Submarines 1:200

What this scale suits

Modern boats with smooth, teardrop hulls benefit from 1:200 more than wartime types do, because at this size the eye is drawn to the overall shape rather than to individual fittings. Several kits in the range are moulded with a cutaway or interior detail, which works well on a stand where the model can be viewed from one side only.

Building and presenting

The seam is the whole job

A modern hull has almost no surface features to interrupt it, so a step along the joint runs uninterrupted from bow to stern. Shim and tape dry, then glue in short sections working from one end so the halves cannot drift apart.

Base and waterline

A compact hull makes a sea base realistic to build. A display base with a cut waterline turns a plain tube into a boat at sea, and it also solves the problem of where a round hull is supposed to rest.

Paint the gradient, not just the colour

Modern submarines are near-black, and flat black at this size kills all shape. Mix a lightened version of the base from model paints for the upper curves, then work hatch outlines, the anechoic-tile boundary and the waterline band with weathering products. Restraint reads better than heavy streaking on a hull this smooth.

Check the scale on the box

Several kits grouped under this heading were tooled to a close but different ratio, which is normal for older collector ranges. If you intend to display two boats side by side, read the stated scale rather than trusting the section heading, or one hull will sit visibly out of step with the other.

Scales and sets nearby

• 1:350 submarine kits — smaller again, and the standard scale for modern naval subjects.
• Submarine detail sets — turned periscopes and etched railings for the conning tower.

The full scale list is under submarine model kits.