Selbstfahrlafette (Sd.Kfz.7/2) Flak 43 (Trumpeter 1/35)

[losboz]

I started Trumpeters Flak 43 many moons ago and pretty much gave up on her after a series of fitment issues. I have made a few of Trumpy's Sd.Kfz7 incarnations so I had remedied the running gear issues, got the tracks lined up nice and neat, left the idler unfixed so the track could be nicely adjusted and was bobbing along smoothly until I stoopidly decided to fit the bulkhead ahead of the instructions fit and it all went t*ts up I had partly painted sections before fitting so she sat like this for a couple of years

This year I happened upon some Mission Models paint and decided I would sort out the cab fit issues and give her a new paint job. Amazingly it wasn't a difficult fix. Attacking it with a fresh outlook had the cab finished and built within a couple of hours   A few light coats of hairspray were applied, the bonnet (hood) components were dry fitted, the running gear masked and then a base coat of MM late Dunkelgelb added

I distressed the paintwork with the aid of warm water, a tooth pic and various scrubbing implements and then added an oil filter over parts of the bodywork. The outer road wheels were weathered and added.  As I had originally almost competed the Flak 43 I popped the mount on the load bed. The darker paintwork added a bit of contrast so I scratched my head as to whether I should repaint or leave as?

[406 Silverado]

Looks great. Love the paint and weathering.
I have the Trumpy Sd 7 w/quad flak somewhere in the stash I bought some time ago but never started it.

[losboz]

Cheers Rob

If you do get to build it be sure to check out the Perth Military Modelling site for known build issues and fix issues on the running gear

[Leon]

Looking good!

[losboz]

Thanks Leon

The fighting deck sides were added and the Flak dry fitted to check out how the old Tamiya mix on the shield looked against the new Mission Models and its not a bad match. Wheels swapped out for the far superior Quick wheel resin items

I tried to lift the front axle a little to give the impression of the weight of the gun but on reflection because Trumpeter got the profile of the fenders a little flat I wish I had lifted it a little more

The collapsible crew bench was added along with the armoured radiator plate and cab top hatches

ID plates were added. These were the only markings on the vehicle

Bonnet is dry fitted and engine side hatches left off for now. I am not sure how they will be presented on the final model as yet but it does give me options

The finish looks really flat & dry at the moment but this will be lifted once I add a pin wash, further filters and some selected weathering.  I also need to add some pipework and pipe clamps in the engine bay

[losboz]

Unfortunately Trumpeter mixed up the details between the Sd.Ah.52 and Sd.Ah.56 trailer with the trailer chassis/frame being that of the Sd.Ah.52 while the trailer box and wheels is that of the late model Sd.Ah.56 trailer. It should also be noted the early Sd.Ah.56 trailer had a flat top while the later type had a rounded top as included in the kit. This combination results in the trailer box being off centre with the rear overhang being too great resulting in the centre of gravity being out of position.

The solution:

www.wmm.at/17-military-line/36-amunition-trailer-sdah-57.html?sid=g92lfm0cltsgkqga03bjefq5b2

This built up really nice and will be added to the final scene

[dupes]

Ooooooh. This is looking REALLY good! Love the finish.

[mustang1989]

Man this is VERY impressive losboz. Paint, weathering and details are at a premium on this thing.

[losboz]

Holy thread resurrection!

So, with just the five year gap let me try and catch up😳

This build has a had long and calamitous journey since it's inception and TBH it still isn't set in stone on a base even now! The vehicle is finished but the accompanying crew gear and accessories, although completed too, have not found their final resting place on the vehicle. There are many excuses for the delay but the one I like best is that it's been waiting for the right ammo trailer to accompany it in it's final resting place😉

99% completed






I did buy, build, paint and complete Wiener Modellbau's resin Sd.Ah57 trailer and started building a base but then a fellow modeller only went and researched, designed and printed an incredibly accurate 3D one. Looking at them side by side really does display the huge differences and highlights how crude the resin kit is by comparison.

Wiener Modellbau's trailer



Resin kit and WIP 3D kit comparison





The 3D trailer kit that was kindly printed for me was my very first foray into this new medium and I really enjoyed the challenge. It was tough going in parts, mainly due to my lack of knowledge and experience with this new way of working but man,  was the end result rewarding.! The incredibly fine detail on offer and true scale representation meant it was a delicate operation during assembly and even more so during painting and weathering.

3D printer trailer WIP






Sadly I was almost over the finishing line when the trailer took an impromptu sky dive off the bench😭😭 It was recoverable and has been 99% rebuilt but I felt the work involved to 'cover up' some of the damage distracted from the final look I was hoping for. The good news is,  I was sent enough parts to build two trailers and along with some kindly donated parts from some very kind hobby friends, I have started the second one.

Progress shots of the Sd.Kfz.7 Flak 43 and first 3D printed trailer before it shot off the bench!











The second built 3D trailer currently continues to get bench time in-between other projects.

[chromdome35]

Sweet! I really want to get into 3d printing, been researching resin printers. Do you know what this was printed with?

[losboz]

Thanks. I dont know TBH. The file can be downloaded from here: cults3d.com/en/3d-model/various/1-35-scale-sd-ah-56-57-ammunition-trailer

[chromdome35]

Thanks for the link! Can’t wait to see this finished!

[Tobi]

Beautiful! DY over everything is always a challenge, but the weathering is spot on!

[mustang1989]

I've always liked the look of the Sd7 Halftrack and built one in 1/72 scale when I was a kid. The flak version looks flat out bad a$$!! The attention to detail and your paint/ weathering is a real treat to the eyes on this bad boy. I've been wanting to build a flak version of either the GMC Bofers or something similar to this Sd7 here. Awesome work Los.

I hear what you're saying about 3D printing as well. I don't own a 3D printer just yet but really REALLY want one. I just got a 3D printed update set for Monogram's OS2U Kingfisher and I have to say that I'm quite impressed. I've been wanting to build a Kingfisher for a long time now but the only offering in 1/48 is the old Monogram kit that really sucks BUT....this update set made it a "go" for me.

[mrt51]

Outstanding work!

[Whiterook]

Love the paint work and weathering…a beauty to behold, this is! You use techniques I’ve not even gotten close to fully learning yet, like pin washes and filters, but builds like this are great inspiration to get going on that front; the little I’ve tried made a big difference, but I know I wasn’t using them quite right…practice will make perfect, but I really need to sit down and start studying!

Sometimes for me, it’s little things that jump out and make me take notice, wondering, how’d they do that? The front wheels believe it or not had me drooling… how’d you achieve that splendid weathering? Just gorgeous. (…I know, reading that back, I myself am like, ‘are you seriously getting that excited about tires?’)