One lone boat had the anechoic, sonar-absorbing, rubber-tile coating. Codenamed Alberich, after an invisible dwarf from Germanic mythology. Bronco seems to have mostly based their tower on the Fritz Kohl drawings.
The periscope is not accurate on the model. The schnorkel head has been simplified, and the secondary shaft is too large in diameter compared to the primary shaft. My "later" resin 32P schnorkel head looks better. The Bronco schnorkel does look better than the early 32P head. That one was really awful and only had one shaft. The kit propeller has 3 blades, but that is where the similarity ends with props seen on the real boats. I would suggest to David (though I kind of doubt I have to), that he NOT duplicate the kit prop in white metal. The hub is too large in diameter in relation to the blades, with a far too bulbous tip on it. The blade pitch is wrong. The blade shape is wrong. I have posted some photos below showing what the real prop looked like in comparison to the kit prop. Bronco made short cuts on the main hatch spring and other details.
The sectioned deck planking looks a bit strange to me. Of course the planking and rope railing were only used in port, and were removed prior to patrol. Unlike how it is depicted on the box art.
At least it is 1:35 scale though! That makes up for the detail mistakes, from apparent lack of research..
The real boat used a double pushrod, bell crank set up for rudder actuation. The rudder throw was 25 degrees to both port and starboard according to the drawings in the Rossler and Kohl book. The stern plane throw was 26 degrees up and down.
All my nit picks aside, over all, they produced a good model.. Most people wouldn't know the difference.. The areas of inaccuracy definitely could be fixed if one wanted to fix them..
Of course I served on a XXIII, so I know her intimately! Seriously though, all they need to do is look at some photos of the real boats.. That propeller is not even close. Since David will need to make a replacement for it anyway, he should be able to fix that issue. Gantu, if you guys remember him, had the supposedly correct diameter measurement of the real XXIII propeller. I don't remember specifically what it was.. I think he or I had posted it on the Subcommittee forum a few years ago.
Steve
Prop comparison photos:
Close up of main hatch and spring:
Rudder linkage plans:
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