Just finished this Russian WWI submarine “Delfin” by Mikro Mir in 1/144th and now ready for primer. Replaced the photo etch D-rings with copper wire and rebuilt anti-fouling fins with plastic stock along with a few other bits replaced with brass rod and plastic. Only 5 1/4" front tip to tip. Fun “little” build. I plan to do a little mild weathering on her. The Delphin was commissioned in 1903 and decommissioned in 1917 serving a less than brilliant career in the Siberian flotilla and Northern Murmansk flotilla. 22 crewman served on this little tin cigar.
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Looks great. I hear Mikro Mir isn’t the easiest kits to work with.
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Thanks! It was kind of like working on an old '70s Airfix kit. I’m retired and much more patient than I used to be or it might have gone airborne when doing some of the photo etch. LOL
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That is great looking KIt and some very nice work aso…Cheers Mark
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Thanks Mark,
I had so much fun building the 1/144th Russian torpedo boat that I decided to give this one a try as well.
One of the reference photos that I found showed that it had some rough weathering so I plan to have a little fun with the finish. The base will get a finish treatment and name plate too.
Wasn’t paying attention yesterday and almost ruined the Delfin. I use an enamel based gray primer that thins beautifully with good old paint thinner. Did a light first primer coat and all was good. Wasn’t paying attention when mixing second primer coat and grabbed the bottle of lacquer thinner to mix it. Looked fine in mixing cup but had a bad reaction to first coat. Thought all was lost. Finish turned grainy and ugly.
BUT all was not lost. SUPER CLEAN to the rescue. I poured a tub of SC and soaked the sub for a couple of hours and then lightly scrubbed it with a soft fiber brush in a water rinse. Paint melted off and only had to repair one brass bracing rod.
Crisis averted!!!
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Noice save.
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For a moment I felt like Robert Redford in “All Is Lost.”
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Finally finished the Delfin sub. In one of the reference photos, she looked pretty worse for ware so I wanted to show her in a rough weathered look with accumulated scum around the water line and a rusty neglected feel. On her way to the scrap yard in 1917! I used Tamiya Dark Sea Gray for the base coat along with some AK acrylics and weathered it with chalk pastels, oil pastels and weathering powders diluted with alcohol. Rigging was done with AMMO .03 rigging line.
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WOW, Gary, absolutely gorgeous work! Assembly and details are just right, and you nailed the weathering perfectly. Bravo Zulu!
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Thanks Tim,
Have to admit that building it was fun but weathering it was a real blast. I was suprised at how great the rust streaks went with using oil pastels. I would rub a fine brush with a small amount of spirits on a rust color oil pastel crayon and streak it on the model, wait till it dried and then come back with a small blending brush and remove the excess to blend it. Great fun!
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Unusual subject and very well done!
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great effort on an rare tiny submarine. Base is also very tasteful; Respect 
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Thanks Albert,
I saw a gentleman post a YourTube video about it and knew that I had to build it.
Thanks Thomas,
I didn’t want the base to over power the model so I routed a clean reveal edge and used a medium dark antique stain.
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Have you thought about painting a 144th sailor and mount him on the wood base standing there to provide scale?
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I hadn’t but you’ve given me an idea about adding a few crewmen on the deck. Will check and see what I have that might work. 
Wow, what a fantastic little model.
Well done.
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Thanks Jorg,
Weathering this little sub was a blast. Great fun experimenting.