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Merit 1/35 Scale HMS X-Craft Midget Submarine

Posted: Thu May 05, 2016 10:41 am
by tmanthegreat
Here is the latest addition to my 1/35 scale naval floatilla - a British Royal Navy HMS X-Craft Submarine kit made by Merit :D

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My build replicates one of the X-Craft used during Operation Source in September 1943. This was an attempt by the British Royal Navy to neutralise the heavy German warships based in Norway, including the German battleship Tirpitz. Six X-Craft were used in the raid, each carrying two explosive charges strapped to either side of the sub. Only 2 X-Craft successfully laid charges; the rest were lost, scuttled or returned to base. Tirpitz was badly damaged and out of action until April 1944. Operation Source was the only operation to use multiple X-craft.

Outside of some small issues, the Merit kit was overall quite simple to construct. The cables were added by me and did not come with the kit. It is painted in Tamiya German Gray overall with some light rust weathering. The model has some working features including opening hatches and elevating snorkel tube. The rudders and dive planes were not designed to move and were actually tricky to assemble and get to look right. The Royal Navy Officer figure is a repainted 32x German Tank Commander figure.

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Re: Merit 1/35 Scale HMS X-Craft Midget Submarine

Posted: Thu May 05, 2016 1:14 pm
by hworth18
Wow.. That's awesome!! Now you need a wolfpack uboot!!!

Re: Merit 1/35 Scale HMS X-Craft Midget Submarine

Posted: Fri May 06, 2016 1:00 pm
by ketelone
How long is sub?

Re: Merit 1/35 Scale HMS X-Craft Midget Submarine

Posted: Fri May 06, 2016 7:29 pm
by [CAT]CplSlade
It sub all it life.

Re: Merit 1/35 Scale HMS X-Craft Midget Submarine

Posted: Sat May 07, 2016 5:16 am
by ketelone
What are the dimensions of the 1/35 model? How much shelf space is it going to take to display? What is the measurement of the sub model from forward to aft?

Re: Merit 1/35 Scale HMS X-Craft Midget Submarine

Posted: Sun May 08, 2016 9:49 pm
by tmanthegreat
ketelone wrote:What are the dimensions of the 1/35 model? How much shelf space is it going to take to display? What is the measurement of the sub model from forward to aft?
ketelone, here are the dimensions of the 1/35 scale X-Craft sub model:
Length: 448.5mm or 17.7 inches
Beam: 77.2mm or 3.1 inches wide

The actual submarine was 51.25 ft (15.62 m) in length and its beam was 5.75 ft (1.75 m). The X-Craft were not big boats! Compared to the Bronco Models 1/35 scale Type XXIII U-Boot I also recently completed (which is only about half the size of a standard U-Boot) the X-Craft is quite a bit smaller and takes up a lot less shelf space.

Re: Merit 1/35 Scale HMS X-Craft Midget Submarine

Posted: Mon May 09, 2016 8:24 am
by ketelone
That size is doable for display. I'd love the U-Boat but it would eat up a lot of space... Thanks tman.