The "Malyutka" or M Class.
These small submarines of the coastal type were one of the several vessels used by the Soviet Navy in its fleets and flotillas around and within the mainland. Built from 1932 onwards and up to 1948 in four series, the VI, VI-bis, XII and XV, the Malyutka was affordable, small enough to ferry by railway beetween naval bases throughout the Soviet Union, handled well in the shallow waters of the Baltic and Caspian Seas, while was still able to master the wide expanses of the Arctic, Black Sea and the Pacific. One of the first submarines to be of the fully welded hull kind in the world, it had some shortcomings to cope with: the extremely short range of the first two series - some 800 nautical miles - and the limited armament up to the XII series vessels, comprising two 533 mm torpedos of the 53-38 or AT-80 types in their launching tubes with no spare torpedos and a single 45mm, 21k model, semi-automatic gun on deck for anti-aircraft and anti-shipping duties.
What's even more interesting is that despite being a single class, its series were developed by different design bureaus, with production centered around the Gorky Shipyard on the Volga River. Then, they were sent to Leningrad by railroad for final assembly and operational trials. The VI and VI bis from the A. N. Asafov engineering team were almost identical 37,5 m long vessels, displacing some 200 tons while submerged, except for the VI-bis having a more hydrodinamic sail and no stepped deck over the stern of the ship. Their hulls were built in four sections, 30 of the VI during 1932-34 and 19 of the VI-bis during 1934-36. The XII series was larger, measuring some 44.5 m and displacing 258 tons, this six-section design stemmed from the same tactical requirements than the earlier series and made for a more capable coastal submarine. P. I. Serdyuk was the chief designer and starting in 1936, some 45 were built until 1941. They had a more regular sail and conning tower, resembling the one found on the Dekabrist type of medium submarines with a closed bridge and an open, wide observation deck at the rear. M-171 started life as a regular XII series boat but later in its life two saddle type mine containers were added amidships for mine laying duties. With eleven ships laid and only four completed during the war, the XV series submarines designed by F. F. Polushkin were the last of these coastal vessels to be put into service. Armed with four torpedo tubes and the ubiquitous 45mm 21k deck gun, their length had grown to 53 m in order to accomodate two engines with their gears and propellers instead of one, displacement rose to 351 tons and range now spanned some very respectable 3400 nautical miles. A new feature for the XV series were the 2 ballast saddle tanks on the outside of its hull. After the war an additional 53 were built to boast the number of submarines in the Soviet Navy.
These boats were very active during the W.W.II and while a basic sound design, their success was somewhat moderate if we take into account the number built, 111, and their heavy loss rate of 33 vessels for some 61 enemy ships sunk and 8 damaged. But, as the rest of the submarine force, they provided a sterling service in keeping the pressure on german submarine bases, minefields and shipping lanes. It's no wonder that they were affectionately called "Malyutka", russian for "tiny" or "baby" by their crews. They also proved to be very good in the training role and quite a number of reknown submarine captains made their first combat stints in Malyutkas, such as Alexander Marinesko, who was appointed commander of Malyutka M-96, a XII series boat, in 1940 and later rose to fame and misfortune while commanding the Srednaya class submarine S-13.
The kit - Malyutka M-200 "Mest" ("Revenge"), Maquette 1/400
While it is boxed by Maquette, this and several other Great Patriotic War submarines were in fact first produced years ago by a company called Polytechnika Ltd. to the order of a small modeling club in Rostov, by the Don river. As far as I can recall and what Maquette re-issued, the submarines developed were the Malyutka, Shchuka, Srednaya (also refered to as Stalinets), Dekabrist and Leninets classes, all in 1/400 scale. I bought them all, of course.
While quite a little bit on the rough side of injection standards for today, they were the only game in town until more recent issues and additions by AMP with their nice meduim submarines Stalinets Series IX/IXbis in one boxing and a Shchuka of the III Series, while Micro Mir came to the fore with its remarcable and large K Class.
I've found that Maquette made two major errors when boxing the Malyutka and the Shchuka. The first one is labeled as "M-200", while in fact the kit is a Series XII boat and not the larger Series XV to which the M-200 actually belonged. The case of the Shchuka is similar. Where Maquette markets the Series V-bis 2 "Shch-311", what you get in the box is rather a Series X vessel with different sail and details. Actually, while the Malyutka is rather crude, the Shchuka came very well moulded and with some awesome detail on the main deck planks and 45mm guns.
I wanted to build the Malyutka first for the last ship I ever built was in the early nineties. But the model and descrption are not the same. So, what to do? If there is one sound, helpful resource about submarines in the Internet, that is Uboat.net. It has a lot of information not only on german submarines, but also on the Allied types which in the end came handy for this project. Also, there are many good russian books about soviet submarines which can be checked for information. I wanted to do a Northern Fleet boat, with their dark camouflage of black green, and one that called my attention was M-174. A series XII boat on active war duty in the Northern Fleet since September, 1941, it carried several failed attacks against enemy ships in its career. On March 24th, 1943, M-174 was patroling the Varangerfjord when it hit a mine. The explosion tore off the bow of the submarine, but the crew managed to bring the heavily damaged boat back to port for repairs. M-174 was lost with all hands on board on October 1943 while trying to go across a mine field. Once again, off the Varangerfjord.
The Varangerfjord was one of the best defended areas on the northern coast of Norway, due to its strategic position, and many a soviet submarine was sunk due to mines or naval action while trying to check any enemy activity in the area. The following pictures, showing the damage sustained by the M-174, suggest that with a single hull design, it should have been prone to sink rather quickly if damaged by cannon fire, depth charges or mines, but some boats proved to be tough little tin cans, like the M-113 or the M-174, both of which made it back to base after hitting mines.
.bmp)
.bmp)
Onto modeling itself. After a thorough cleanup of the four pieces which make for the hull and conning tower, the best way to deal with it is as a whole so it was all glued together. The rudder, rudder post and strake piece was also glued to the bottom of the stern and the whole thing given the super glue, putty and sanding treatment. The hull has some sink holes where the locating pins are, so they were filled with super glue and sanded smooth.
After the general cleaning up, the foreplanes, aft planes and periscope's base were attached to the hull and conning tower. Also, the 45mm gun was glued to the deck. Its barrel, and the periscopes, were all replaced with syringe tubing cut to the proper size. The propeller was left out till the model was finished. Holes were drilled on deck for the antennae stubs and lifeline posts. The latter were attached, using steel wire to replicate them.
On the painting stage, the colour directions given on the Dekabrist instructions state the different schemes worn by submarines in service with the fleets. This scan gives a simple and effective colour table for the Baltic, Black Sea and Northern Fleets.
The whole boat was sprayed twice with Humbrol's HF-1 Khaki. The tin is a very old offering by Humbrol, but after some 25(?) years the pigment and medium are still in perfect condition. After that, the Malyutka was dry brushed with H-150 Forest Green. The dry brushing was heavier over the floatation line, to make it stand out from the bottom, less prone to weathering. Deck was painted with H-33 Matt Black and left to dry. Washes where done over the entire hull and conning tower with a mixture of HF-1, H-33, H-70 Brick Red and H-186 Leather Brown. Because it's been years since I weathered a model ship for the last time, washes were brushed on in very diluted way, so as to add layer over layer till the effect was complete. I wanted a boat with a distinctive look over such an odd scheme - notwithstanding that some italian submarines had some pretty gaudy ones, this is dull but striking - not overly beaten by the sea and not too clean. I think the effect of the washes was good enough.
On this last picture, we have the Malyutka having already received the last washes on the upper part of the hull and waiting for it to dry. To the right, the uppermost boat is the Shchuka, X series with its hull and conning towere halves already glued and drying. Since decals didn't match the series, it was to be done portraying the Shch-214. The large submarine right in front of it is of the Dekabrist class. It has the later, shorter style of conning tower with the gun placed on the main deck. The decals call for the D-6 to be done, but since the original had the earlier conning tower - with the main gun over an to the front of it a la british L series of World War One style - it was the D-2 that was chosen. The original still graces a museum complex in Saint Petersburg. The kit was heading for the sanding and polishing phase at this time. Heavy sanding and polishin, that is. But to be honest, the plastic behaved quite well and took the punding without cracking, peeling and such annoying treats that east european modeling companies have for us in stash. Sometimes.
Then, the fire took place. And all of it was lost. To tell the truth, these were challenging little kits. But, quite rewarding up to the extent I was able to build them. You won't see these boats marketed by a major company for a long, long time and this Maquette / Aga / Eastern Express re-issues are the only game in town. Pick the Maquette offerings if you can. They have great decals and better injection.
Go for these kits, let them take you to the depths of the Great Patriotic War and the insight on soviet submarine warfare. They won't let you down.
Till our next installment, take care and good luck.
The Modeling Underdog.
What's even more interesting is that despite being a single class, its series were developed by different design bureaus, with production centered around the Gorky Shipyard on the Volga River. Then, they were sent to Leningrad by railroad for final assembly and operational trials. The VI and VI bis from the A. N. Asafov engineering team were almost identical 37,5 m long vessels, displacing some 200 tons while submerged, except for the VI-bis having a more hydrodinamic sail and no stepped deck over the stern of the ship. Their hulls were built in four sections, 30 of the VI during 1932-34 and 19 of the VI-bis during 1934-36. The XII series was larger, measuring some 44.5 m and displacing 258 tons, this six-section design stemmed from the same tactical requirements than the earlier series and made for a more capable coastal submarine. P. I. Serdyuk was the chief designer and starting in 1936, some 45 were built until 1941. They had a more regular sail and conning tower, resembling the one found on the Dekabrist type of medium submarines with a closed bridge and an open, wide observation deck at the rear. M-171 started life as a regular XII series boat but later in its life two saddle type mine containers were added amidships for mine laying duties. With eleven ships laid and only four completed during the war, the XV series submarines designed by F. F. Polushkin were the last of these coastal vessels to be put into service. Armed with four torpedo tubes and the ubiquitous 45mm 21k deck gun, their length had grown to 53 m in order to accomodate two engines with their gears and propellers instead of one, displacement rose to 351 tons and range now spanned some very respectable 3400 nautical miles. A new feature for the XV series were the 2 ballast saddle tanks on the outside of its hull. After the war an additional 53 were built to boast the number of submarines in the Soviet Navy.
These boats were very active during the W.W.II and while a basic sound design, their success was somewhat moderate if we take into account the number built, 111, and their heavy loss rate of 33 vessels for some 61 enemy ships sunk and 8 damaged. But, as the rest of the submarine force, they provided a sterling service in keeping the pressure on german submarine bases, minefields and shipping lanes. It's no wonder that they were affectionately called "Malyutka", russian for "tiny" or "baby" by their crews. They also proved to be very good in the training role and quite a number of reknown submarine captains made their first combat stints in Malyutkas, such as Alexander Marinesko, who was appointed commander of Malyutka M-96, a XII series boat, in 1940 and later rose to fame and misfortune while commanding the Srednaya class submarine S-13.
The kit - Malyutka M-200 "Mest" ("Revenge"), Maquette 1/400
While it is boxed by Maquette, this and several other Great Patriotic War submarines were in fact first produced years ago by a company called Polytechnika Ltd. to the order of a small modeling club in Rostov, by the Don river. As far as I can recall and what Maquette re-issued, the submarines developed were the Malyutka, Shchuka, Srednaya (also refered to as Stalinets), Dekabrist and Leninets classes, all in 1/400 scale. I bought them all, of course.
While quite a little bit on the rough side of injection standards for today, they were the only game in town until more recent issues and additions by AMP with their nice meduim submarines Stalinets Series IX/IXbis in one boxing and a Shchuka of the III Series, while Micro Mir came to the fore with its remarcable and large K Class.
I've found that Maquette made two major errors when boxing the Malyutka and the Shchuka. The first one is labeled as "M-200", while in fact the kit is a Series XII boat and not the larger Series XV to which the M-200 actually belonged. The case of the Shchuka is similar. Where Maquette markets the Series V-bis 2 "Shch-311", what you get in the box is rather a Series X vessel with different sail and details. Actually, while the Malyutka is rather crude, the Shchuka came very well moulded and with some awesome detail on the main deck planks and 45mm guns.
I wanted to build the Malyutka first for the last ship I ever built was in the early nineties. But the model and descrption are not the same. So, what to do? If there is one sound, helpful resource about submarines in the Internet, that is Uboat.net. It has a lot of information not only on german submarines, but also on the Allied types which in the end came handy for this project. Also, there are many good russian books about soviet submarines which can be checked for information. I wanted to do a Northern Fleet boat, with their dark camouflage of black green, and one that called my attention was M-174. A series XII boat on active war duty in the Northern Fleet since September, 1941, it carried several failed attacks against enemy ships in its career. On March 24th, 1943, M-174 was patroling the Varangerfjord when it hit a mine. The explosion tore off the bow of the submarine, but the crew managed to bring the heavily damaged boat back to port for repairs. M-174 was lost with all hands on board on October 1943 while trying to go across a mine field. Once again, off the Varangerfjord.
The Varangerfjord was one of the best defended areas on the northern coast of Norway, due to its strategic position, and many a soviet submarine was sunk due to mines or naval action while trying to check any enemy activity in the area. The following pictures, showing the damage sustained by the M-174, suggest that with a single hull design, it should have been prone to sink rather quickly if damaged by cannon fire, depth charges or mines, but some boats proved to be tough little tin cans, like the M-113 or the M-174, both of which made it back to base after hitting mines.
.bmp)
.bmp)
Onto modeling itself. After a thorough cleanup of the four pieces which make for the hull and conning tower, the best way to deal with it is as a whole so it was all glued together. The rudder, rudder post and strake piece was also glued to the bottom of the stern and the whole thing given the super glue, putty and sanding treatment. The hull has some sink holes where the locating pins are, so they were filled with super glue and sanded smooth.
After the general cleaning up, the foreplanes, aft planes and periscope's base were attached to the hull and conning tower. Also, the 45mm gun was glued to the deck. Its barrel, and the periscopes, were all replaced with syringe tubing cut to the proper size. The propeller was left out till the model was finished. Holes were drilled on deck for the antennae stubs and lifeline posts. The latter were attached, using steel wire to replicate them.
On the painting stage, the colour directions given on the Dekabrist instructions state the different schemes worn by submarines in service with the fleets. This scan gives a simple and effective colour table for the Baltic, Black Sea and Northern Fleets.
The whole boat was sprayed twice with Humbrol's HF-1 Khaki. The tin is a very old offering by Humbrol, but after some 25(?) years the pigment and medium are still in perfect condition. After that, the Malyutka was dry brushed with H-150 Forest Green. The dry brushing was heavier over the floatation line, to make it stand out from the bottom, less prone to weathering. Deck was painted with H-33 Matt Black and left to dry. Washes where done over the entire hull and conning tower with a mixture of HF-1, H-33, H-70 Brick Red and H-186 Leather Brown. Because it's been years since I weathered a model ship for the last time, washes were brushed on in very diluted way, so as to add layer over layer till the effect was complete. I wanted a boat with a distinctive look over such an odd scheme - notwithstanding that some italian submarines had some pretty gaudy ones, this is dull but striking - not overly beaten by the sea and not too clean. I think the effect of the washes was good enough.
On this last picture, we have the Malyutka having already received the last washes on the upper part of the hull and waiting for it to dry. To the right, the uppermost boat is the Shchuka, X series with its hull and conning towere halves already glued and drying. Since decals didn't match the series, it was to be done portraying the Shch-214. The large submarine right in front of it is of the Dekabrist class. It has the later, shorter style of conning tower with the gun placed on the main deck. The decals call for the D-6 to be done, but since the original had the earlier conning tower - with the main gun over an to the front of it a la british L series of World War One style - it was the D-2 that was chosen. The original still graces a museum complex in Saint Petersburg. The kit was heading for the sanding and polishing phase at this time. Heavy sanding and polishin, that is. But to be honest, the plastic behaved quite well and took the punding without cracking, peeling and such annoying treats that east european modeling companies have for us in stash. Sometimes.
Then, the fire took place. And all of it was lost. To tell the truth, these were challenging little kits. But, quite rewarding up to the extent I was able to build them. You won't see these boats marketed by a major company for a long, long time and this Maquette / Aga / Eastern Express re-issues are the only game in town. Pick the Maquette offerings if you can. They have great decals and better injection.
Go for these kits, let them take you to the depths of the Great Patriotic War and the insight on soviet submarine warfare. They won't let you down.
Till our next installment, take care and good luck.
The Modeling Underdog.
Comments