Shelf Oddity Review

Shelf Oddity

1/350 U-boat Type XVII Upgrade Set

Reviewed by Martin J Quinn
December 2020

Shelf Oddity of Poland has sent us some upgrade sets for review. One of them is a photo-etch set designed for the MicroMir 1/350 Type XVII U-boat, set SO23501, 1/350 Uboat type XVII (for MircroMir kit).

According to Wikepedia: The Type XVII U-boats were small coastal submarines that used a high-test peroxide propulsion system, which offered a combination of air-independent propulsion and high submerged speeds. Three Type XVIIB boats were completed by Blohm + Voss of Hamburg between 1943 and 1944: U-1405, U-1406 and U-1407. U-1405 was completed in December 1944, U-1406 in February 1945, and U-1407 in March 1945. A further three boats were under construction, but were not complete when the war ended. Another six Type XVIIB's (U-1411 to U-1416) were cancelled during the war in favor of the Type XXI submarine.

For more on the Type XVII U-boat, you can check out the Wikipedia page.

TYPE XVII PHOTO-ETCH

There are two photo-etch frets in the package - one 0.1mm fret (fret A, the larger fret) and one ultra fine 0.05mm fret (fret B). Parts include cooling inlet and outlet, large and small limber holes, covers for the hydrogen peroxide tanks and an entire set of horizontal and vertical control surfaces. There is also decking for the interior of the sail and railings included.

Close ups of some of the parts details.

DECALS

There are two small decal sets included with this set. The decals feature limber holes and depth markings.


INSTRUCTIONS
There are no instructions in the box, but the packing directs you to the Shelf Oddity website, where you'll find a PDF of the instructions, which are five pages long.

CONCLUSIONS

This photo-etch set will be really useful for those wishing to super detail their MicroMir 1/350 Type XVII U-boat. The detail and relief etching is quite nice, and should really stand out on your model.

This is Shelf Oddity's set SO23501, 1/350 Uboat type XVII (for MircroMir kit). It lists for about $ 12.00 USD, and is available directly from Shelf Oddity, who I'd like to thank for this review sample. Recommended for those building the MircoMir Type XVII.