Gordon Williamson

Very nice indeed, and well worth having, even with a damaged pin. True Hymmen U-Boats in Tombak are very hard to find.

Hi Dan, Its around 29cm ( about 11.5 inches). I have seen the CAD images for the first six in the series ( U-47, U-556, U-2540, USS Archerfish, I-400 and the giant French Surcouf which had the massive twin 20cm gun turret in front of the conning tower). The box had a little blurb on the back in numerous languages including English so I'm sure they will be available everywhere eventually but I think they'll be launched in the German speaking countries first ( Germany , Austria, Switzerland etc). Not sure of the cost etc as my involvement was in chosing the boats to be included in the series and assisting with technical data, finding photos etc and writing up the text for the little info leaflet that comes with each one. I don't know much about the "business" side of it but they've been good at keeping me informed so I'll pass on more info as I get it. Around 50% of the series will consist of German U-Boats, everything from the small Type II Coastal craft, to the Type IX Monsun Boats, Minelayers Flak Boats and Milch Kuh supply boats. The U-Boat Archiv are supporting the series too.

Haven't measured it very accurately, but I reckon its around 1:200 scale.

The other side has areas cut away to show interior details. Here again modellers can enhance with fine detail painting if required. Having seen the CAD models of the next few in the series, it looks very promising.

Level of detail is quite good for cast metal. Not sure why the manufacturers didn't do the darker grey on the deck which was shown on the CAD model.

Being an early war Type VIIB, it is finished in the basic two tone grey.

Quite well protected , mine made it from Switzerland to the UK without damage.

Wasn't sure whether to post this here or in the modelling section but as there is no modelling involved ( these are already assembled and pre-painted)and these are aimed at a collectors market, I decided to post here. For the last few months I have been working in an advisory capacity with a Swiss firm who are about to launch a series of model submarines (from all the major WW2 powers, not just German). Today, I received a sample of the launch model, Priens U-47. These are die cast metal, not plastic, so are pretty robust. Although die cast metal has limitations regarding the level of detail than can be provided, I think they have done a great job. For those who want a greater degree of realism it would be simple enough to add rigging and some weathering, rust staining etc.These would make super desk ornaments. Others still to come include boats of the great aces like Lüth and Topp.

Could be good, but I'd be very wary of anything like this without documented evidence that they existed pre-May 1945

Hi Joe, He would have been ground crew rather than aircrew with JG51, so no real surprise that he avoided injury. Interesting that the person making out the award doc for the wound badge transposed two of the numerals. On the doc it reads Fg Trupp 468 . In actual fact it is Fg Trupp 648 (see entry in Soldbuch). This was the Feldgendarmerie Trupp for 3 Fallschirmjäger Division. This unit was involved in the Ardennes Offinsive so given the date, this guy looks to have been wounded during the Battle of the Bulge. Only just received these, and I haven't had the chance yet to research exactly where 3 Fallschirm Division was on this date, but will be studying some references tonight.

But he is one of the lucky ones and survives the Götterdammerung and is released from captivity quite early, a few months after the war ends.

Where he is wounded in action and awarded the Black Wound Badge.

Presumably one of the surplus personnel towards the end when flying operations were curtailed, his last posting is to the Feldgendarmerie.

Promoted Feldwebel in 1943

Got the KVK2

Nice Luftwaffe version of the Sudeten Medal document.

Seems to have been a good enough soldier, getting a "very good" conduct report.

.

Served with the famed JG51 "Mölders"

His Soldbuch starts in 1939. He served from day one of WW2 right through to the bitter end.

He joined the Luftwaffe, serving initially in signals.

This Luftwaffe NCO had an interesting career. His Soldbuch has the olive coloured rather than blue cover.

Joe, from a distance and with the glare obscuring the details, the Hungarian gorget would certainly look just like this. It was the same shape and with the same chain as the German pattern. The uniform doesn't fit for them either though, theirs had cuff insignia and their cap was similar to a Bergmütze with feathers at the side. I'm beginning to think a non-German individual is looking more likely but then what appears to be German insignia on the cap is baffling. But then many of these German sympathising states had insignia similar to Germnan insignia from a distance. I wish my old friend David Littlejohn was still with us, if it had been a "foreigner" he'd probably know straight off. Still, the shot only cost 5 Euro on Ebay so I don't mind if it has to remain a mystery.

Stunning set Kevin. A Tiger Soldbuch has to be just about the ultimate where Panzer stuff is concerned and the portrait photos are awesome!

Hi Joe, Here is the full image. Going by the helmets/uniforms of the Army troops its certainly not way back in Reichswehr days. The seller described it as Zugwache, but I don't believe that. More likely Bahnhofswache but Bahnhofswache belonged to the Heer so the uniform doesn't really fit. Bit of a mystery.