Dear Joe,

There are indeed a few quirks about this kit. THe most annoying are the water-vents on the side (pardon me for not having a more proper grasp of nautical vocabulary). THe indentations are only a couple millimeters in depth. Another fellow I have encountered is sending me an article written a few years ago on how to make this a top-of-the-line production. My capabilities permitting, I want to make this a museum-quality replica. But as this kit is of at least moderate quality, and nothing at all like that horrid academy debacle which still lagues with nautia and nightmares alike, I think it can definitely be done.
I do have some experience as a modeller, specifically model-railroading, though that was when I was a young lad. I am coming out of more than ten-years in retirement, undertaking a new genre of ship-building; mostly, I will concentreate on wooden plank on frame ships , though still having a couple of more modern vessels, the most aesthetic and seductive of which being my silent, grey wolf. I think all the corrections seem pretty obvious. Though, until the article arrives, the building process has largely ceased. I want to cut out those vents, to give them proper depth. But until I have that article, ensuring me that is the property strategy, I am just waiting. It is really hard though, becuase I want that u-boat on display with a very strong passion. This u-boat passion is now only slightly less pronounced than my infatuation with Gillian Anderson. Friends who know me also know that is a strong statement indeed. (No! I am not some X-Filer dork who attends trekky conventions on the side, as seen in that Simpsons episode in which Homer goes berserker on the nerds. The geeky sci-fi associations aside, however, I take an interest in her for more obvious, salacious reasons....)
Not to digress, you could offer some assistance by taking my ensign poll. I am really at a loss on how to best replicate the ensign. It seems the ensign is pretty small for that scale, though the proper dimensions are obscured to me due to conflicting information (1/4 or 3/4 of an inch). I will say that the size of the ensign seems to differ in various pictures. Because the Nowarra book is such a gyp (if only you had responded 24 hours sooner!), -Battle Beneath the Waves- is en route. But until then, I am plagued by a copy of TIme Magaizine I saw in an antique shop in Seattle a couple of years ago, dated September '39. I wish I had bought it, because the cover featured a really dramatic picture of a u-boat, with the DKM ensign waving above the crew. The ensign seemed huge. The point is that my memory of that image leads me to believe that sometimes the ensigns were larger than others. If so, the 3/4 cloth ensign might go, should I determine that silk-cloth is the best medium for the job. But as I have heretofore received no response, I remain unsure about how to tackle this particular problem. Advice on this, as well as any other useful suggestion on the Revell unertaking would be appreciated.

Warm Regards,

Einsamer Wolf