Completed Sdkfz 7/2 3.7cm Flak 37---Pics

QUOTE: Originally posted by Sniper Zed Gret job! Keep 'em coming!

Thank you Sniper Zed. The bench is never idle...I'm almost starting to rival Duke Maddog with his factory assembly line!

Gret job!
Keep 'em coming!

Jessiah, Joe, Bob, Spector,

Thanks for the kind words!

Spector,

The Flak series is soo much fun because the Germans mostly took what they had ready to hand and slapped it together out of expediency. As a result you see all kinds of light and medium AA mated up with anything strong enough to cart it around basically. Same thing with a lot of their PaK platforms. I don't know why, but these oddball combinations have a curious draw for me, maybe because they are out of the ordinary to begin with and not often modeled. Makes it hard to find good reference pics at times though, so there's always that tradeoff.

As always Bill this is simply beautiful work

bill thankyou. great work my friend.


joe

looks great bill

pretty darn kool bill , gotta love the flak series , nice job on this model too !

Thanks Jwest, was a fun and educational experience! Took some methods that I've used on other builds and hybridized them a little bit and was pleased with the result. Got to love a hobby that lets you continually learn new things and have fun at the same time!

nice build! You made that old kit look great!!

Rob,

Thanks for the info on the bumpers, I wasn't aware of that angled cut, will definitely keep that in mind for future efforts! Sounds to me like it's a modification for the Russian mud and/or deep snow as the type of cut you describe would allow more slush clearance from the front wheels if I understand it right.

Edit:

Went digging back through some reference pics piwi gave me earlier and found this:



I wonder if this is the one Tamiya based theirs off of...it has the open cab instead of the armored but then I've not been able to find any reference photos online either, so who knows.

Nice build wBill76! You beat me to mine, as it is scheduled to be on my work table in early 05' . The only thing that I would have done, for a OOB build, would have been to modify the front bumpers. I believe, after about 1943 period, most of the half tracks of this type, had the front bumpers cut back.. This is hard to describe, but they cut the extreme corners off, starting about 3/4 of the length of each bumper, mesured from the dead center of the bumper, going along towards each side. This cut went up at an angle, and then at an angle (looking strait on the vehicle) over and off the vehicle.

It is harder to explain it. Check out pictures taken in Russia from about winter of 1943 onwards on the big half tracks, and you see this cut. It was done to most of the HT's as a retro-fit of sorts, to prevent snow build up. Also it appears on SS vehicles that were sent to Normandy from Russia, as I have numerous references showing this cut. Check out the "Axis History" website forum for pict's of this.

Other than that detail, great job!

Rob Savage

Zokissima,

Thanks for the comments! There is some subtle paint-chipping there but it's done with the red oxide primer as opposed to the usual gray effect. The weathering on the panel lines was a three step process: 1) Drybrush MM enamel Rust over the bold heads and raised lines 2) Drybrush artist pastel burnt sienna lightly to mute the enamel paint 3) Apply a water based wash of MMP Pure Black with a #3 sable brush.

Very nicely done! Only thing missing is some chipped paint!
How did you weather the panel lines?

Ted,

Thanks for the compliment! I owe a lot of inspiration to many of the fine builds and techniques demonstrated by my fellow modelers in this community.

Tankergeoff,

According to the Tamiya website http://www.tamiyausa.com/product/item.php?product-id=35144 this kit is still in production. It is one of their older kits though and has some interesting quirks to it as a result. (Metal axles, a strange nut/bolt attachment on the suspension, funky mesh screening, etc.) I've never seen it for sale before in my LHS or online, so it may not be widely carried. I picked this one up at a discount at a local IPMS convention. Box was opened but all sprues still in their bags. Couldn't pass it up for $15. There are detail sets out there for the 7/2 from Eduard, so it's possible the kit is also available if you hunt around for it.

wow.... that's awesome, great build.......is that a discontinued kit? I've seen the kit with the 20mm flakvierling on the halftrack but not that one.

Excellent build Bill. You always do good work.

Matt, Dwight, Mike, and Eric,

Thanks for the kind words! As for AM stuff, my budget can't really take that kind of a hit at the rate I usually build, my wife would kill me! My hat's always off to those with the resources and patience to engage in the super-detailing that AM offers and turn out quality work. It still all boils down to the individual builder and what they are willing to put into the build in terms of time, effort, and attention to detail. That's what I love about the hobby, it's an art form not a formula.

While the build may seem speedy in terms of days, there's no skimping on the hours end of it, it's just the product of being on enforced restricted duty by my doctors. They won't let me work so I've got to do something with my time in the afternoons, there's only so much Oprah and Dr. Phil that I can take!

QUOTE: Originally posted by yw18mc You don't have to buy every after market gadget to get a quality model, just some imagination and a little skill. As usual I'm impressed. Semper Fi, mike

I agree. It just depends to what level of superdetailing one wants to go. I want it to look right, but I'm not going to pay a kings ransom to do it. Of course, just MHO.

Bill. This is just one more example of what can be done with an OOB build! Even with the funky tracks, a little patience and some obvious building talent you can turn these old kits into real jewels. You don't have to buy every after market gadget to get a quality model, just some imagination and a little skill. As usual I'm impressed.
Semper Fi, mike

That's simply amazing work there, Bill. I love the weathering and the details on that one. You sure know how to build these things quick.

Keep inspiring us.

Looks great Bill, bet its a nice change from that monster railgun you toiled on a while back.

QUOTE: Originally posted by tigerman Very nice Bill. Good weathering job. The Tamiya mesh can be fun to play with sometimes. No problems I can detect. I'm sure you wish that baby came with indies instead of the familiar rubberbands.

Especially since they are the old rubberband variety with no detail on the inner upper surface... Had a lot of fun with them...since they were old, they were also brittle and wouldn't stretch at all...first attempt broke three links and had to resort to some creative CA work.

Very nice Bill. Good weathering job. The Tamiya mesh can be fun to play with sometimes. No problems I can detect. I'm sure you wish that baby came with indies instead of the familiar rubberbands.