by Ralf Roggeveen
1/350 U-35 (Yankee Modelworks)
Best-known U-boat of the First World War which operated off the British coast under Kapitänleutnant Waldemar Kophamel in her launch year, 1914, before sailing to the Austro-Hungarian base at Pola (modern Pula, Croatia), to fight in the Mediterranean. Commanded by K/L Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière she was the most successful submarine in history, sinking 224 ships/535,900 gross registered tonnage, including 40 with a grt of 56,818 on a single patrol: July 26 to August 20 1916. She had a crew of 35 and four (2 bow, 2 stern) 500mm/15.75 inch torpedo tubes; could carry six torpedoes, though most sinkings were carried out on the surface by an 88mm (or later 105mm) deck gun.
Originally made by US company Blue Water Navy, this resin/photoetch kit has remained available through Yankee Modelworks. Although any number of WW2 U-boat kits (and books) are out there, the 1914-18 War is not at all well represented, so this model remains extremely welcome, though unfortunately very inaccurate. What you get is a strange hybrid of different WW1 U-boat types: there is no evidence that U-35 ever mounted two cannon, although some of the later UC (U-cruisers) did. So there really ought to be only the one (stern) gun and it should stand on a curved platform deck, not the straight deck of the model. The rudder provided is also very peculiar and does not fit with any accuracy. It does include nice PE hydroplanes and plane- guards, though even their realism is debatable - and there should be a separate anchor guard.
Despite all these gripes – realised too late while it was being assembled - this one is made ‘straight from the box’ and still looks nice enough. A good deal has been scratchbuilt; but it does convey the general appearance of a medium-sized WW1 German U-boat, making interesting comparison with the model of the much smaller UB-1 to the same scale.
