Decals

Added the decals to the vessel... I really like how the base sticks out, chose the German writing. I was hesitant about the U-96 blue swordfish logo as I found it to be the wrong color but after verifying several reference photos it appears to have changed color through various deployments so I decided to leave it as is.

Deck Accessories

Glued the cannons and railings, realling like the net cutter on the bow. Painted the top of the cannons a dark grey using a toothpick.

Conning Tower Installation

Installed the conning tower and added the periscope.

Conning Tower

Finished detailing the conning tower... I liked adding a touch of bright orange for the life preserver, nice extra detail.

Rudders

With the deck painted I proceeded to install the horizontal and vertical rudders. The small scale of this kit is proving to be very challenged when I try to glue small parts together...

 

Painting the Deck (again)

After debating about deck color last weekend I decided to re-mask and paint again the deck of the u-boat. This time the grey is much more closer to the tone of the rest of the hull, just slightly darker than the upper hull.

Painting the Deck

Painted the deck of the U-96 a slightly darker grey using Tamiya XF-75 IIJN Gray today but I am not sure it fits well with the other colors. Even though I plan to spray a transparent flat coat when the kit is complete I am debating changing the color...

Propellers

Painted the two propellers Tamiya XF-28 Dark Copper. Installed them with tweezers this morning with my 4 year old son Andy watching closely.

Painting the Lower Hull

Finished applying three coats of Tamiya XF-63 German Grey. While I feel the color is a bit dark compared to the box art, when looking at reference photos it appears to be spot on.

I've also installed the hull on the base that I painted Tamiya XF-85 Rubber Black but did not dilute with thinner and am starting to regret it as the brush strokes are evident. I have a spray can of flat black and I am tempted to spray it...

Painting the Upper Hull

I decided not to spray paint the kit as I find it too small so I am trying a new technique which I saw you YouTube where the paint is diluted with thinner to the consistency of milk. I applied four coats to get the upper hull properly covered with Tamiya XF-53 Neutral Grey. Using this diluted paint technique with a wide brush appears to give a paint finish that does not show brush strokes.

Hull Assembly

With the two halves of the hull glued together last night I glued the deck to the hull as well as the bow diving planes and the drive shafts in the stern.

Signature

As usual I sign and date the kit I am building but this is the first time that I do this as my first step in the build process. Due to the size of the kit, the smallest model I have built to date I didn't have much of a choice...