GERMAN RAILWAY GONDOLA TYP OMMR

Rob , details , details and details !!!

Great choice of equipment for the AA wagon! The painting on the green wooden box is really realistic with its worn off paint!

The only thing I think is missing is a case containing the spare barrels for the MG. They should atleast have one extra barrel to function effectively.

/Tony

I like all the different gear you have there Rob. Going to look sweet!

TREAD, CARL, ANDY, WBILL, Thanks guys.  Really appreciate the comments and glad you like.

TONY - Thanks for the comments and thanks for that bit of history   Was unaware of this information and was very pleased to receive it, very interesting and agree helps support the car as an AA.  One of the reasons I like too build is because of the history / research and building provides a more "Hands on" way of learning.  It's even more enjoyable when someone, such as yourself, is able to fill in and share some of their knowledge.  Thanks

Here is the bulk of the gear now painted.  The last addition of gear will be a tarp laid over, or what should be, the remainder of ammo boxes.  Ignore the woodpecker MG thats for something else  Hope you enjoy.

Looking great Rob, the decals and other details including the wood finish have really brought it to life!

The build is coming along nicely.

I just love the attention to the details and the composition of the equpiment, and can't wait to see the wagon wheathered.

Also, with some figures added the wagon should come alive and become a small world in itself, so to say.

One thing that caught my attention is that the Deutche Reichsbahn district type (Gattungsbezirk) of the wagon, as shown on the decals, is Villach. It was a small, insignificant town in southern Austria, but due to the fact that is was - and  still is - a central railroad connection point with Italy and the Balkans the town was frequently bombed by the allies during ww2. During 37 air missons some 42 000 bombs was dropped on the town, which atleast in relation to the town's population - just some 35 000 inhabitants - made it one of the most heavily bombed German towns during the war!

In this regard I would say that your choice of making the wagon into a AA-wagon gives the whole build quite a symbolic dimension. So you better add some seriuos amount of ammo crates!

/Tony

I swear I saw it few days ago at the train crossing.  Your work turned a styrene into very realistic looking wood... 

Looks perfect Rob ! I really like the wood colors . They are just a bit different than what i usually see for wood and thats makes the color even more interesting and realistic ................like Tread sead .

Really looking great, Rob ! The wood and all the colors you have chosen really work well together

forming a real 'realistic' , cohesive build ! .

tread

After a few days have completed construction on the ammo boxes that will loaded into the railcar but they still need to be painted.  Have completely assembled all kit parts onto the car, latches, hand grabs, etc. and applied all decals with future.

Added a handle to the inside on the doors for the gun crew.

With the car complete it is now time to weather the car as a whole.  Then there is just the gear that will be inside left to paint.

Of course i agree with you Andy ................. 

WBILL - Working on some more smaller crates now and think I will use your suggestion of storing them under the gun deck, also know as the "Penthouse" thanks to Andy.

ERIC - There will defiantly be figs in the build but it may be a while before getting to them.  Have been looking at this car along with the other cars I have and am still working on which figs would work best.  Presently, believe this car may have the crew sitting and relaxing in this car and enjoying the ride.  One fig will be on top of the "Penthouse" acting as a look out.

CARL - Good point and good question.  Bill good answer and agree.  The chains are going to stay.

WAYNEC - Had remembered your suggestion and appreciated it   That is what started me thinking of how to secure the gun.  If I would of planned this out more from the beginning I may have taken the feet off of the Flak gun but decided to leave them on because had already had everything built.  I did go back looking though and have found these guns mounted on various things and some still had there feet.  For these reasons I went with the chains. 

ANDY - Sounds like were going to have to keep you chained up in the "Penthouse"   That barrel you see in the car is actually full of German beer   Just have to make a tap for it   Glad you like.

This is what I have been working on today.  They are not to difficult but quit time consuming.

Will make a few more until I cant take making them anymore so that means not sure how many more will be made?

Love those chains!  I believe everything had to be secured.  Train rides can be rough and I have seen tanks being secured down with chains too so it is very possible that flak had to be secured too.  

The only thing is missing... a case of German beer for a long ride.  Of course Carl would agree with me!

That makes perfect sense Bill .

Carl,

Recoil wouldn't necessarily be an issue...the gun itself was designed to be mobile and didn't require any special arrangements to account for recoil when deployed. Generally when the Flak 38 was used in an SPG mount (like the famous "sled" mount in the back of an Opel or on the Sdkfz 10/5) some method was used to secure the base because of the inevitable "objects in motion" physics. That's why I still think the chains are a good idea for Rob to keep...trains did travel at a decent speed and had to stop eventually...and you wouldn't want a heavy object like the gun to decide on its own that it still had a little bit more distance to travel.

Rob and Bill , i've been thinking about how practical the chain would be and it occurred to me as to ask how much recoil is there from the 20mm ? What with the gun mount sitting on a wood deck i would think the mount would be supsceptible to moving around on those boards from the vibration of the recoil ............

Hi Rob. I hope you're going to add some figgies to this piece to give a it some extra pop.

Rob,

I think you should keep the chains...I wasn't trying to discourage you from using them by any means. The MG34 on the AA tripod and other goodies look good too...the crew needed some place to "be" when not manning the guns after all, right? Maybe you could use some of the empty space under the platform for the Flak 38 to house the ammo...gives you more options at least without crowding things too much in the car?

WBILL - Not sure either if the chains should be there or not, spent all day thinking about it and looking at them and as you see decided to put them on if for no other reason to add a little more something.  I doubt they would actually be on there though.  They can be removed if everyone thinks that would be better?

Been slowly working on some stuff to fill the car.  Have scratch built a large crate and thinking about making some of the smaller, long ones you usually see with German ammo.

Here is the layout of the car I have so far.

What really is needed are more Flak 38 and some MG 34 ammo cans.  Looking through my parts box I have discovered I am finally out of German ammo cans.  Guess I can buy some or I may just wait and collect cans from other kits as I build them and slowly add them into the car.  They would be easy to just throw them in at any time.

Chains are a nice touch Rob, I can't comment as to whether they would be actually used or not but they are a neat feature regardless. The Flak 38 wasn't a light piece of equipment (weighed in at around 400 kgs) and gravity alone would probably have been sufficient to keep it in place.

Carl,

Was thinking of a way to help hold the Flak 38 in place on the car.  Liked the idea brought up earlier with using the large U bolts but wanted something a bit more.  Decided to use chain and make some small pad eye's.  The chain is pretty small and was a pain to get into place.  What took longest was had to make tiny links from wire to connect the chain on the front of the gun.  The gun is still dry fit for pics will remove to paint the chain.

Yup , way cool looking results Rob .

Helped you out? I think you have it reversed.

DOOG - Hey, thanks man.  I tell you, a lot of the guys on here have helped me out and I am just happy to be able to show something in return and hope that it can help someone else

WBILL, ERIC -

the doog

WAY COOL, dude! THAT'S what makes this forum shine and thrive--the willingness of modelers like you who take the time to selflessly share their methods here, that we all might learn and become better modelers!

Thanks for taking the time to share this with us!

+!

Well done Rob. 

Glad to be of assistance Rob and sweet little step-by-step on the wood effect!

WAY COOL, dude! THAT'S what makes this forum shine and thrive--the willingness of modelers like you who take the time to selflessly share their methods here, that we all might learn and become better modelers!

Thanks for taking the time to share this with us!

Here is how I painted the wood effect.  All paints enamel Model Masters.

Base coat of MM wood and then gave it a coat of Dullcote, let dry overnight.  On the car bed had also used MM Military Brown in random places, not on the gun deck though.

Car bed had a very light wash, gun deck gave a little heavier wash of Winsor & Newton Raw Umber oil.  It was thinned with Turpenoid (Blue Can), let dry then spray a coat of Dullcote.

(This is the step I had forgot to mention before)  using AIM Products Weathering Powder applied on selected boards Dirty Yellow and Medium Brown.  Used mostly the Dirty Yellow.  Put on dry with an old paint brush.

Next heavy dry brush random boards with MM Light Sea Gray.

Then light dry brush the majority of the boards with MM Light Gray. (I know, crappy pic)

Now the fun part, use an old brush and apply MIG pigment SMOKE BLACK P023 and INDUSTRIAL CITY DIRT P039 in areas and amount of your liken.  Use rubbing alcohol as a carrier.

At this point I called it done for the gun deck but on the car bed I had once again gave the bed a very light dry brushing with the LIGHT GRAY to give a more worn look. 

And here is the Gun Deck temporally in place