1/350 Scale German Type VII (VIIC) Submarine: Length: 7.5", Width: 0.75" These models come already assembled and painted out of the box. There is nothing to do or needed other than take them out of the packaging and display them. These models are mostly made of metal with plastic parts added for details such as antennas, periscopes, rails, guns, etc. The overall coloring and the details are very interesting, there are many grill marks accurately painted along with embossed hatches and panels. These models come with a cutaway section that reveal interior details like piping, machinery and torpedoes. The cutaway section is limited to only one side of the model. The model comes attached to a display stand. The base of the stand measures 4.75 inches by 1.75 inches. The display stand has a metal strip that shows the name/type and year of the model. This is certainly not a toy. It will not last long if played with. The box is labeled as not recommended for children under 14. The box measures 10" x 4" x 2" Type VII U-boats were the most common type of German World War II U-boat. U-boat stands for Unterseeboot, which means undersea boat in German. German submarine U-255 was a Type VIIC U-boat that served in Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. The submarine was laid down on 21 December 1940 at the Bremer Vulkan yard at Bremen-Vegesack, launched on 8 October 1941 and commissioned on 29 November 1941 under the command of Kapitanleutnant Reinhart Reche. One of the most successful U-boats to operate in Arctic waters, she operated from Norway during 1942?1943, and then from France in 1944?1945, sailing on 15 combat patrols, sinking ten merchant ships totalling 47,640 GRT and damaging another of 7,191 GRT enough for it to be written off as a total loss. She also sank the 1,200-tons Edsall-class destroyer escort USS Leopold. At the end of the war U-255 surrendered to the British, and was sunk during Operation Deadlight on 13 December 1945.