Post by Smudge on Aug 2, 2012 11:12:58 GMT -5
Sorry guys this is photo heavy 
Introduction:
I have to admit that I am not much of an artillery fan. Even in my preferred area which is WW2 British and Commonwealth subjects it holds little interest. However I have always been intrigued by the dreaded 88, maybe because it’s such an iconic piece of kit?
The 88mm Flak gun was produced between 1933 and 1945. Early versions included the high profile Flak 18, 36 and 37 which are the versions that I recognise as The 88. The final version was the Flak 41 which is the subject of this review; Bronco’s kit#CB35067 88mm L71 Flak 41 AA Gun w/Crew.
The Flak 41 was the last in the line of Germany’s flak programme. Developed to combat high flying allied aircraft it had a much lower profile because of its lower cradle on a turntable mounting which meant the trunnions could be mounted low and to the rear. The compensators were mounted on the right side of the barrel rather than the underneath. This reduction in height meant that a lower gun shield could be fitted for crew protection (and this folded sideways reducing further its width by about half during transit). The weapon was transported by means of the common trailer for flak guns, the Sonderanhänger 202 (SdAnh 202).
The longer barrel (71 calibres hence L71) meant the gun performed almost as well as the 128mm. This came at a cost as the cartridges could swell in the chamber making extraction difficult, and a more intensive maintenance/servicing regime was required to combat this. Because of this issue most Flak 41’s were deployed in defence of The Reich (seemingly just over 500 units), however a number were sent to The Afrika Korps in 1942 although half of the 44 sent were lost in transit. The remainder were lost in action, or captured by The Allies in The western Desert or Italy as late as 1944.
The preview:
This is a photo heavy preview. Like they say a picture (or 48) speaks a thousand words.
Firstly the kit consists of 12 sprues of light grey injection moulded styrene for the gun, crew and ammo/accessories. Note the SdAnh 202 trailer is not provided in this kit. A fret of photo etched brass is also provided, as are a set of decals for both the gun and ammo. It’s packaged in the usual Bronco robust box, all parts packed separately in plastic bags to avoid loss or parts in transit, or damage. The glossy instruction book is in the normal exploded diagram format with notes and CAD drawings to explain the complex procedures. I’ll post the instructions later so you can see just how involved the build is. As a bonus a small A4 poster of the boxart is included; ideal for the mancave’s wall?
Production quality is first class. A tiny amount of flash (mainly on the figures which are older and from Dragon) is evident but nothing out of the ordinary. Seam lines are minimal to none existent, the most important to get right is the one piece slide moulded barrel and recouperator parts which have a very fine line; a short wipe with a sanding stick should sort those out easily. There are ejection pin marks of course but I can’t see any that will be visible after assembly, being either underneath the parts or hidden by supplementary pieces. PE provides many of tiny parts for extra detail, including the base of the 88mm cartridges. The parts count is amazing although it doesn’t manage to look too daunting even for the likes of me.
As for accuracy? I’m not a rivet counter but I have been lucky to get hold of many photos of the gun that was at the US Army Ordnance Museum, a restored weapon (again in museum I couldn’t identify), and period photos and publications. Unfortunately I can’t reproduce them for copy-write reasons. What I can say is that is Bronco have missed anything it’s not for the want of trying…everything seems to be exactly where it should be.
A number of photos can be found here www.flickr.com/photos/chrisstreckfus/page548/ and on the previous page.
Decals are provided for three colour options; see more later when I post the instructions. These are all of unidentified units in unidentified locations/dates. I have seen a black and white picture of option three with all the kill markings on the right hand shield and its spot on. Markings as mentioned are provided for both the gun and ammo crates, packing tubes and even individual rounds. Just one point to note; the decals number 10 and 11, the dials for the azimuth and elevation indicators, may be best fitted during construction especially if the shields are being built closed. If being built open the access isn’t as bad.
The sprues are as follows:
Sprue A (1)
Mainly covering the carriage which is built over the first eight stages. The detail is excellent even the cruciform side legs can be made to fold with the careful application of adhesive. The platform itself is made up of six main sections to which the side legs and other details are added.
Sprue b (1)
This contains many of the tiny (and very tiny) details parts. Take care lest the carpet monster gets some.
Sprue C (1)
This contains the main parts for the cradle and side mounted compensators, and elevation and azimuth aimers stations, and is built over 14 stages. An immense amount of details is fitted to these main parts, for example the fuse setters station is made from approx 26 parts over several stages from several sprues, not counting the fuse setting machine.
Sprues Da and Db ( 2 each)
These four sprues include a myriad of details parts for use across pretty much the whole kit (excluding I think just the barrel and breech). Note the ground spikes with holes moulded straight through…amazing detail; and the seats which are made up of up to six parts each which can be built stowed or deployed. These sprues also provide many of the small parts needed for the fuse setting machine seen on the left of the cradle.
Sprue Ea (1)
This consists of the four main pieces for the crew shield. Moulded commendably thin it is detailed with many tiny parts including PE. I have to say I find the instructions for the building of the shields quite confusing I think a great deal of care will be needed here to get the most from the kit. Note even the ejection pin marks will be covered by supplementary parts
Sprue F (1)
Containing parts for the gun cradle, breech and barrel, it’s the latter that really stands out for me. The breech detailed from other sprues is almost a tiny kit in its own right.
The huge L71 barrel comes in three parts each moulded in one piece with just a very fine seam line to remove. The part that joins the front and rear barrels parts even as tiny screws moulded on. The end of the barrel even as the rifling represented inside for the first few mm’s. I reckon it would be only the perfectionist who’d need to swap this for a turned metal part.
Photo etch (1)
This is a nicely done fret. Note the base of the rounds even have differant markings engraved! Some parts are really tiny requiring some careful and considerate bending especially those required for the shields. See stages 31-33 of the instructions later.
Ammunition (1)
A fair amount of ammunition is provided. Not enough though more will be needed so hopefully Bronco will release this as a separate set like with their other artillery pieces. In total six rounds of three types are provided, with PE and decals as mentioned. Make sure you marry up the right PE parts to the right round types as per the instructions.
Three very well moulded crates (six parts each) and three tube containers ( three parts each) with decals are also provided.
Accessories (1)
An excellent R36 range finder and carrying case is provided. Again slide moulding is evident with the case having almost a full interior before other parts are added. In total six parts make up the container. The rangefinder consists of a further eight parts including backpack.
Figures (2)
Two sprues are provided for the figures although only one is mentioned on the parts list (sprue M). A close look show sprue M to be indeed the two sprues but separated. The six crew figures therefore come with spare parts…an extra pair of legs, two heads and seven arms (three left and four right) which will be potentially useful. The figures are the usual multipose variety and are an older Dragon kit, but they are still very good and a real bonus IMHO. More crew may be needed; a Flak 41 had 11 crew altogether. The crew are dressed in winter oversuits so are suitable for colder months only, and they have some great detail and nicely done faces.
Conclusion:
A highly detailed and accurate kit of a brute of a weapon, best described as an 88mm on steroids! It’s going to be a complex build and not something that will be done over the weekend IMHO but I’m sure the results will be just as impressive as the kit.
The lack of a wheeled trailer makes this unsuitable for a towed vehicle although oddly the instructions show how to build the kit in both the towed and deployed configuration. Most of the photos I’ve seen are of guns in combat/after action situations with the SdAnh 202 in close proximity so it would have been a nice inclusion, although I reckon the majority of the guns used in the defence of Germany may have not had them immediately to hand as a quick combat move wouldn’t have always been deemed necessary. I reckon this kit is best placed in some sort of static defence scenario rather than a fast moving combat situation, (see note on the figures).
On saying that Bronco have just announced the release of kit CB35114 German 88mm L71 FlaK 41 Anti-Aircraft Gun w/Sd.Ah.202 Trailer so the choice is pretty simple…with crew or without, with trailer or without? Depends on what you want to portray?
The figures are great and a useful inclusion although a crew of a Flak 41 numbered 11. Their dress restricts this kit to the battles in Germany I reckon, if used. Again more ammo would have been nice but what Bronco has supplied is typical or kits like this regardless of who makes it. I suspect Bronco will release the ammo set separately. If not there always the AM companies I think Verlinden makes a set of 88mm ammo, amongst others.
So; maybe Bronco has converted me to artillery after all because I think this kit is just great?
Highly recommended
Thanks to Bronco for the review sample
Instructions to follow
Introduction:
I have to admit that I am not much of an artillery fan. Even in my preferred area which is WW2 British and Commonwealth subjects it holds little interest. However I have always been intrigued by the dreaded 88, maybe because it’s such an iconic piece of kit?
The 88mm Flak gun was produced between 1933 and 1945. Early versions included the high profile Flak 18, 36 and 37 which are the versions that I recognise as The 88. The final version was the Flak 41 which is the subject of this review; Bronco’s kit#CB35067 88mm L71 Flak 41 AA Gun w/Crew.
The Flak 41 was the last in the line of Germany’s flak programme. Developed to combat high flying allied aircraft it had a much lower profile because of its lower cradle on a turntable mounting which meant the trunnions could be mounted low and to the rear. The compensators were mounted on the right side of the barrel rather than the underneath. This reduction in height meant that a lower gun shield could be fitted for crew protection (and this folded sideways reducing further its width by about half during transit). The weapon was transported by means of the common trailer for flak guns, the Sonderanhänger 202 (SdAnh 202).
The longer barrel (71 calibres hence L71) meant the gun performed almost as well as the 128mm. This came at a cost as the cartridges could swell in the chamber making extraction difficult, and a more intensive maintenance/servicing regime was required to combat this. Because of this issue most Flak 41’s were deployed in defence of The Reich (seemingly just over 500 units), however a number were sent to The Afrika Korps in 1942 although half of the 44 sent were lost in transit. The remainder were lost in action, or captured by The Allies in The western Desert or Italy as late as 1944.
The preview:
This is a photo heavy preview. Like they say a picture (or 48) speaks a thousand words.
Firstly the kit consists of 12 sprues of light grey injection moulded styrene for the gun, crew and ammo/accessories. Note the SdAnh 202 trailer is not provided in this kit. A fret of photo etched brass is also provided, as are a set of decals for both the gun and ammo. It’s packaged in the usual Bronco robust box, all parts packed separately in plastic bags to avoid loss or parts in transit, or damage. The glossy instruction book is in the normal exploded diagram format with notes and CAD drawings to explain the complex procedures. I’ll post the instructions later so you can see just how involved the build is. As a bonus a small A4 poster of the boxart is included; ideal for the mancave’s wall?
Production quality is first class. A tiny amount of flash (mainly on the figures which are older and from Dragon) is evident but nothing out of the ordinary. Seam lines are minimal to none existent, the most important to get right is the one piece slide moulded barrel and recouperator parts which have a very fine line; a short wipe with a sanding stick should sort those out easily. There are ejection pin marks of course but I can’t see any that will be visible after assembly, being either underneath the parts or hidden by supplementary pieces. PE provides many of tiny parts for extra detail, including the base of the 88mm cartridges. The parts count is amazing although it doesn’t manage to look too daunting even for the likes of me.
As for accuracy? I’m not a rivet counter but I have been lucky to get hold of many photos of the gun that was at the US Army Ordnance Museum, a restored weapon (again in museum I couldn’t identify), and period photos and publications. Unfortunately I can’t reproduce them for copy-write reasons. What I can say is that is Bronco have missed anything it’s not for the want of trying…everything seems to be exactly where it should be.
A number of photos can be found here www.flickr.com/photos/chrisstreckfus/page548/ and on the previous page.
Decals are provided for three colour options; see more later when I post the instructions. These are all of unidentified units in unidentified locations/dates. I have seen a black and white picture of option three with all the kill markings on the right hand shield and its spot on. Markings as mentioned are provided for both the gun and ammo crates, packing tubes and even individual rounds. Just one point to note; the decals number 10 and 11, the dials for the azimuth and elevation indicators, may be best fitted during construction especially if the shields are being built closed. If being built open the access isn’t as bad.
The sprues are as follows:
Sprue A (1)
Mainly covering the carriage which is built over the first eight stages. The detail is excellent even the cruciform side legs can be made to fold with the careful application of adhesive. The platform itself is made up of six main sections to which the side legs and other details are added.
Sprue b (1)
This contains many of the tiny (and very tiny) details parts. Take care lest the carpet monster gets some.
Sprue C (1)
This contains the main parts for the cradle and side mounted compensators, and elevation and azimuth aimers stations, and is built over 14 stages. An immense amount of details is fitted to these main parts, for example the fuse setters station is made from approx 26 parts over several stages from several sprues, not counting the fuse setting machine.
Sprues Da and Db ( 2 each)
These four sprues include a myriad of details parts for use across pretty much the whole kit (excluding I think just the barrel and breech). Note the ground spikes with holes moulded straight through…amazing detail; and the seats which are made up of up to six parts each which can be built stowed or deployed. These sprues also provide many of the small parts needed for the fuse setting machine seen on the left of the cradle.
Sprue Ea (1)
This consists of the four main pieces for the crew shield. Moulded commendably thin it is detailed with many tiny parts including PE. I have to say I find the instructions for the building of the shields quite confusing I think a great deal of care will be needed here to get the most from the kit. Note even the ejection pin marks will be covered by supplementary parts
Sprue F (1)
Containing parts for the gun cradle, breech and barrel, it’s the latter that really stands out for me. The breech detailed from other sprues is almost a tiny kit in its own right.
The huge L71 barrel comes in three parts each moulded in one piece with just a very fine seam line to remove. The part that joins the front and rear barrels parts even as tiny screws moulded on. The end of the barrel even as the rifling represented inside for the first few mm’s. I reckon it would be only the perfectionist who’d need to swap this for a turned metal part.
Photo etch (1)
This is a nicely done fret. Note the base of the rounds even have differant markings engraved! Some parts are really tiny requiring some careful and considerate bending especially those required for the shields. See stages 31-33 of the instructions later.
Ammunition (1)
A fair amount of ammunition is provided. Not enough though more will be needed so hopefully Bronco will release this as a separate set like with their other artillery pieces. In total six rounds of three types are provided, with PE and decals as mentioned. Make sure you marry up the right PE parts to the right round types as per the instructions.
Three very well moulded crates (six parts each) and three tube containers ( three parts each) with decals are also provided.
Accessories (1)
An excellent R36 range finder and carrying case is provided. Again slide moulding is evident with the case having almost a full interior before other parts are added. In total six parts make up the container. The rangefinder consists of a further eight parts including backpack.
Figures (2)
Two sprues are provided for the figures although only one is mentioned on the parts list (sprue M). A close look show sprue M to be indeed the two sprues but separated. The six crew figures therefore come with spare parts…an extra pair of legs, two heads and seven arms (three left and four right) which will be potentially useful. The figures are the usual multipose variety and are an older Dragon kit, but they are still very good and a real bonus IMHO. More crew may be needed; a Flak 41 had 11 crew altogether. The crew are dressed in winter oversuits so are suitable for colder months only, and they have some great detail and nicely done faces.
Conclusion:
A highly detailed and accurate kit of a brute of a weapon, best described as an 88mm on steroids! It’s going to be a complex build and not something that will be done over the weekend IMHO but I’m sure the results will be just as impressive as the kit.
The lack of a wheeled trailer makes this unsuitable for a towed vehicle although oddly the instructions show how to build the kit in both the towed and deployed configuration. Most of the photos I’ve seen are of guns in combat/after action situations with the SdAnh 202 in close proximity so it would have been a nice inclusion, although I reckon the majority of the guns used in the defence of Germany may have not had them immediately to hand as a quick combat move wouldn’t have always been deemed necessary. I reckon this kit is best placed in some sort of static defence scenario rather than a fast moving combat situation, (see note on the figures).
On saying that Bronco have just announced the release of kit CB35114 German 88mm L71 FlaK 41 Anti-Aircraft Gun w/Sd.Ah.202 Trailer so the choice is pretty simple…with crew or without, with trailer or without? Depends on what you want to portray?
The figures are great and a useful inclusion although a crew of a Flak 41 numbered 11. Their dress restricts this kit to the battles in Germany I reckon, if used. Again more ammo would have been nice but what Bronco has supplied is typical or kits like this regardless of who makes it. I suspect Bronco will release the ammo set separately. If not there always the AM companies I think Verlinden makes a set of 88mm ammo, amongst others.
So; maybe Bronco has converted me to artillery after all because I think this kit is just great?
Highly recommended
Thanks to Bronco for the review sample
Instructions to follow
…
many times
