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AMP 1/350 S Class Series IX/IX bis Submarine

By Chris Banyai-Riepl

History

The background of the S Class submarine is a fascinating one that is wrapped up in a wide international net. Following the First World War, the Treaty of Versailles forbade Germany from manufacturing submarines. To get around this, the German engineers went to the Netherlands, where the Dutch firm Ingenieurskantoor voor Scheepsbouw became the clandestine Submarine Development Bureau. This firm designed a submarine for the Spanish Navy, designated the E-1. However, the outbreak of civil war in Spain left the boat without an owner, and the firm began to search for a buyer to offset the development and production costs. A visit by Soviet officials in 1932 found the design basically sound, and the submarine plans were purchased following some small changes, with the intent of local production. The original E-1 design from the Netherlands ended up in Turkey, where it then eventually returned to Germany and became the basis for the Type I U-boat.

Designated the IX Series, the first three boats followed the German plans closely, but it was soon discovered that it was not cost effective to do so. Changes were then made to switch foreign parts with domestic examples, the most notable being the engines. Interestingly, the Soviet engines, although of the same weight, produced a higher top speed. The updated boats were designated the IX bis Series, and while 53 were planned, only 38 were actually finished and put to sea.

Operationally, the IX Series had some impressive feats, such as that of S-56. This boat was with the Pacific Fleet at the outbreak of war and sailed across the Pacific Ocean to the Panama Canal. Crossing through the canal, the S-56 broke into the Atlantic and joined up with the Northern Fleet, where the boat sank three transports and three warships. Surviving the war, the S-56 returned to the Pacific Fleet. Four S Class commanders received the Hero of the Soviet Union award, and several received other honors, including the Order of the Red Banner and Guards status. The famous S-56 is currently on display at Vladivostok as part of the naval museum there.

The Kit

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This is the second kit from AMP and shows some improvement over their earlier Shch-303 release. Molded in light gray plastic, this kit has several options to allow the building of either an IX Series or an IX bis Series. A small fret of photoetch, done by Eduard, provides the small details, while the small decal sheet adds the individual as well as detail markings.

The construction begins with the hull, and like their earlier release, this one is made up from three main pieces: two side pieces and the flat upper decking. The fit on this kit is quite good, following a bit of cleanup, and the main hull assembly will require minimal filler. The other main hull fittings consist of two one-piece shaft and dive plane assembly for the rear hull, with a separate brace and propeller hub. The propellers are provided on the sheet of photoetch. The addition of the forward dive planes completes the main hull assembly.

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At this point, you have to make some decisions as to which submarine you want to build, as the differences are almost entirely contained within the sail. This kit provides the options for the S-1, the S-13, and the S-51, although additional research could have you build just about any one of the IX/IX bis Series submarines. Starting with the S-1, this boat will require the most work, as it involves trimming several parts. This boat had the forward deck gun enclosed in an extension of the sail, and this requires the slicing off of the front of the sail for the new extension. The deck gun also needs the barrel removed and attached to the front of this extension. Finally, the circular gun platform on the decking needs to be trimmed back.

The differences between the S-13 and S-51 are much more subtle. In fact, the only difference here is with the forward section of the sail, with the S-51 having a higher and partially covered bridge, while the S-13 has an open bridge. Both of these options have the forward deck gun exposed. In a positive step forward, the forward deck gun and the sail-mounted rear gun are provided in plastic, resulting in a much better look than the photoetch gun found in AMP's earlier release.

The photoetch details are quite extensive and cover quite a bit of sail detailing. The enclosed bridge of the S-51 is replaced with a photoetch piece that has the upper bracing and open windows. The periscope mount has handholds and an antenna mount, with a photoetch DF loop that looks quite good. Railings are also included for the rear gun mount, while more handholds are included for the rear of the sail. Deck details include railings around the forward gun mount, as well as small gun details such as control wheels. The anchor is included in photoetch, as are the two bow cable cutters. The latter are not found on all boats, though, so doing some extra research will be required to determine whether the boat you are building has those or not.

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The colors and markings of the options present two main color schemes. All three boats have their upper hulls painted in light gray, while the S-1 and S-13 have their lower hulls painted in black. The S-51 has its lower hull painted in green, for a bit of variation. The S-1 and S-51 have their hull numbers painted on the sail in white, and these are provided on the decal sheet. All of the vent holes are also provided on the decal sheet, as well as the upper deck hatches. The two crew hatches, one fore and one aft, are painted red with a white cross, the latter provided as a decal.

Conclusion

This is a very nice kit of an attractive submarine, one which will make for an excellent counterpart to a Type VII U-boat (which shares the same heritage). The straightforward construction should pose no problem to the modeler. My thanks to Scale Model Kits for the review sample. Visit their website for all the AMP submarine kits.

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