Stokesy's big honking 1/18 88mm Flak 36

[ForeverPlasticKits]

A huge piece of AT/AA artillery, very detailed. Soon the paint?

[Stokesy44]

A huge piece of AT/AA artillery, very detailed. Soon the paint?

Thanks. Not quite yet. Need to do some detailing work first.

[Stokesy44]

Worked on the detailing today.

Plastic card for the dial controls and electric cable with the core removed for the wiring that runs to the range finding equipment under the main part of the gun.







I then trimmed and sanded the edges of the gun shield to make the plating more to scale. Looks much better now.





I also popped to the hardware store late in the day and got some wire for the cable spools. I'll work on those tomorrow evening as I'm back at work in the morning.

[digger303]

Always a pleasure to see this and it progressing.

[BigWall]

That looks great! Nice detailing up!

[Kevthemodeller]

Lovely additions, self made PE of sorts

[Tomcat64]

The level of detail out of the box is simply eye-popping and you've enhanced that nicely with your own additions mate.

That really is a stunning-looking piece of kit, it really is

[Stokesy44]

Thanks Guys,

Finished the detailing work today, did some more sanding of the gun shield just to clean it up and make sure the edges were clean then I added the comms wiring to the cable spools.









I just need to do some more filler work on the gun breach as there are a couple of hollow sections that can be seen when the breach block is out. Just need filling in. Then its painting time.

[BigWall]

It's looking smart! Great job

[Kevthemodeller]

Can't wait for the next part the paint and weathering

[Engine95]

I'm a bit late to the party here but that looks amazing so far. Looking forward to your progress!

[Twokidsnosleep]

David, this is looking fantastic


Love the extras you are adding
The Devil is in the details

[DRUMS01]

Hey Stokesy, as I said before, you got a really nice build going on here.

Are you going to get a 1/18 transport vehicle, like a half track?

Are you thinking of some 120mm figures to add to the whole thing?

Just wondering?

Ben

[Stokesy44]

It's looking smart! Great job

Can't wait for the next part the paint and weathering

Thanks guys. I might get to priming today. Picked up some free standing shelving units for the den yesterday so its all a bit of a mess in there at the moment. I'm using the lower shelves for the stash and the upper ones for finished kits. Trying to bring some order to the chaos!

[Stokesy44]

I'm a bit late to the party here but that looks amazing so far. Looking forward to your progress!

David, this is looking fantastic

Love the extras you are adding
The Devil is in the details

Thanks Guys. Its been an absolute pleasure to work on. I knew from the start it would be a classic build then paint job, as opposed to a stop / start for a bit of painting here and there. It actually breaks down into 8 pieces for painting so it should work out well when I fire up the booth.

Wheel sets x2
Platform
Elevation mechanism
Main mount
Gun recoil track
Main barrel
Gun Shield

Probably just as well. It wouldn't fit in the booth otherwise!

[Stokesy44]

Hey Stokesy, as I said before, you got a really nice build going on here.

Are you going to get a 1/18 transport vehicle, like a half track?

Are you thinking of some 120mm figures to add to the whole thing?

Just wondering?

Ben

Hi Ben,

Thanks mate. I've thought about it but there's a real lack of 1/18 scale kits out there. It may be just as well tbh as its already going to such a large display item when finished. I will look at figures though as that would not increase the size, only create perspective for the size of the weapon.

[Tomcat64]

Really looking forward to seeing this in paint now

[Stokesy44]

After an unintentional failure to get to the bench last weekend I got myself sorted out and got the primer out today. Probably my longest priming session to date but the ever-amazing Ultimate primer was up to the job.

As previously mentioned, I broke the kit down and painted it separately



All the sanding and filling on the base was worth it





The wheel units were done last. I shot them by hitting them from the side and over the top then rotating by 45% and repeating so that each angle and surface got covered by the time the wheel set had been fully rotated and was back in its original position.



I'll let her cure overnight then its on to painting tomorrow



Next up is a coat of medium grey to represent the factory applied paint then the desert camo.

[BigWall]

Nice!

[digger303]

SOooooo good

[Kevthemodeller]

Lovely smooth primer there mate

[Stokesy44]

Thanks Guys. The Ultimate stuff has Angel's tears in the bottle. It goes on so smoothly, the only hard bit of the process was angling the pieces to get full coverage.

I had a little but of tip dry but nothing a cotton bud soaked in cleaner couldn't fix. I was using the larger cup on the AB and I reckon I used a cup and a half, which I think is pretty cool given the size of the kit. Its those Angel's tears again!

[Kevthemodeller]

I find using about 20% of thinner works a real treat with the tip dry which can be a real pain, makes cleaning up easier too

[Stokesy44]

I find using about 20% of thinner works a real treat with the tip dry which can be a real pain, makes cleaning up easier too

Hmm, I've never thinned Ultimate, I'll keep it mind for the next time though, thanks Kev.

Painted in RLM grey today. Tried a bit of marbling on the gun shield too.





I need to decide on the desert scheme next. Whether to go for a plain desert yellow or an RLM grey / yellow camo. Might even try a striped gun shield that I've seen on another kit

[DRUMS01]

Looking wonderful, now it looks like its time for the fun stuff...

Ben

[BigWall]

I so can't wait to see the paint go down and the weathering/detailing start!

[Engine95]

You and me both BigWall!

[digger303]

You and me both BigWall!

[Tomcat64]

That really does look superb mate - fantastic work so far

[Stokesy44]

Thanks Guys,

Busy week at work, the bench has been quiet until today, with one exception. One evening, I realised I had attached the towing bar to the wrong set of wheels. What should have been a simple switch turned into a drama when I realised I had glued the second set of pins into the hitch on the other set! In the name of accuracy I drilled out the recalcitrant pins and swapped the tow bar over, replacing the destroyed pins with something similar.

Then it was time to fire up the booth. The kit comes with only 1 scheme - good old German grey - Boring!! I thought, no thanks, and went looking for something with some colour, figuring there had to be a desert camo scheme for units that fought in North Africa. Found something a bit more interesting, including a nice diagonal pattern on the gun shield. Then it was time get spraying.



I only intended to do the shield but the session went well so I just carried on. Got the whole scheme done. Tamiya desert yellow and ZERO tip dry. I just love Tamiya!

Worked on the platform first, then the main mount and gun track, then finished with the wheel sets.







The gun shield came out well. Good clean lines and no bleeding















Next up is detail painting - the breach, gun track, piston tubes, seats, instruments, cabling, pioneer tools and the comms wire spools etc. Lots of brush work so no need for the airbrush. Looking forward to it.

[Twokidsnosleep]

Oooo! How cool is that!
Looking great

[DRUMS01]

Perhaps you could find something like this to attach it to?



Just a little detailing and a repaint(?). I see these go for cheap on numerous bidding sites.

If I remember, I believe Verlinden or some other company had a group of figures and ammo boxes for it too (?).

Ben

[BigWall]

The paint came out very nice! It looks great

[Stokesy44]

Perhaps you could find something like this to attach it to?

If I remember, I believe Verlinden or some other company had a group of figures and ammo boxes for it too (?).

Ben

Its quite big enough already, thank you!

I did look at figures but there's nothing out there. Even if there were, I dont think I would go for it as it would need some sort of diorama and that's a bridge too far at the moment. Other than supplies I have tried to put alid on new kits for a while.......

[digger303]

Perhaps you could find something like this to attach it to?

If I remember, I believe Verlinden or some other company had a group of figures and ammo boxes for it too (?).

Ben

Its quite big enough already, thank you!

I did look at figures but there's nothing out there. Even if there were, I dont think I would go for it as it would need some sort of diorama and that's a bridge too far at the moment. Other than supplies I have tried to put alid on new kits for a while.......

I can organize a pack of modeling clay if you like....

[Donkeywalloper]

Holy Moly, what a kit, what a build
Stupendous job chap on this massive kit, and a lovely paint job to boot.
DW

[Tomcat64]

That looks great with its stripes! Cracking work mate

[Engine95]

Man, I really like the look of that dark grey and tan. Looks amazing sir!

[Kevthemodeller]

Some very neat masking there mate

I just love Tamiya or Mr Hobby any of their paint ranges to be honest I've turned my back on water based acrylics to be honest, just wasting them out none will be replaced. Some are good but they take a bit a faff, lots of very thin coats etc and you just never know when the tip dry or all the other well known issues they suffer are going to strike, especially when doing small and fine detail work.

Tamiya and Mr Hobby just work every time no faff big, small, detail work and long sessions you name it they work

[Stokesy44]

Some very neat masking there mate

I just love Tamiya or Mr Hobby any of their paint ranges to be honest I've turned my back on water based acrylics to be honest, just wasting them out none will be replaced. Some are good but they take a bit a faff, lots of very thin coats etc and you just never know when the tip dry or all the other well known issues they suffer are going to strike, especially when doing small and fine detail work.

Tamiya and Mr Hobby just work every time no faff big, small, detail work and long sessions you name it they work

Couldn't agree more Kev. The only time I look beyond those brands is when they dont do the colour I need. I've just bought some Mission Models red oxide and I'm looking forward to seeing how it goes when I need it.

[digger303]

Some very neat masking there mate

I just love Tamiya or Mr Hobby any of their paint ranges to be honest I've turned my back on water based acrylics to be honest, just wasting them out none will be replaced. Some are good but they take a bit a faff, lots of very thin coats etc and you just never know when the tip dry or all the other well known issues they suffer are going to strike, especially when doing small and fine detail work.

Tamiya and Mr Hobby just work every time no faff big, small, detail work and long sessions you name it they work

Couldn't agree more Kev. The only time I look beyond those brands is when they dont do the colour I need. I've just bought some Mission Models red oxide and I'm looking forward to seeing how it goes when I need it.

I'v been using some just for brush painting some figures and that's all I use them for now. Just to throw another one out there that I haven't used yet, but may do as it comes premixed ready to spray and in 30ml bottles is this Aussie grown lacquer paint..https://www.scalemodeller.com.au


Ps.... damn 30ml bottle won't fit on my paint rack.

[Kevthemodeller]

Just to throw another one out there that I haven't used yet, but may do as it comes premixed ready to spray and in 30ml bottles is this Aussie grown lacquer paint..https://www.scalemodeller.com.au


Ps.... damn 30ml bottle won't fit on my paint rack.

They look very similar to Mission, I wonder if they're a relabel

[digger303]

Just to throw another one out there that I haven't used yet, but may do as it comes premixed ready to spray and in 30ml bottles is this Aussie grown lacquer paint..https://www.scalemodeller.com.au


Ps.... damn 30ml bottle won't fit on my paint rack.

They look very similar to Mission, I wonder if they're a relabel

Not as far as I know. Promoted as a home grown product and starting to explore the possibilities of exporting to other countries.

[ElCapitan]

Looks amazing! It's not often you see those two colours being used together. Enjoy the detail painting, its often my favourite part - minimal setting up/cleaning down, and you can just do a couple of minutes work here and there as you choose.

[Stokesy44]

Looks amazing! It's not often you see those two colours being used together. Enjoy the detail painting, its often my favourite part - minimal setting up/cleaning down, and you can just do a couple of minutes work here and there as you choose.

Thanks. That's exactly how I feel when I switch from the AB to brush work. I can just potter away.

[Stokesy44]

I switched needles in my H&S so I could fine tune the camo. I used a 0.4 needle when I sprayed the yellow last week and it is bit agricultural for the edges. The 0.2 needle is a bit more precise.











Then it was time for the detail painting. The colour callouts on the kit are virtually non-existent so I have used reference pictures for detail. Mostly museum pieces which aren't always the best but hey, its better than nothing.









Its quite a beast. In its AA role for a glam shot!



Next up are decals, chipping and what I expect to be a mammoth dry brushing session. Then it will be a gloss coat and a dirt wash. A lot more to do!

[BigWall]

This is looking absolutely excellent! Nice work

[Kevthemodeller]

Now you're talking, looking good can't wait to see the decals and weathering

[Stokesy44]

Thanks guys

Finally started on the weathering. First up was a dry brushing technique I saw on Andy's Hobby HQ. I added white to the base colors then bry brushed the edges and corners. I then used a slightly wetter mix and brushed over the base color in an attempt to kind of 'metalize' the paintwork. I didn't take any pictures before I started the oil work on the gun and mount but the platform hasn't had any oils on it yet.




Its subtle but its there.

Then I did the wheel sets. A dark oil wash for all the structure and controls then some filtering and streaking on the mudguards





I applied filters to the gun shield then a gloss coat before a Ultimate dirt wash



I then got started on the gun and mount. Oils on top of the paint effects I had already applied











Next is the oil work on the platform them I can make a start on the paint chipping then finish it off with pigments for dust.

[digger303]