Type XXIII U Boat Alanger or Special Navy?

[Kazzer]

We've just developed a kit for the U Boat XXIII in 1:72 scale and as there are two almost identical models on the market, I thought it prudent to do a comparison.

The Alanger model is 19.75" long
The Special Navy model is 18.75 " long

If you look at the data from Wikipedia you'll see that the overall length is listed at 113' 10" or 1366". Divide by the scale (72) =18.97" Therefore, an accurate scale model should be this length. It looks like the Special Navy model is more accurate, being less than 1/4" out. The Special Navy model is approximately $50 more expensive than the Alanger.

There is an protrusion on the front of the keel on the Special Navy boat not apparent on the Alanger model.
I'm no expert on this boat, so I'd like to ask what differences you may see to sway a modeler's choice.

[Outrider]

Special Navy appears more accurate. Though The Alanger costs less, if you care to fix its shortcomings you'll likely end up spending more (especially if you factor in the value of your time). Since the plastic model kit is a minor expense in the overall package, it probably makes sense to buy the better base kit and move on. (FYI, I posted links to reviews of each kit on an earlier thread that are repeated here for the reader's convenience.) See this thread for some useful info on the Type XXIII:

http://forum.sub-driver.com/showthread.php?563-1-72-Type-XXIII-Project

The protrusion that's molded on the bow of the Alanger hull is cast in resin as a separate part by Special Navy. It appears to be an active sonar transducer. There are about a dozen resin parts and a small fret of photo etch in the Special Navy kit's box. These parts may or may not be suited to R/C operation. (Some can clearly be left off, though, with minimal impact on accuracy. For a working R/C, there is surely a need to compromise between accuracy and serviceability.) Here, the Wiz can help us as he surely has an opinion about such things and likely has some experience with these materials. (But he rarely speaks to us these days, laboring instead on production work and the like...)

By the way, Mike, thanks for bringing the 1:72 Type XXIII to R/C market, especially as a shooter. These are priced like quality entry level RC Helis (e.g. TREX 450) but are craft built and are far less susceptible to crash damage than R/C helis. Should be a lot of fun to operate a 1:72 R/C Type XXIII, no matter which kit you eventually settle on.

[smithlanger1]

sounds good to me

[riyanjason]

The small coastal U-Boats of the Type XXIII were a new step in German submarine design. Build as a replacement of the old Type II, they were faster submerged than on the surface, caused by their powerful electric engine and hydrodynamically shaped hull.

[Albion]

Forgive me if its been asked already, but does the sub dirver used here, fit into the Special navy type II as well. I have a partially started Type II, which i was gonig to build as a static, seems almost too nice to bash it about, BUT why not

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Forgive me if its been asked already, but does the sub dirver used here, fit into the Special navy type II as well. I have a partially started Type II, which i was gonig to build as a static, seems almost too nice to bash it about, BUT why not

Hey, Albion,

I'll have to get a Type-2 in hand to figure out what size and configuration SD will work in the thing. At 1/72 things should not be too terribly tight to fit a 2" SD. I love the look of those boats.

David,

[Outrider]

For those interested in the Type II, I started a thread in the Builder's Threads a while ago (AUG '09). I think the Type IIA will need the smaller driver, like the Type XXIII (Note the segue back to topic.). The Type XXIII should be a nice simple build, though the control surfaces are tight. Type II is also a bit of a challenge, but maybe David's Type VII work will help cut the R&D cycle.