#12 Tamiya German Horch 1A mit 2cm Flak38 (Conversion)

Thank you Steve, Dave and Bob of course for your comments and support.

Build Update:

I believe I have the majority of the PE work completed which is tedious but fun in its own way.  I really got a Chance to put my Hold and Fold from The Small Shop through its paces and its a great tool.

The inside door detail looks cool.

Some parts I did not replace with PE but gave them some much needed cleanup and detailing.

Working with PE can often be time-consuming but worth it in the end. The details you're adding are dressing up the interior spaces nicely Edmund.

Ed, you are now the PE master................LOL

Looking awsome brother.

Bob

This is looking very nice, Edmund, your PE skills are very good.  I can't wait to see it with paint, although that's what you say to me, too,

Bill 

Thank you Dave, Wbill, Bob and Bill for the kind words and support.  PE is definitely an acquired taste but it has been a fun process and I am figuring out the best methods and processes of how to apply in the most efficient manner.

There was some warpage in the kit that required some Milliput applied to gaps.  This resulted in a mess on the rear boulders so I decided to bare metal the rear fenders and replaced the molded fender bolts with MIG PE bolts which are really cool.and come in a self adhesive backing so you don't have to cut them off the fret

.

Wow...Tasty looking nuts !

Hey...just remember it was Rodney Dangerfield that said:

If I could lick myself like a dog....Id never leave the house"

Bob

Adam & Bob:  Both of you guys never fail to make me chuckle!  Thanks for keeping me company on this build.

Build Update:

It's time to start building up the 2cm Flak 38.  I decided to not use the kit supplied weapon and to replace it with Dragon's new version

It comes with Pre-bent PE gun shields in their own  special vacuum formed plastic protectors in the box.  I also will be using a Griffon replacement metal barrel.

As with other kits of the Flak 38 the angle of elevation has to be decided before proceeding and different parts are used dependent on which elevation is chosen to display the model at. Apparently the gun can be left movable, but this necessitates leaving some parts off, to get around this there are parts included so that you can model the gun at four different elevations from horizontal to 60 degrees.

Every model I see of this vehicle has the kit canvas covered windscreen or a resin replacement.  The PE kit comes with a really detailed windscreen with films and wiper masks.  I am very tempted to try the following configuration from this Aberdeen proving ground picture.  This will rule out the O degrees option because the weapon would probably not clear the windscreen.

I could put wiper swipes on one side of the windscreen and turn it into Tommy the Horch winking at us!  I then can finish detailing the tread plate with bolts and the mounting system for the weapon.

Build Update:

I started working on the the DML Flak 38 kit tonight and ran into a head scratcher immediately.  DMl molded in the weld beads along the base the of the gun but all the attachment points are right on the weld seams which is simply ridiculous and IMHO poor engineering of otherwise a beautiful kit with no pin marks or mold seams and the weld seam looked  like a mold seam instead of weld seam so after research to verify I was correct I pulled out y secret weapon.  Archer Fine Surface Detail #18 and I applied my own weld resin weld seams.  I found that prepping the surface with future to help with the adhesive properties of the water slide decals helped out immensely.

I them mounted the outrigger footpads and then decided to add another I-Beam across the front of the gun mount area to provide a mounting point and to allow the front outrigger to enter the Drivers compartment as planned.  I will build up more of the gun and then design the mounting brackets for the outriggers.

Ed you the man Wow is this baby coming to life, the little bits of detail really dress up the model. Excellant work with the PE dude. Once the gun is built and mounted this is going to be great.

Rob

www.scratchmod.com

Dave:  Yes I love my OCD affliction!  Thanks for the kind words and support as always Dave.

Rob:  I am glad you are peekin in on this Rob and I finished the gun today which was no mean feat!

Build Update:  I finished the gun for the most part today.  I left off the shell basket for now because I have some Griffon casings I will be putting inside so I need to think about that one for awhile. This is my first replacement metal barrel which was form Griffon as well and very nice.  I read all the reviews about this weapon before I approached it and the complexity and size of the parts almost defeated my Noobie Modeling Butt!  I did not use a sprue cutter once only my knife.  It was an agonizing build but God help me I can't wait to do another one! 

Next up is designing the mounting system for the main gun.  That's the FUN part!

That is some truly awesome work. All that PE is making my head hurt.

Nice work on the gun Ed, this one's starting to show its teeth a bit. Be careful with the spent shell catcher basket, while part of it is pre-formed at the bottom, the really fun part will be fitting the top portions and getting it all to match-up. Give yourself plenty of time to work with it...the first time I built one of these it took several attempts before I could get the mesh to fit properly and alighn the way it should. It's worth the effort but just wanted to pre-warn you about it. You may find that once it's fitted and painted you won't be able to see the spent shells due to the way the bottom pre-formed portion is designed in terms of the weave. Looking forward to more progress!

Ed, the gun came out really sweet! Now it looks mean and nasty.

Bob

Thank you Panzer88, Wbill and last but not least Bob for you support and kindness. 

Thanks Bill for the heads up I can see that will be another lesson in perseverance and patience.  It doesn't help that a lot of the reviewers do not actually build the kits so you do not have finished pictures or a complete understanding of the real challenges these type of kits provide.  I found a great comparison review on Perth of Tristars, Italeri, Tamiya, Dragon's Flak38

http://www.perthmilitarymodelling.com/reviews/vehicles/flak38/flak38.htm

Here is another one on Replacement Barrel reviews:

http://www.perthmilitarymodelling.com/reviews/vehicles/flak38/flak38barrels.htm

I am still working on orientation and mounting points for the outriggers.  After that I will scratch build the main box for the ammunition trailer with the plan my Friend Ron so gracefully provided.

Edmund, this is as amazing as it is timely, that gun is a kit and a half on its own.

Another amazing build.

Bill

Bill:  Thank you Bill you are so sweet that I am gaining calories just reading you post!  Gack!!  That's too sweet! 

Build Update:   Sorry Gentleman real life has demanded my attention since Saturday night so I spent three days thinking about how to approach the mounting system for the outriggers of the weapon. I cut a divot into the front I-Beam in order to level the weapon platform and then used some 1\35th scale Rebar that Adam sent me which were the result of an Industrial accident but look remarkably like 1\35th scale Rebar. 

Ed, ingenious method to mounting the gun.  You never cease to amaze me my brother...the lessons I am learning are so valuable.  Looking sweet bro.

Bob

Neat vehicle, Edmund! Nice job on it too.

I don't understand why you don't just turn the mount around?

Hello Karl,

First of all thank you for taking the time to stop by and leave a comment it is appreciated.

This conversion initially was a field mod and went through many variations before an official conversion was sanctioned and produced. Real world references bear this out with various heights of the weapon deck and various orientations of the gun. I you look at this real world reference you will see it supports my orientation choice.

If you look closely you will see that the rear outrigger is at a 45" degree angle and the front outrigger is oriented towards the front of the vehicle.  Closer examination of the Driver compartments show how close the front weapon shield is to the back of the driver seats and that orientation is possible only with the font outrigger entering the Driver compartment.  Believe me Karl i have played with every orientation my imagination and friends could come up with to replicate this photo.  This vehicle is represented with and without a tilt in real world references and also as stated earlier various gun deck heights.

Warmest Regards,

Edmund

YEAH ED!

Bob

Looks great, I can't wait to see it with paint on it!

                  Thanks, Jim

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On the topic of the location of the outrigger, Edmund's right in terms of the area you've highlighted in your pic Karl. What you're pointing out is the base of the gunner's seat where it attaches to the circular base of the gun platform. In the poor quality of the blown-up photo I can see where it might look like the front support (actually the rear support, this is the one that had the tow point for the regular towed gun) but that's not an accurate identification of the part in question.

I have edited my previous post and will PM Karl shortly.

Regards.

Hey Wayne,

Have you been looking through my window.? That is exactly what  I have planned.

Great minds think alike!!