ISW Soviet Project 611 Review


Reviewed December 2024 by Felix Bustelo
HISTORY
The design of the postwar Project 611/Zulu class submarine is believed to have begun in 1944 incorporating wartime experiences and the advancements in technology found in the German Type XXI U-boat. They were long-range submarines with a 60-day endurance. They were intended for reconnaissance missions, attacking Atlantic shipping routes and attacking U.S. ports with nuclear torpedoes. From 1952 to 1957, 36 Zulu class submarines proposed but only 21 were actually completed as attack submarines. The boats measured 295 feet 2 inches overall (90 meters), with a beam of 24 feet 7 inches (7.5 meters) and a draft of 10 feet 8 inches (6 meters). The Zulu class displaced 1,900 tons surfaced and 2,350 tons submerged. They had diesel-electric propulsion with a maximum speed of 18 knots surfaced and 16 knots submerged. Torpedo armament consisted of ten 21-inch (533mm) tubes, with six forward and four aft. The early ZuluI and Zulu II boats had guns fitted on the sail and a deck gun (Zulu II). All guns were removed in the Zulu III and Zulu IV variants. A ballistic missile version with an enlarged sail containing a pair of launch tubes was developed and designated a Zulu V. A total of five of that version were completed. ISW is a Zulu IV variant.
Iron Shipwrights Project 611/Zulu class submarine
The Zulu class kit is the latest in a series of modern submarine kits released in the past several months by Iron Shipwrights and a departure in that it is their first Soviet naval subject. The kit represents a Zulu IV variant. Like the other kits in this line, Zulu is comprised of a cast resin hull from a 3D printed master pattern. All of the other parts are 3D printed. The contents come in a sturdy flip-top box, with the resin hull wrapped in bubble wrap and the 3D printed parts inside a zip-lock sleeve. Everything is cushioned in Styrofoam packing nuggets. The assembly instructions are folded on top of the box contents.

HULL
The cast resin full hull is very nicely done and is packed free of a casting block. The hull is well detailed with limber holes, hatches, and the emergency rescue buoys that are common on Soviet and Russian submarines. The hull also has a recess for the anchor and openings to fit the diving planes, stabilizers, rudder and sail. The casting is overall clean and crisp but requiring some cleanup along the keel where remnants casting plugs were once located and some extra resin. The hull measures a little more than 10 inches long, which is spot on in terms of scale.



3D Printed Parts
The 3D parts come of a printing raft and includes the sail, forward and aft diving planes, anchor, rudder, stabilizer and propellers. To equip the sail, the raft also provides the radar, quad loop radio direction finder, antennas and scope. The parts have thin attachment points and some of the parts have extras provided in case of breakage. The parts appear to be well detailed. Based on my experience building some other Iron Shipwrights submarine kits, the 3D printed parts are a tad brittle and care must be exercised removing the smaller parts, such as the propeller, from the raft.

Decals and Photoetch
No decals or photo-etch are provided with this kit. The latter isn’t necessary with the 3D printed parts but specific markings for hull and red/white pattern for the rescue buoys must be sourced from another decal sheet.
INSTRUCTIONS
The assembly instructions come on 4 single-sided stapled pages. The first page has the Iron Shipwrights logo on top, with a small photo of Zulu IV submarine and the usual text about obtaining replacement parts and general instructions and advisories. Page 2 has images of the 3D printed parts with corresponding part numbers and some general guidance working with 3D printed parts. Pages 3 and the top of Page 4 have assembly diagrams which are very clear and simple due to the low part count. The bottom image on Page 4 has on overall image of the completed model. No painting instructions are provided, so some research on the part of the modeler will be needed.

Conclusions
This is complete kit and overall well-done kit that should build into a detailed model of a Zulu IV submarine. I recommend this kit for submarine enthusiasts or fans of Cold War Soviet subjects. The kit sells for $64.95 and is currently the only kit of a Zulu IV class kit that is available. This kit is available directly from Iron Shipwrights (http://ironshipwrights.com/) or one of the retailers that sell their products. My thanks for Iron Shipwrights for providing the review sample.