Dragon 1:35 flakpanzer 38t and Opel Maultier ambulance

[MarkVerploeg]

hi guys
this is the build thread of my entry into the D-Day group build
i had the idea for a while now and after some searching i found that atleast the flakpanzer 38t was a common sight in Normandy
the Maultier ambulance is in the stash for a while as i have it since it was released and i just opened it recently but there was no clear marking option for a regiment or division so to go by the rules of the gb i will search for the right unit to make it a proper entry
My plan is to make a feldlazaret as the Germans called it
this will be a field hospital for all the non German speaking people of us (me included)
so the ambulance will be in the foreground with some medics and wounded (and some less lucky) soldiers
the flakpanzer will stand near to fight of any fighter bombers that could attack the both of them
it should not be a scene from scream the d-day edition so not to much blood and gore as i don't like that myself
but i do want to make a scene that show the dark side of war and the side we as modellers tend to avoid
the reason i could use the flakpanzer aswell is that in the beginning of the libiration of Europe the ambulances didn't have the red cross sign on top of them so a fighter pilot could attack it as it looked like a regular military vehicle
but that changed and they got left alone as there was a sense of honor back in those days that you didn't shoot at medics and already wounded soldiers
but that is the story behind the scene i still need to work out some final details but that should come once the building begins

so the vehicles that are present with some history and specifications
the flakpanzer 38t :
oficial name : 2 cm flak 38 auf panzerkampfwagen 38(t) ausfurung M
country of origin : Czechoslovakia
manufactuter : B.M.M. in Prague
in use by : Nazi Germany
prouction period: dec.1943 till dec.1944
prodution numbers : 141 including 1 prototype
crew :4 there are : 1 commander ,1 gunner ,1 driver and 1 loader
combat weight : 9800 kg
total lenght 4610 mm or 15ft 1,5 in
width : 2135 mm or 7ft 0,06 in
height : 2252 mm or 7ft 4,65 in
ground clearance : 400 mm or 1ft 3,75 in
engine: Praga AC watercooled 6 cilinder petrol engine 7750cc
power output: 111,9 kw at 2600 rpm or 150 bhp
transmission Praga-Wilson CV/TNHP 5 speed + 1 reverse
max speed road 42 km/h or 26.1 mph
max speed cross country 20 km/h or 12.4 mph
range road : 185 km or 115 miles
range cc : 140 km or 87 miles
max climbing gradient : 30 degrees or a 67 % climb
trench crossing : 1.8 m or 70.9 in
fording/wading depth : 0.9 m or 35.4 in
armament : 2 cm flugzeug abwehrkanonne 38 l/65 flak 38 for short
ammo : 1040 rounds in total in 20 round magazines
ammo types : brisantes spreng granate /high explosive 720 rounds /36 magazines and panzergranate/armor piercing 320 rounds/16 magazines

history and use
the vehicle it self is based on the czech 38t tank that the German army adopted shortly after the invaded Czechoslovakia during the first year of the war
they soon discovered that altough small this chassis was both strong and adaptable for many tasks
but most versions are tank hunters or support vehicles
a few years later in 1943 the Germans where getting on the defence and they where losing the air dominance they had in the early years so there became a need for fast moving mobile anti aircraft guns that could keep up with the armored vehicles and fight off planes that where attacking the German ground forces
one of the vehicles that was designed for this task was the flakpanzer 38t based on the rather fast panzer 38t and armed with the standard 2 cm flak 38 that was in use since the beginning of the war
but this vehicle was not as well armed as some other designs that where based on the panzer IV chassis
this was able to handle flak 38 vierling guns (4 cannons) or the heavy flak37 wich used a heavy 3,7 cm round that was used to knock out tanks in the early days altough in tank guns the aa was a automatic firing weapon
and as the strenght of the Soviet airforce increased the decision was made that the flakpanzer would be used on the west front where the situation was calmer and the single gun was enough for the moment
it was handed out to a few panzer division such as a ss division and the hitlerjugend panzer division
by june '44 the flakpanzer was becoming a target instead of an defender because planes like the hurricane d and the typhoon where made to hunt down tanks and the single flak 38 was not always enough to scare of a pilot from attacking them
most of the flakpanzer 38 vehicles where either destroyed or captured during the Normandy campaigne except for the ones that where on the east front
today only 4 complete vehicles still excist , 1 of them is owned by a private collector and 1 is believed to be owned by a other private collector but that is not verified the others are in French musea
here are some photo's of the vehicle








these last 2 photo's actually where made in Normandy

now lets look at the kit

box art


instructions and paint guide
there are a lot of spare parts in this kit


all the stuff from the goodie card
the pe on the bottom row is all for the gun ,the big fret is for the vehicle itself

















and that are all the sprues for the vehicle
next up the sprues for the gun






and not in the kit but i will use these too

i do have some photo etch magazines for the gun that i will use aswell
so that is all for now
i will do the start/intro piece for the ambulance tomorrow as this one is long enough
so all i have to say is : let's get this party started
cheers Mark

[mannloon]

Great idea. The flakpanzer 38(t) is one of the few german afv's that was for sure in action on d-day with 21st panzer. I love the idea of a darker or more realistic piece. Looking forward to this.

[MarkVerploeg]

Thanks mate
I wanted to do such a thing for a while
Now i have an excuse to build it

[fly1ngdutchm4n]

Nice Mark!
I have build one in the past, this kit is a great kit!
Following with interest!

[Rob]

Nice intro and an interesting subject. Looking forward to seeing it come together

[MarkVerploeg]

Thanks Frans and Rob
I just saw that the decal sheet has been cut though and some unit markings are missing
But i have a second kit of this but the ausf. L
That has the same decal sheet but that one is still complete so maybe i will have borrow some decals there or use some from my collection of left over decals
So today i will start building and we'll see how everything goes
Cheers Mark

[MarkVerploeg]

hi guys
so update time
i do have one little thing:
i mentionned that i would do the intro/sprue shots of the ambulance right after the one for the flakpanzer
but i think it is better if i did the building of the flakpanzer first and make the intro for the ambulance when i start building it

so let's see if there is some progress

STEP 1

as always with armor the build starts with the wheels
but to keep the builing order as per instructions i made them right away
instead of later when i actually need them
aslo the suspension needs to be assembled but i did it a bit different


the roadwheels have a lot of detail on both sides
after i sanded down the seamline that runs over the sides , i sanded the edge of the tyre aswell to give it some wear and tear


all the options for the idlers and sprockets
the ones on the left are the correct variants for this vehicle the ones on top came from the friul kit as it can be that the friul tracks won't have a good fit on the kit parts
the right side shows the other options included in the kit


all the parts for the suspension


unlike the instructions i assembled the suspension on the hull


finished suspension
all still workable


STEP 2

i didn't add all the parts yet ,i left the spare tracks and track holder seperate so when i get to weathering the tracks i won't spill rust pigments on the hull


step 2 completed
the idlers and sprockets will be added after painting


STEP 3

again not a big step and the suspension was installed already so i only added the bach tow hooks




STEP 4

drivers compartment ,unlike the 38t wich is the base for this chassis the flakpanzer only has 1 seat because there is no radio operator


seat and transmission


STEP 5

the praga ac engine and the radiator


engine step 1


engine step 2


engine step 3 and it is complete


the radiator has a very nice detailed front but this will be invisible once it is installed


STEP 6

installing everything in the hull


all the new parts for this step


so i started painting the and weatering on the interior parts
the fuel tanks are painted with vallejo model air camo green
smaller details are painted with revell 09 antracite
then the got a heavy chipping treatment with a sponge and vallejo gunmetal grey
i then applied ak track wash to get all the details up


the bulkhead was installed for the painting
i used tamiya flat white in the front and tamiya red brown in the back
this to get a light primer color
then the front got a washing with mig productions neutral wash


the transmission was chipped with gunmetal grey aswell and then had the same neutral wash
the seat was painted with vallejo leather brown and to make it look used i added a small amount of mig europe dust pigments to the centers of the seat and backrest


the engine and radiator are painted with vallejo model air black and where repainted using mr metal dark iron
this was then buffed to get this effect


the flywheel was buffed a bit more


i then added ak engine grime and engine oil


the engine grime was mainly used near and on the horizontal surfaces of the engine


a bit of engine oil was added near the oilcap of the transmission


the fueltanks needed some fuel stains so i used ak fuel stains
the way i used is pretty simple but gives a nice effect imo
first put some of the fuel stains on the surface then use some white spirit to dilute and spread the stain
this way you get a bigger stain but more transparrent
this was then repeated but with less thinning so the color is less diluted
also this second stain should be smaller then the first
and then i added a third layer wich doesn't get thinned at all
i only used a bit of thinner to make the streaks on the sides by dragging a flat brush downwards after it was moistened with a bit of thinner
the same was done to the oil stains on the engine


then i started rusting the exhaust pipe
for this i mix a bit of tamiya thinner with mig old rust pigments
to get a sort of paint but this is looking like a dust when dry
this "paint" was then brushed on the exhaust


next i did the same with some mig standard rust pigment
this was stippled on in a random way


next i did the stippling again but with the first color
so it blends down a bit
i also added some mig dark wash to the point where the pipe coonects to other part to make them darker
these point would have a weldseam in real life


i then sarted the build up of the interior
the instructions want you to put in the two walls first but it is better to work front to back and adding the walls when needed
so this is the drivers compartment


and the engine compartment
this will be covered later on in the build but i will try to get the engine covers on without using glue
so this will be visible later on

and that is all for now
i hope you guys like it so far
and all i have to say about the kit is that it is pretty good so far
so thanks for watching and untill next time
cheers Mark

[Apple]

Awesome dude..
Goed bezig !!

[MarkVerploeg]

Thanks Apple
Too bad so little of it will be seen later on
But now it is off to the bench again to get on with this build
I know it is just started but i have an idea for a second entry already
And this one already has 2 vehicles so time is of the essence
Cheers Mark

[Apple]

I know about thinking of new models while still building one.
I allready have picked my vietnam build.
That's going to be a Douglas A-1 Skyraider.. Love those Sandy's !!
Build on mate.. Build on !!

[MarkVerploeg]

I know about thinking of new models while still building one.
I allready have picked my vietnam build.
That's going to be a Douglas A-1 Skyraider.. Love those Sandy's !!
Build on mate.. Build on !!

I kind of went ahead with future gb and sig builds
For all the ones i want to join i have the kit ready and waiting
The vietnam build is the only one that is missing but i'm searching for a large scale figure for it to make a sog vignette

[rodrant]

Mark , very nice entry , and that FlakPanzer interior is looking great !
Quite good the introduction made on the entry also .

Go on , I like what I saw so far , this GB will keep us busy on watching all these great entries

[MarkVerploeg]

Mark , very nice entry , and that FlakPanzer interior is looking great !
Quite good the introduction made on the entry also .

Go on , I like what I saw so far , this GB will keep us busy on watching all these great entries

Thanks Antònio
I'm still working on it (having a break) but dragon made a dumb move with the pe
I need some parts that are made into racks for the ammo cases but there are other parts in those pieces
I have to cut them out of there but i don't want to loose them
So i will have to wait with those untill i have to make the clamps for the.tools because these parts go on the clamps
But i will show that in the next update
Cheers Mark

[mannloon]

That's a great job on the interior. Really good.

[MarkVerploeg]

That's a great job on the interior. Really good.

Thank you
Glad you like it

[Nige201980]

Great start Mark you'll have it done in no time

[MarkVerploeg]

Great start Mark you'll have it done in no time

Thanks Nige
I had a few days without any thing planned so loads of building time for me

[Nige201980]

Great start Mark you'll have it done in no time

Thanks Nige
I had a few days without any thing planned so loads of building time for me

Snap mate

[MarkVerploeg]

Great start Mark you'll have it done in no time

Thanks Nige
I had a few days without any thing planned so loads of building time for me

Snap mate

Ain't no rest for the wicked
But i need a good pace at building
My plan involves 2 kits and figures always slow me down

[MarkVerploeg]

good evening
so i have a update for this build
up to this point the build is not very hard to do but there are a lot of miss labeled parts in the instructions wich is getting on my nerves a bit
for some things it comes in handy that i have 2 marders on the go aswell these have the same chassis and are the same up to about the fenders
so i had to check the instructions from those kits a few times but it is getting there
if you want to know wich boo boo's i found ,i marked them on the instructions with a pencil ,i changed the nuber of the part really

so lets look at the progress
STEP 7

the drawings for the armorplating
i kept the track holder and spare tracks seperate


i masked up the visionport and the hatch before i glue this upper hull plate to the hull
i want these parts open so i don't want paint in there



the armorplating for the back

STEP 8

here you need the parts from step 7 along with the fenders


and presto ,there it is
it all fits good but i glued the front brackets of the fender on when the fenders them selves where glued in place
this is because these last 2 brackets are placed in an angle and it is hard to just guess that angle ,this way you are sure it goes on the right way

STEP 9

some small stuff
dragon didn't mention the brackets for the jack anywhere but parts ma24 are the same as in my marder kits so i used them as they are no where in the instructions


i glued the box for the spare barrles closed but htere is a part that goes in there with 2 nice barrels for the ones who want it opened
the pe holder for the ammo boxes where made later


and this is why , it seems that dragon thinks this is a good way to make the pe fret
i don't as this gives a lot of unneeded clean up work

STEP 10

yeah tools


the wire cutters are from the spares bin as i was a bit clumsy and broke the kit part


as it is inpossible to paint in the toolbox later i thought i give this a try
i had this for a while and it is the same kind of product as the track burnishing liquid that Paul made a tutorial for
but then for photo etch
i used it but it went very slow ,so i got on and watched some tv but i fell asleep for a little while
when i came back it sure was black (it had been in the liquid for an hour)


here mthe tolbox is clearly visible
the best is to use the product before using the part ,al the parts that where exposed to the ca glue are still yellow


the clamps for the tools are not high enough for the tools to be placed on the fenders
because the brackets of the fenders get in the way , i solved this by cutting small tabs from a piece of styrene rod and glueing them to the clamps
the same had to be done to the axe on the other side

STEP 11



the left side of the interior


and the right side

STEP 12

the back panel


this panel needed a bit of force to stay in place while the glue was drying but the fit is good once everything has set
a not so nice touch are the hinges wich are molded seperate

STEP 13


you will have to choose if you want the panels up or down
this is because you will have to use different brackets on the panels
these brackets are a bit of a pain to clean up but a sanding stick will do the trick


i will paint the armor panels seperate
i'm not sure if this will be the easy way but i think it is so i will try it this way


there are 3 pe straps for the tow cable but as you can see i placed the cable on the side from the front to the back


a better view of the repositioned cable , i had to cut of a few cm to make this work but i like it as it adds some detail and intrest


and the gasmask tubes are added


and that is all for now
i stopped at this point because next up is the gun and i think that some background info on that is nice
so i hope you like it so far and untill next time
cheers Mark

[Coen]

I gotta say Mark, that is some beautiful work on that engine dude. First rate work in fact.
Nicely done.
And the kit looks to be a sweet build too. I'll be keeping an eye on it for two reasons now.. I have the same one in my stash haha.
So I'm looking to see if there's any huge problems
Great subject bud.

[MarkVerploeg]

Thanks Coen
Well i haven't had real issues but the instructions are littered with miss labeled parts
But i marked them in the instructions before i made the photo's so they are easy to find with the correct number
But i think the ambulance will be the hardest build with a full interior in the back , wich ofcourse needs to be showed
And i will have a try at modifing figures
Wich i never did ,except for changing an arm or leg
So i'm hoping for the best
But the flakpanzer is almost done building wise
I am working on the gun now and then there will be a few small things on the vehicle and she will be ready for paint
And then i will start on the ambulance so i can paint them at the same time
Cheers Mark

[Mike00]

Looking good so far, I like the subject and I will be following your progress.

[MarkVerploeg]

Looking good so far, I like the subject and I will be following your progress.

Thanks Mike
I think i will have a new update tonight or tomorrow
I need to finish the gun first and the engine covers
Then the building part should be done

[dahn]

Nice model choice Mark. Enjoying following your build!

[MarkVerploeg]

hi guys
so yet another update
the building part for this vehicle is done
it is still in pieces because i plan on painting some parts seperate but that is only small stuff and an aa gun
i did find one problem though it was the only one
but i can't get the gun with it's platform to sit right when i want to put it in it's cradle on the vehicle
i did a little bit of customizing and then it worked
i just glued a styrene tube underneath the bottom of the gun and drilled a hole of equal size in the gun cradle
now it is sitting a bit to high (about 0.5mm) but i can live with that

but first up
i went digging for some information about the flak 38 so i thought i could share it with you
so here we go

name: 2cm flugzeug abwehrkannone 38
calibre 20 mm .79in
shell : 20x138mmb (swiss design by origin)
weight : 450 kg or 992 lbs
lenght: 4.08 m or 13 ft 5in this is on the regular mount with platform
barrel lenght: 1.3 m or 4 ft 3 in it is an l/65 barrel (this means the barrel is 65 times longer then the calibre of the round so 65 times 2cm)
width: 1.81 m or 5 ft 11 in
height: 1.6 m or 5 ft 3 in
crew : 5 or 7 for the flak vierling (qoadgun) this had 2 extra loader to hnd over the magazines to the primary loaders
in service : april 1934 untill may 1945
used by : Nazi Germany and Finland
manufacturer : Rheinmetall-Borsig and Mauser
numbers build : over 144.000 individual cannons
produced : from 1934 untill 1945

the flak 38 is a redesigned version of the older flak 30 wich is the version that entered service in 1934
but the flak 30 proved to be less reliable then expected
it could jam when the round entered the gun from the magazine
and the rate of fire was not consistent it whent from 150 rounds up to 180 rounds per minute
this is why the commanders asked for a better version of this weapon
and so the flak 38 was born
it had a better rate of fire ,fireing 220 rounds per minute wich was a constant rate aswell
it was more reliable then the flak 30 in several ways but it didn't jam as often as the 30 because the bolt was redesigned making it easyer for the round to enter the weapon and be fired
the flak 38 also came in several version
the more known are:
the flakvierling ,this mounted 4 of these cannons
gebirgs flak , this had a reduced weight for movement in the mountains and was easy to take apart for use by airborn troops
the flak 38 also had been adapted to go in vehicles then it became known as the kwk 38 the barrel could be changed for a longer one but the receiver was the same
the way it was mounted would be chanced aswell for these purposes
the kwk version was mounted on vehicles like : sd.kfz 250/9 and the sd.kfz.234/1 both are reconnaisance vehicles
there are more weapons from that time that where named the flak 38 but there are very different
but i will show them anyway
here are the other flak 38's

this is the flak 38 10.5cm used by the luftwaffe

this is the flak38/103 also known as the "jabo schreck" it was based on the mk103 cannon used in aircraft like the me-262


the flakvierling

this is the older flak 30 you can see the barrel is different from the flak38 barrel

and this is the actual flak38 in the single cannon version
this is moved on a trailer that is U shaped
to pick it up it was moved around the base of the gun then the side with the towhook was lifted up to get the hooks on the in the eyelets on the base
then there was a hook on the front of the trailer this was hooked on the last eyelet of the base and raised up to drag the entire gun from the ground
it was towed by all kinds of tractors like the sd.kfz.251 and other half tracks



these are the 20x138b rounds


and the magazines with the rounds


and now for the build (finally)
STEP 14



the sides of the gun are easy to build but has good details

STEP 15



i replaced the barrel on the kit part with a barrel from afv club
this has more detail but the flash hider is much thinner and the parts that are open in real life are actually open on the brass barrel


the craddle and shield


the craddle is build
now all is missing is the gun

STEP 16

big step
a lot of parts are added
this step needs you to look at step 18 because the angle of the gun is fixed
and step 18 tells you wich parts are needed for the angle you choose




all the parts added
i picked the 20 degree angle for this build as i think it looks better if the gun is more level but not completly laying flat


STEP 17

the final parts are added


the net for the spend shells
i will paint these parts seperate because it will be very hard to get paint trough the mesh to cover the inside


the last parts together
i had to cut off a part of the pe mesh on the large round bit
this was blocking the the small half round part from being attached later

STEP 18

just to show the step really
this is more as a reference for steps 16 and 17

STEP 19

the final steps
i still have to build the friul tracks but i will do that later






all the parts are added at this point
the engine covers are friction fitted so if i want i can still show the engine

so that concludes both the building stage and this rather long update
i hope you guys like it and untill next time
cheers Mark

[MarkVerploeg]

Nice model choice Mark. Enjoying following your build!

thanks mate
i'm glad you like it
it is part of a bigger project though as there is still a ambulance and figures to be build
but i'm getting there

[Coen]

That's some really great work there Mark.
The detail surprised me a little. Pleasantly so.
Very nice.

[MarkVerploeg]

hi guys
this will be the intro for the second kit for this entry
as my fingers are itching to start and the flakpanzer is ready for paint i thought i would do this first before i actually start building this kit

so a bit of history about the maultier ambulance (the regular maultier specs)
name : Opel Blitz Maultier
used by: Nazi Germany
in service : 1942 untill 1945
designed in : 1942
weight 7.100 kg
lenght : 6 m
width : 2.2 m
height : 2.5 m
crew 2

the name Maultier is German for mule
this name was given to the vehicle just after it was first made because of the fact that is is made for transport
the first maultier was not made in a factory actually but was a field conversion to the regular Opel blitz cargo truck

the regular 4x2 Blitz truck
but once the advance on the eastern front fell victim to a reduction in speed due to the lack of roads in the Soviet Union
the soldiers themselves where searching for improvements to there vehicles
in this case a few soldiers of the transportation units came up with the idea that a half track would be better in these road less area's
because they could see that vehicle's like the sd.kfz. 251 didn't had these problems
but they would need a suspension system for this plan
and there where a few obselete panzer 1 tanks wich where about useless in the role of tank
so they removed the suspension and the differential from one of these panzers
and the adapted them for use on the blitz
i did find a small piece of text where a soldier that was involved in this development made the joke that they didn't do that much to make it
"we just drove the panzer 1 into the blitz and looked what was left"
so he says it is the result of a crash between the 2 vehicles
but in real life there wasn't a real development process like most vehicles had
after a while they made several of these Maultier half tracks and then some commanders saw what the soldiers did with the trucks
at first there was a bit of problem because the soldiers where not allowed to make such chances to the trucks but once they saw that these vehicles where much better suited for the envoirement they actually send a few back to Germany for proper research at the factories
and soon the production started
the Blitz was just one of the trucks that had this transformation
the mercedes-benz L3000 and a few pre war Ford trucks that they had
i don't have pictures of all the variants but i did find a few on Opel Maultier half tracks

the regular flat bed but with a flak aa gun

the transport version
if you look close you can see that the vehicle in the back is a Ford Maultier


overhere you can see the suspension a bit better and here is the original vehicle they belonged too

for this to work the suspension was turned around placing the springs on the outside but they are the same units


a redesigned version of the Maultier
this is the fully armored variant

and here some ambulance Maultier shots



the last pic. shows a Ford vehicle
but photo's of these vehicles are hard to find so i will use what i can find

and now a little look at the kit

the box art


instructions with the paint callouts
there are no unit markings in this kit but i have a bunch of leftover decals with unit markings so i'm sure i find some of a unit that was present in Normandy


the side covers of the engine are really good the vents are open so not just a rib but a real vent






















can't have an ambulance without stretchers





so that is whet is in this kit
i don't have a picture of everything in the bags as i forgot to make it
it looks like a good kit with lots of great details
but i think that the box is too big for the kit because i have 4 parts that snapped of the sprues so a bit of a shame really
i'm looking forward to building this kit as it looks like a nice kit and a some what new kit (2013)
so that is all for now
cheers Mark

[Apple]

holy beep..
looking great mate

[MarkVerploeg]

That's some really great work there Mark.
The detail surprised me a little. Pleasantly so.
Very nice.

Thanks Coen
It is a good kit
I just can't get the gun to sit good but because i glued everything to the gunbase before i tried to fit it ,it was too hard to get sanding again
So i glued in a tube on the bottom and drilled a hole in the mount of the gun and now it fits

[MarkVerploeg]

holy beep..
looking great mate

Thanks Apple

[peppie]

Wow, your going fast
Going great up to now.

That Maultier also looks like a very nice kit.

Keep this up.

[MarkVerploeg]

Wow, your going fast
Going great up to now.

That Maultier also looks like a very nice kit.

Keep this up.

Just trying to have a decent pace
But i build a bit fast anyway
And i am trying to get as much building done before the panther sig starts
Because that is running for less time then this gb
So i want to build and finish my panther and then come back to this build
The Maultier look good but it has some parts that came of the sprues
The detail is good though but i don't know about the fitting of it
I only made 2 wheels so far and the tyres are seperate for easy painting
But i will get back to it later today
Cheers Mark

[fly1ngdutchm4n]

Great progress Mark

[MarkVerploeg]

Thanks Frans
The Maultier is a harder build then the flakpanzer as i just noticed
I have been busy with other things the last days so there was little building but i did start the Maultier today
It is a bit different as i can't build it the way i like
I have to glue the front wheels in place because the steering is glued on there and other things like that
so this kit is more.complex then i thought but the detail is great and the fit of the parts is too
But i think i will have 3 updates for the building stage for the chassis,cab and the back
And then painting can begin
But i should be able to get the first update posted soon
Cheers Mark

[Rob]

Looking good! Great progress

[MarkVerploeg]

Looking good! Great progress

Thanks Rob
This kit will go a bit slower i think ,it is complex compared to the flakpanzer
But it looks good
Cheers Mark

[MarkVerploeg]

hi guys
so i have a new update (finally)
and this time for the Maultier
the kit itself has proven to be a bit more complex then the flakpanzer and a bit more planning could have been useful
but the detail is good and the parts all fit very nice
but let's go on to the build

STEP 1



these are the wheels for the front axle and the idler wheels
but the idlers look very plain to me but there is a option to replace them in a later step


the engine details look good but to be honest it still looks like the same as the italeri engines from the blitz truck
so a bit plain or i just had to high expectations

oh and a bit of a tip about this step
i like to paint my wheels seperate because the tyre is easy to paint this way
but because i didn't plan it very good i glued in the back of the wheel on to the front but the wheel is glued on small pins to the steering arms
so the tyre has to be glued on and can't be painted seperate
so my tip don't glue part E12 onto E13 and E8
this way you can paint the tyres before sticking them on part E12

STEP 2

a bit hard to see here but you make radiator and place the engine and radiator on the chassis
i skipped this at first
but here it is in parts

the chassis is a real pain in the butt to clean

STEP 3

steering parts ,too bad it doesn't move




so the parts from step 2 are in place another thing i will have to paint on the vehicle but i will get it done
it is going to take a bit more time that is all

STEP 4

this is a pretty big step as far as parts go


the parts for the framework
the previous steps all had a few parts
but in true dragon fashion this step includes about 30 parts at once


all the bits and pieces are made up to a whole
the fit is great even though this all looks fragile and fidelly

STEP 5



this step includes the second option for the idlers
in my opinion these look a lot better then the ones from step 1


this time i did leave off the back plate of the drive sprockets
so the fitting of the tracks will go a bit smoother , i hope


and that is where i'm at right now
next time the cab will be build
so i hope you like it and untill next time
cheers Mark

[robertw]

So many little fiddly bits. My favorite... Looking great so far!

[MarkVerploeg]

So many little fiddly bits. My favorite... Looking great so far!

Thanks mate
And yes a lot of small stuff
The suspension boogies have a lot of detail thanks to the small bits
the only thing that could inprove them are real springs but those really would be hard to get to the right lenght
Cheers Mark

[peppie]

Small details is good, as long as the plastic isn't to hard .
I build a ICM kit ones, a truck, had all nice small parts but half of them broke from cutting them off the sprue, and the other half from handeling it.

Still going strong there Mark.

[MarkVerploeg]

Small details is good, as long as the plastic isn't to hard .
I build a ICM kit ones, a truck, had all nice small parts but half of them broke from cutting them off the sprue, and the other half from handeling it.

Still going strong there Mark.

Thanks Peppie
And i don't worry about quality of the plastic
The styrene that dragon uses is good and it rarely snaps
I do know about ICM and it can be very hard building one of those kits
And of course the inportant parts break
But i will have a little break from this build i think
To start on my entry in the panther sig just to get that going and then i will return to this build
Cheers Mark

[UKguyInUSA]

They both look like detailed kits and you've made great progress so far, Mark.

But, in my ignorance to Armor modeling, I have a question that I always ask myself when watching guys build armor; after building everything up, how does one get nice even coats of paint onto all the surfaces that are hard to now reach in the web of assembled parts, some on top of each other?

Cheers,

Martin

[MarkVerploeg]

They both look like detailed kits and you've made great progress so far, Mark.

But, in my ignorance to Armor modeling, I have a question that I always ask myself when watching guys build armor; after building everything up, how does one get nice even coats of paint onto all the surfaces that are hard to now reach in the web of assembled parts, some on top of each other?

Cheers,

Martin

thanks Martin
well what i usually do is to paint the hard to reach stuff first
because on larger surfaces it is easy to reach so iff i get overspray from the hard to reach places it is easy to get it even on the big ones
and some parts i will paint seperate for ease
that is why i always end up with a little forest of parts on sticks
but it all depends on the subject you are building and some vehicles are not very hard at all like panthers or king tigers with long straight surfaces
but some early vehicles don't have that so more careful painting is needed
but most of all thin coats of paint will do the trick for me
as it is easy to create a smoother finish but in the end a piece of armor is never that smooth to begin with
i hope this helps a bit
cheers Mark

[UKguyInUSA]

They both look like detailed kits and you've made great progress so far, Mark.

But, in my ignorance to Armor modeling, I have a question that I always ask myself when watching guys build armor; after building everything up, how does one get nice even coats of paint onto all the surfaces that are hard to now reach in the web of assembled parts, some on top of each other?

Cheers,

Martin

thanks Martin
well what i usually do is to paint the hard to reach stuff first
because on larger surfaces it is easy to reach so iff i get overspray from the hard to reach places it is easy to get it even on the big ones
and some parts i will paint seperate for ease
that is why i always end up with a little forest of parts on sticks
but it all depends on the subject you are building and some vehicles are not very hard at all like panthers or king tigers with long straight surfaces
but some early vehicles don't have that so more careful painting is needed
but most of all thin coats of paint will do the trick for me
as it is easy to create a smoother finish but in the end a piece of armor is never that smooth to begin with
i hope this helps a bit
cheers Mark

Thanks for the response Mark....I see what you're saying, but when I looked at your assembly, none of the parts looked pre-painted, unless they are dry fitted in place to check fits etc? And, that's what got me wondering, how will he paint all those hard to reach underside surfaces. However you guys do it....they always look incredibly detailed and life-like. I've never watched any armor building videos, only aircraft, so maybe it's time for me to step out of the box and watch some videos and how you guys create these masterpieces.

Cheers,

Martin

[MarkVerploeg]

I think that is the best option
It is not possible for me to make a photo of me painting something
I would need an extra hand for that
As i can't hold the piece , the airbrush and my phone at the same time
But it is always harder to explain then to watch

[fly1ngdutchm4n]

Loads a tiny parts, but great detail!
Looks good so far Mark!

[MarkVerploeg]

Loads a tiny parts, but great detail!
Looks good so far Mark!

Thank you Frans
I did find a little booboo
In the back there should be some medical supplies for the medics to use
But these don't come with the kit ,so i will have to go through my little box of resin to find some things for it and the dio when i get to that point
I did go over the instructions and the parts for the cab and that should have some fine details ,much better then the blitz trucks i build in the past
I will start the panther sig first though as that runs for just 3 months but once painting on that starts i should get back to building this and a panther is not the hardest tank to build so it shouldn't take me that long
Cheers Mark

[MarkVerploeg]

hi all
well i have a new update
altough the plan was that i would be working on my Panther i have some stuff coming in for that so i can't go on with it
so in the meantime i will go on with this build
this update will be about the driverscab
once again dragon has proven itself for me
the detil is very nice and the fit is great
of course the instructions could be a bit better but if you pay a little bit attention they are fine

so lets go to the pictures
STEP 6

the bonnit or hood depends on where you live it think


a close up of the grill and emblem
the grill is molded very crisp and no sanding or cutting between the louvres is needed
the pe emblem is a very nice touch
this part is very thin so a bit of ca glue and just push it on the grill
no need for bending before glueing


as you can see the cooling ribs are really open
a fine example of the quality of this kit


the instructions let you choose the positions of the covers
because there is a nice engine in there i will leave 1 open

STEP 7

a bit of a strange angle for a photo
but this is for the cabine floor


the small blocks on the back panel are for holding maps and that sort of stuff
because they are molded seperate they are hollow
nice for when i start to dress up the interior


a view of the dash
the glove compartment is open that can be filled later with some small items that the medics would have either personal or profesional


the dails look good but i will use the decals when the interior is painted
maybe i will put a dap of klear in there to get the effect of glass



STEP 8

a nice fuel tank is added
i like the way that this is done because just like the real thing it drops in after the cab is installed


everything in place
just for now though


the other side shows it
none of the big parts are glued together
the hood does fit nice ,i think it popped up when i moved the model


STEP 9

the only thing missing so far are the clear parts
these will be added when the interior is finished


the doors are very nicely done
but they are very thick so maybe they resemble a armored door?


STEP 10

all these parts are fitted except the tools on the sides
these are glued on 2 of the big parts so they would connect the 2 wich i don't want just yet


the number plate has decals for it so that you can make each numberplate you want
but i have some pre printed photo etch lisence plates from eduard that i will try with this vehicle

STEP 11

a nice stowage box


as you can see the wheel is in parts and will be put together after painting
the stowage box has room for the spare wheel and 4 jerrycans
sadly these are not included in the kit
but i have bought a few italeri jerry can sets in the past and altough they each have a few jerrycans for either the USA,UK or Germany the design of the UK cans is the same as the Germans so i have more then enough
but if you are looking for some jerrycans the italeri kit is pretty good and one of the cheapest around
but in order to get the cans weathered to a decend level that must be done seperate
so the bar that holds them on the vehicle can't be glued just yet


and here are some things i just wanted to show you guys

the actual detail on the tyres


and Martin recently asked how i paint the things i build
well here are the bits i will paint and later assemble to end up with a complete cabine

so that is all for now
the next update will be about the back section wich can be a lot of work i think
but i will see how it goes
so i hope you guys like it and thanks for watching
untill next time
Cheers Mark