5b. Conning Tower – Upper Structure

The assembly of the tower upper structure (above the tower deck) went well using the kit parts and instructions.

I sanded off the molded wooden slats from the insides of the tower bulwark, to be replaced later with real wooden slats from the Nautilus set. U‑625 had a blocky port-side antenna housing (for the FuMO-30 Seetakt radar antenna), which I chose to replicate using the brass PE pieces from the WEM set. Shaping the brass housing correctly took some time and patience (due to the complex curves & bends), but the results are well worth it. I used thick CA glue to assemble the housing and attach it to the tower, then used putty to fill any gaps. I then added a few interior and exterior PE details to the tower.

For the side navigation lights (port, starboard), I cut out the plastic pieces from the tower and filed smooth the edges of the square holes. I then cut small curved pieces from clear coloured 1/8" styrene tube (port = clear red, starboard = clear green) to the correct height and arc, and then painted the inside curves chrome silver.

For the rear lantern light at the rear of the tower, I used clear colourless 1/8" styrene tube cut to size.

I would then install these lights in the final stages of assembly.