[Q] 1/72 u-boat VIIC PE: Eduard or White Ensign?

I have the two sets, and your question is a problem for me: the 2 ones are so good one and the other one, but some parts are present in the Eduaurd set and not on the WE one... and some others are present on the WE and not on the Eduard one.

In fact, the perfect set would be one with the 2 sets, and without the parts twice.

If I would have to choose one? WE maybe...

Oh lordy what a question! I've about gone mad sorting out all the aftermarket things for this kit.

The WEM SKC/30U gun I cannot comment on, I have not seen it or plan on using it.

About the two photo etch sets you mention, first let me say they are both wonderful quality but no photo etch set currently available is complete. I have them both and can say they are both high quality. Not counting the differences in the duplicated items, the major differences are:

The Eduard set has the metal end plates on the deck for the wooden decked boats that the WEM set does not include.

The WEM set has the metal access panels for the wooden deck, several different styles of radar, and closed inner torpedo doors in scale for showing the exterior doors open; the Eduard does not include these.

Neither set includes the full metal deck or lower vents.

ModelBrass includes a full metal deck and lower vents; they are the only ones to do that.

As a side note, the Eduard and WEM sets are thinner than the Modelbrass set, they require a bit more care when working with them. I suggest using the duplicated items from the Eduard or WEM sets for a more accurate depiction in scale.

If you want a fairly accurate wooden decked VIIC, you need the wooden deck from Nautilus, the Eduard set for the metal deck ends, the WEM set for the metal deck access hatches, and the Modelbrass set for the lower vent, both fore and aft.

Also available are the upper pressure hull (Yankee models) to view if you drill out all the upper vents and want to avoid that hollow look, metal periscopes and barrels (which are absolutely fabulous...in scale and beautiful, from Steve Nutall!), Interior compartments for the forward torpedo room, command section, and engine room are available along with a torpedo loading set with lifting boom and torpedoes (CMK). Warhammer offers a separate set of two conning towers to depict changes in design over the years (the kit has these also). Of course all of the scale guys running around on deck, about 9 sets now and counting. ULAD offers 3 sets of decals that cover just about any boat or flotilla. Oh, almost forgot, resin supply sets for depicting a boat in it's pen re-supplying.

IMHO all the above are worthwhile except the Warhammer conning towers, the kit towers look just as good with very little work. Definitely not enough work to justify buying the Warhammer kit.

The Steve Nutall scopes and barrels can almost be considered a requirement, those supplied in the kit are massively out of scale due to the limits of injection molding. He also makes propeller shafts that look great.

If you can find the Houshinya scopes and barrels you're lucky. They are allegedly (I do not have them) as good or better than the Nutall items, but were made in Japan by a now defunct company, so the prices vary wildly when they do surface (sorry for the pun).

Propellers are a different story. If you want something more accurate than the kit, I don't know where you'd find them. The pitch on the blades is supposedly wrong, but I myself am happy with them anyway.

Coming soon are alternate conning towers to depict flak U-boats with all the extra decks to hold the extra flak guns. This will require radical surgery of any deck out on the market today to be accurate.

The best advise would be to go to Uboat.net (link below) and read through all the old posts in the forum section concerning building this kit. All the different variations between the boats are well depicted, and it will go a long way in determining what you'll need for the boat you choose to build (wood vs metal deck, conning tower styles, paint scheme, etc); and watch Ebay closely!

I own all the sets mentioned above except the interiors (they average $55 apiece and will be after Christmas before I start buying them one at a time) and two of the decal sets (the boat I'm depicting is on the #2 set only) and I'm debating about the interiors. Well over a year collecting all the pieces necessary and rapidly closing in on a grand invested. I'll be building three by the time it's over (have two kits, both gotten for under $40 on Ebay - still looking for the third one). One will be a tricked out (U-134 -- the only U-boat to shoot down a blimp!), the other for a friend using the unused photo etch from the first one (generic U-boat with the most commonly seen incorrect red hull), and of course one OOB (the U-552 Red Devil boat commanded by Erich Topp).

I'm thinking I'll have them finished by the end of the decade.

Maybe.

Hope this helps! TMB

And possibly add the other missing items from the Modelbrass set. Maybe those three could get together...?

Still have the ability to dream! Lol

TMB

If it can help, I can post photos of the sets and of the Nautilus wood deck I also have.

Just fell free to ask

The White Ensign set has a LOT of parts that are particular to the Type VII with the dual wintergarten conning tower - so unless you are planning a conversion (which will also require yo to stretch the hull, make new planked decking, and build a conning tower), you will use more of the parts from the Eduard set, which is the one I've chosen and why.

The only shortfall of the Eduard set is that it does not contain parts for the ballast vent plates - so you have to scratch those if you want them.

Is there a second WEM set? The one I have (WEM PE 7203) is for the model as it comes out of the box and the instructions show nothing about the multiple wintergardens.

I am aware that the latter radars depicted in the WEM set were almost exclusively found on latter VIIC's with the multiple wintergardens, but they were included because there were still some of the 'vanilla' hulls being finished at the same time, so they got some of the newer radars.

This makes some of the parts in the WEM set seem more applicable to VIIC/41 or VIIC/42 boats, but in fact were present on certain later built VIIC's.

A second set addressing the multiple wintergardens would be of great interest to me, especially if it'll help correct the deck of the Revell deck to the modifications forced by the expansion of the conning tower.

TMB