One of the odder classes of weapons to have emerged to something akin to prominence during WWII is the Midget Submarine. Like assault gliders, they seem to have been something of a fad that came and went rather swiftly. However, during their heyday, they were deployed by most major powers in the conflict.
One of the less-than-greats in this category was the German Biber (beaver) one-man sub. This obnoxious and often mortally crude little tin-can is not a sub that gets a lot of love, and with good reason. It was poorly made and not that successful. However, it is a cool-looking boat, and when you consider that about half of its mass is made of the weapons it carries, you have to admit it’s at least academically interesting.
Thankfully, for those who want one, Italeri popped out a nice looking kit in the massive scale of 1/35! Thank goodness Bibers are small… at least this thing still fits on a shelf!
I build this sub as a present to my dad, since my grandfather was apparently trained on these boats late in the war. It’s a surprisingly unforgiving little model, with what I would say is too hefty a price tag. Still, it was fun and it looks neat on display.
Check it out, and as always, feedback is much appreciated!
https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/italeri-135-biber-midget-sub/
