This model is part of a small series of submarine LEGO models with their own display stands at a comfortable 1:260 scale and size.

The Papanikolis (Y-2) was a Greek submarine of the Katsonis-class, built in France and commissioned into the Hellenic Navy in 1927. Named after Greek War of Independence naval hero Dimitrios Papanikolis, the submarine played a significant role during World War II, especially in the Mediterranean theater. Papanikolis carried out several notable patrols and special operations during the Greco-Italian War (1940-1941) and later under Allied command after fleeing to the Middle East following the Axis occupation of Greece in 1941. It successfully attacked Axis shipping vessels and supported covert operations by deploying commandos and supplies along occupied Greek coastlines.

The submarine was decommissioned in 1945 and scrapped. The conning tower is preserved at the Hellenic Maritime Museum in Piraeus.