[MOC] "Repurposed" Type XXI U-Boat Science Vessel

[ProvenceTristram]

First, all credit goes to Sebeus I for sparking my efforts on this project. Last night, I PMed him pleading for an LXF for his submarine, originally intending to just recolor it and Bricklink it out. However, after looking over the vessel, I realized, to quote Fred Thompson's character from The Hunt for Red October, "in order to be of any value, you'd have to tear it apart. The metallurgy would take a couple of months. And what will you do with the crew? The ones who don't defect will go back and say we got the boat... or do you plan to eliminate them?"

Mercifully, it only took me a few minutes to dissect the thing... and nobody will ever find the body of that lone crew member >.>. So, I started basically from scratch, elongating the hull form, constructing entirely new bow and stern sections, subdividing an interior space into four compartments, and designing a new sail. The result is pleasing (though only vaguely resembles the real deal), but I am satisfied enough with it to share photos, and, eventually, go about parting it out (though, obviously, in a different color scheme, since I doubt half those light blue parts exist. Sigh).

First, just a bit about the original warship. The Type XXI U-Boat can be see as a forerunner to the modern submarine, being the first ocean-going battle-ready submersible to feature a hydrodyanmically streamlined hull, as well as the first of their type to be designed primarily to sail and fight underwater (as opposed to diving in combat, as most other submarines did). Although quality control issues kept XXI numbers exceedingly limited, the Americans, Russians and British all saw the enormous potential of the design, and later built submarines based in large part on the type. And, although the originals had many flaws, they were robust enough for the single surviving example of the type - the Wilhelm Bauer - to be dragged off the sea bed a full 12 years after its scuttling, to be salvaged and recommissioned as a testbed for future submarine designs. Now that's German engineering! Here are a couple of photos:

And now a few pictures of my feeble effort to recreate the vessel in a reasonable (re: not going to destroy my bank account) scale:

As stated earlier, the interior is broken up into 4 furnished "scenes." The first of these is the torpedo room:

Why does a refurbished U-Boat need torpedoes? Why, they're for conducting experiments... on... uh... the flotational capabilities of... er... allied shipping... in... unsanctioned, spontaneous, explosive underwater tests--

NEIN! YOU ARE SAYING TOO MUCH! MOVE ALONG!

Uh, right. So next we have the command center of the sub. There's a chair, control panels, diodes, etc. 

Abaft of this is the bunk room, featuring two beds, lights for reading, and the all-important crew head. 

Finally, in the stern we have the engine room.

I pushed my pitiful technic skills to the absolute max to incorporate actual spinning turbines and props (controlled by a crank on the top of the stern) - I am sure there was probably a more efficient arrangement, but what you see is what you get. At least they should look neat while spinning. Otherwise, there's the standard retinue of buttons, levers, panels, a small, experimental fission reactor...

What does a retooled scientific U-Boat need with a miniaturized, highly illegal, treaty-violating nuclear plant? Uh, well, there are many things, of course... uh... you can stay under water for longer period of time... warm up soup really fast... get an unusual tan while sunning yourself in all that green light--

FOOL! DER FUHRER WILL NEVER APPROVE! YOU VILL BE SHOT AT DAWN!

Uh... okay! So there you have it! Again, thanks so much to Sebeus I with the help getting started, and I hope everyone enjoys. Now... I just need to get my stuff and... flee... the country...

 

Edited October 3, 2016 by ProvenceTristram

[sigpro]

Hi, I like your design, very accurate.

Would you try to build a minifig-size type XXI? I warn you, it will be very very big.

From another submariner...

Best regards.

[Sebeus I]

Nicely done, you're not the first one to use my design as a base for own work, it probably was my only LDD MOC I was ever satisfied with .

I like your version a lot, I still intend to build my design in real bricks some day, I have gathered some of the parts already. I may use some details from this one when I get to it.

Thanks for the credit, much appreciated .

[Mesabi]

Very nice build!