Mercedes L 4500

[Lummox]

On 11/9/2022 at 10:59 AM, vaoinas said:

Terrific modeling you are doing here with this thing.
And congrats closing that cab. Having done a few full interior models myself
the feeling of closing something forever like this is very familiar.


Keep up the good work!
Kristjan

Cheers Kristjan. It's strange, I love models with full interiors, but also hate them in equal measure (as they take so long to do). At least with this one the interior will (mostly) be visible following closing (which makes a nice change).

 

On 11/11/2022 at 11:46 AM, Jochen Barett said:

I took the liberty to e-mail the museum people (the ones with the video) and ask them, the answer:

Bloody hell Jochen, talk about going the extra mile! Thank you so much for taking the trouble to help me out. 👍

 

On 11/11/2022 at 11:46 AM, Jochen Barett said:

"The drive (for the speedometer cable) is located at the gear output to the left shortly before the cardan shaft."

I think I understand what GW from Stammheim is saying, but the 'to the left' bit is throwing me slightly. I'm hoping he means on the left looking towards the rear of the vehicle as that would make sense to me. Here we have a picture of the engine, transmission and drive shaft leading to the transfer case:

 

I think that GW is suggesting that the speedometer housing is somewhere around the circled area?

 

Which could perhaps explain what we see here (though why there are two is another mystery):

 

 

In the meantime there has been a development that, how can I put it, proves that our hobby and small children are not happy bedfellows. I usually ensure that everything is out of reach of curious minds and wandering fingers (especially the pointy, cutty and smelly stuff). Unfortunately the chassis must have been a tempting 'toy' that must have been just within reach. I suspect you can tell where this is going. Those of a nervous disposition may want to look away...

 

The front axle has seen better days:

 

But it's the rear axle leaf springs that are very much an MOT failure:

 

Initially I thought that the damage was pretty much terminal, and started looking for a second kit to donate a replacement chassis. On a second look though, I think it may just be fixable. I'll see what I can do and report back.

 

Cheers, and thanks for looking,

 

Paul.

[Lummox]

Double post

Edited November 15, 2022 by Lummox
Not sure what happened there!

[NIK122]

Well, s**t! I hope you can fix your masterpiece!? I confess my dad's Airfix Bentley didn't fare much better after I got my grubby mitts on it and tried driving it through a carpet 😬. Good luck with the repairs 

[Jochen Barett]

2 hours ago, Lummox said:

 

I'd call that "the other left". How does the gearbox look on the other side?

(Yes, I am confused. Under normal circumstances left and right would be "viewed in the direction of driving forward")

 

Maybe the broken chassis is a sign sent from above to gain time to investigate this and the tilting window mechanism.

(oh boy)

[Cerberus]

6 hours ago, Lummox said:

Which could perhaps explain what we see here (though why there are two is another mystery):

 

 From a quick glance at the two pictures with red circles, the reference picture shows 2 outlets/connections, but they are stacked vertically, you're kit has the 2 outlets/connections but they are sitting side by side, kit error or they changed it during the production run maybe?  

 

 Matt

[Stef N.]

It looks fixable and really hope it is. All the best for your repair work. And again, a massive round of applause for that engine. The detailing is superb.👏👍

[Lummox]

On 11/15/2022 at 9:20 PM, NIK122 said:

Well, s**t! I hope you can fix your masterpiece!? I confess my dad's Airfix Bentley didn't fare much better after I got my grubby mitts on it and tried driving it through a carpet 😬. Good luck with the repairs 

Cheers Nik. Ah, I remember that Airfix 1/12 blower Bentley with affection. Lovely stuff. The repairs on the L4500 have gone well (more of which later), probably much better than the outcome for your Dad's Bentley.

 

On 11/16/2022 at 6:20 AM, Stef N. said:

It looks fixable and really hope it is. All the best for your repair work. And again, a massive round of applause for that engine. The detailing is superb.👏👍

Thanks Stef. The damage on the chassis looked worse that it actually was, and thankfully, we may just have got away with it.

Talking of engines, the motor on your Sd. Kfz. 7/1 doesn't look too shabby either. 👍

 

On 11/15/2022 at 11:21 PM, Jochen Barett said:

I'd call that "the other left". How does the gearbox look on the other side?

(Yes, I am confused. Under normal circumstances left and right would be "viewed in the direction of driving forward")

 

Maybe the broken chassis is a sign sent from above to gain time to investigate this and the tilting window mechanism.

(oh boy)

We'll see what the other side of the gearbox looks like shortly Jochen. I'm going to have to disappoint you about the tilting windscreen I'm afraid. It's going to be just about the last job on the build as it will likely be very delicate. So given my build speed, you probably won't see it until 2026. 🤪

 

On 11/16/2022 at 3:49 AM, Cerberus said:

From a quick glance at the two pictures with red circles, the reference picture shows 2 outlets/connections, but they are stacked vertically, you're kit has the 2 outlets/connections but they are sitting side by side, kit error or they changed it during the production run maybe?  

I'll have to put my hand up for this one Matt, mixing up the stacking on the two outlet/connector things is all my doing.

Out of the box the transmission area is very sparse on the detail front. I've grabbed these images from elsewhere to show how little detail the kit provides. I did quite a bit of work to add bit'n'bobs to add interest to these areas, including the two outlet/connector things. I must have had a blond moment and stacked then horizontally rather than vertically:

 

Jochen asked what the the other side of the transmission looks like, so here it is. Again much of the detail seen here has been added by me so should be taken with a pinch of salt:

 

It was a while ago when I detailed the engine, but I think I used this image as a reference for some of the detailing work. I guess there could be a speedometer connector to the extreme right of the transmission which may fit with GW from Stammheim's description. It just seems odd to me that we see the speedometer cable traverse to the right side in the cab where it exits the firewall only for it to then have to make it's way back over the the left side of the transmission to plug into the gearbox.

 

 

In other news, the chassis has been fixed which is quite a relief to be honest. The front axle is now looking more healthy. The 'brake lines' will probably eventually be replaced as they look a tad mangled:

 

The rear axle leaf springs went back together surprisingly easily, just kind of 'snapping' back into place with some gentle persuasion. You can see stress marks on the plastic, and some areas are perhaps 'not as straight as they should be', but I'll take this as a win. It certainly could have been a whole lot worse. I may ride my luck and invest in some lottery tickets:

 

Whilst working on the chassis, I thought I might as well add the front mud guards. The edges have been heavily thinned in an attempt to reduce the 'slab' appearance:

 

The prominent 'rivet heads' on the front face of the guards are totally missing in the kit, which is a bit strange given that they are visible on the box art.

 

Easy enough to add the 'rivets', but what are they for? Probably something to do with brackets that attached the guards, so let's see what we can find. Not a lot, to be honest, just the odd glimpse of 'something' but nothing conclusive. The image of the 'Einheitsfahrerhaus' with the simplified cab and mud guards offered the best clue, there appearing to be a bracket attached to the top of the leaf spring connector:

 

A wreak picture provided the missing jigsaw piece. We see a bracket with holes that look to correspond with the 'rivets' on the guard fronts. As an aside, I think (but am not sure) that this wreak is the Stammheim L4500 before the guys there started to weave their magic:

 

OK, we have enough information to work from, let's see what we can do. The guards were attached to the chassis using the cab to positively locate their position so there are no nasty surprises down the line:

 

The 'rivets' on the guard fronts were easy enough to add. The brackets on the inner faces were more complicated, but something suitable could be knocked up using scraps of etch and the odd bolt head:

 

It's worth going the extra mile as the bracket work will be visible, and offers a bit of interest in an area that would be otherwise featureless:

 

Cheers, and thanks for looking,

 

Paul.

[NIK122]

Congratulations on the repairs! Great stuff with the rest. The brackets were definitely the way to go on the mudguards 😎

[vytautas]

Hmm... maybe everything is not bad, but there are some suspicions...

One of them is about the tires: for some reason, it seems to me that the tires have a serious defect.

It looks like the tires don't have inner tubes. I don't want to be a bad messenger, but if I'm right, you've got a lot of extra work ahead of you...

(You obviously know, but I still want to remind you that the inner tube of the tire has several seams and several inscriptions.) 

 

Vytautas

Edited November 22, 2022 by vytautas

[vaoinas]

Glad, you were able to fix the damage that good. It really looked quite serious at first.

Great job on the mudguard detailing too. The bracket really is well visible there.

 

 

Kristjan

[Bullbasket]

Excellent work Paul on those mudguard brackets Paul. This is turning into a real masterpiece.

 

John.

[Kelscale]

So glad you managed to fix all the damage without too much surgery.  Progress is coming along nicely with an excellent attention to detail.  I never noticed Zvezda’s omission of the front mudguard bracket rivets so good spot

[Jochen Barett]

Talking about those "rivet heads", based on the fact that the "holders" stay on the chassis when the "Kotflügel" (fender(s), literally translated "feces wings", to fend off hoses' feces in the olden days) comes off, I'd expect them to be Schloßschrauben (carriage bolts) nowadays according to DIN 603 "Flachrundschrauben mit Vierkantansatz und Mutter"

 

More than you ever dared to ask about the German way of screwing: https://www.schrauben-lexikon.de/norm/DIN_603.asp

 

When it comes to "traditional" speedometer cables I'd avoid sharp bends (at all cost), so maybe that is a reason for the "unusual" way it was arranged.

 

So you intend to keep entertaining us with this build until 2026? GRRREAT!

[echen]

Amazing thread. Detail is very helpful. I'm currently building an Airfix 1/76 Opel Blitz. OOB it has odd-looking storage boxes under the front of the load deck. I took mine off and was going to replace one side with a scratch fuel tank.

Then I remembered this thread.

Now there's a small storage rack on the LHS as the fuel tank is under the front passenger seat.

Having difficulties with shaping the windscreen glazing I was hoping to find a hinged and opening windscreen here.

Doesn't seem to be any evidence of such a thing on german trucks so I'll just have to persevere with shaping the glazing for this one.

[Lummox]

Firstly, let me apologies for my late response to all of your comments (which I really do appreciate). I was meaning to reply much sooner, but life, as ever, has got in the way...

 

On 11/22/2022 at 3:34 PM, NIK122 said:

Congratulations on the repairs! Great stuff with the rest. The brackets were definitely the way to go on the mudguards 😎

Cheers Nik. I'm pleased with how the brackets have turned out as they do bring some life to the mudguard area.

 

On 11/22/2022 at 9:26 PM, vytautas said:

Hmm... maybe everything is not bad, but there are some suspicions...

One of them is about the tires: for some reason, it seems to me that the tires have a serious defect.

It looks like the tires don't have inner tubes. I don't want to be a bad messenger, but if I'm right, you've got a lot of extra work ahead of you...

(You obviously know, but I still want to remind you that the inner tube of the tire has several seams and several inscriptions.) 

Inner tubes are maybe a tiny step too far Vytautas, though you may well see the valves making an appearance when I get round to the wheels.

 

On 11/23/2022 at 9:19 AM, vaoinas said:

Glad, you were able to fix the damage that good. It really looked quite serious at first.

Great job on the mudguard detailing too. The bracket really is well visible there.

Thanks Kristjan. I must admit that initially I thought that the chassis damage was too serious to be fixed. Fortunately the gods were smiling on me. 

 

On 11/23/2022 at 10:42 AM, Bullbasket said:

Excellent work Paul on those mudguard brackets Paul. This is turning into a real masterpiece.

Cheers John. Not sure about a masterpiece to be honest, more like a unfinished symphony at my work rate!

 

On 11/23/2022 at 10:54 AM, Kelscale said:

So glad you managed to fix all the damage without too much surgery.  Progress is coming along nicely with an excellent attention to detail.  I never noticed Zvezda’s omission of the front mudguard bracket rivets so good spot

Thanks Los. The omission of the mudguard rivets was one of those things that once noticed cannot be unnoticed. Funny how small things like that can grab your attention and gnaw away until addressed. Or maybe it's just me? 

 

On 11/23/2022 at 2:37 PM, Jochen Barett said:

Talking about those "rivet heads", based on the fact that the "holders" stay on the chassis when the "Kotflügel" (fender(s), literally translated "feces wings", to fend off hoses' feces in the olden days) comes off, I'd expect them to be Schloßschrauben (carriage bolts) nowadays according to DIN 603 "Flachrundschrauben mit Vierkantansatz und Mutter"

 

More than you ever dared to ask about the German way of screwing: https://www.schrauben-lexikon.de/norm/DIN_603.asp

 

When it comes to "traditional" speedometer cables I'd avoid sharp bends (at all cost), so maybe that is a reason for the "unusual" way it was arranged.

 

So you intend to keep entertaining us with this build until 2026? GRRREAT!

Marvelous stuff Jochen, you truly are a font of information!

I somehow think that people would be screaming 'Oh no, not that bloody truck again' if this thread is still going in 2026.

 

On 11/23/2022 at 6:04 PM, echen said:

Amazing thread. Detail is very helpful. I'm currently building an Airfix 1/76 Opel Blitz. OOB it has odd-looking storage boxes under the front of the load deck. I took mine off and was going to replace one side with a scratch fuel tank.

Then I remembered this thread.

Now there's a small storage rack on the LHS as the fuel tank is under the front passenger seat.

Having difficulties with shaping the windscreen glazing I was hoping to find a hinged and opening windscreen here.

Doesn't seem to be any evidence of such a thing on german trucks so I'll just have to persevere with shaping the glazing for this one.

Thanks Echen. A tilting windscreen does offer options when kit glazing leaves something to be desired. There is a little evidence of such a thing on an L4500 as can be seen in these images. I've not seen anything for an Opel Blitz though I'm afraid.

 

 

Right, down to business. Today's update will focus on the fitment of the steps to allow access to the cab. The steps were actually created many moons ago (those of you with very good memories may recall this image):

 

The steps butt against the front mudguard, so it seems logical that these are next to be added to the chassis. Pictures of how they are attached are hard to come by (the area under the cab always being under shadow). but I did come across a couple of pictures (one being of the example at Stammheim). Note how the attachment plates are positioned towards the top of the chassis rail:

 

 

On the kit, however, the attachments plates are towards the bottom of the chassis rail, which unfortunately means that the steps would sit too low relative to the mudguard:

 

Let's see what we can do about this. Firstly the attachment holes were filled, new holes drilled, and all trace of the attachment plates removed. Replacement plates were then created and added to the chassis. It's far from perfect but it will do (did I mention this is all in the shadow of the cab )

 

Being the clumsy oaf that I am, I thought it would be a good idea to pin the steps to the mudguard to help strengthen against the inevitable knocks and bashes. Notches were therefore filed in the steps and 'U' shaped wires soldered into the recesses. Following a trim and a tidy we have some suitable pins:

 

'Won't the pins be visible on the inside of the mudguards?' I hear you ask. Well let's see what we have in that area. There seems to be some differences, varying from a plain mudguard with nothing apparently there at all:

 

..to definite brackets or rivets or something:

 

This conveniently allows us some leeway for 'hiding' the pins and adding some interest to the inner mudguard area. OK, it may not be strictly accurate, but it doesn't look too out of place:

 

So what's the end result of all this? Well we now have a pair of steps which are pleasingly robust (though no doubt I'll probably manage to mangle them somewhere down the line):

 

The steps look to sit just about right (the tread plate sitting just above the bottom of the mudguard):

 

 

That brings things just about up to date. Cheers, and thanks for looking,

 

Paul.

[Bullbasket]

Something as mundane as a couple of footsteps, and you've made it fascinating to watch. Keep it up Paul.

 

John.

[Pig of the Week]

Some cracking progress there, and good save on the front steering assembly (I trust that a sound beating was administered to the perp!) 

Looks like in the 1st pic of prototypes step, there's a blank hole under the mounting bracket, kind of like they'd changed their mind position wise too! 

[Lummox]

On 12/6/2022 at 9:35 AM, Bullbasket said:

Something as mundane as a couple of footsteps, and you've made it fascinating to watch. Keep it up Paul.

Cheers John, I'll certainly keep plugging away at this. As an aside, if you think the steps were mundane just wait 'till you see this 'riveting' update (I believe you're currently labouring on a similar thankless task).

 

On 12/8/2022 at 3:23 PM, Pig of the Week said:

Some cracking progress there, and good save on the front steering assembly (I trust that a sound beating was administered to the perp!) 

Thanks Mr P. The perp was a visiting young nephew who has a keen interest in 'Uncle Paul's tanks'. There was no malicious intent in his chassis mangling, so the baseball bat didn't see any action.  I suspect that in a couple of years he'll be getting his first Spitfire/Sherman/Bismark for xmas and hopefully the spark will be lit.

 

Right, what have I been up since the last update?

Well, when looking at reference pictures for the previous step work I couldn't help but notice that the chassis is peppered with rivet/bolt heads:

 

Unfortunately Zvezda haven't represented the rivets in the kit, the chassis being as smooth as a baby's bottom. The odd thing is that they must have been aware of the rivets as the instructions show them in all their glory, so why they didn't include them is a bit of a mystery:

 

Well, no matter, let's see what we can do about adding them. The first problem was knowing the locations where the rivets should be added. Reference pictures helped, as did some useful diagrams, but the main 'eureka moment' was the realisation that the rivets correspond to attachment brackets for the chassis frame cross-members:

 

OK, we now know where to place the rivets, but the next challenge was how to produce the domed rivet heads. For this we went old school. I'm sure you probably all know how to do this, but I'll run through the process anyway. Soften some sprue near a candle flame, and push the sprue against the 'rivet hole strip' you sometimes see on the edges of etch frets (I'm not sure if these 'rivet strips' are just on older PE update sets to be honest - the example here being from 2006):

 

The process is a bit hit and miss, but occasionally you may end up with some nicely domed rivets on the end of your sprue. Slice the rivets off, and repeat the process several times. Eventually you'll have a collection of 'rivets' that you can sort into 'OK, they may work' and 'nope, they're rubbish' piles:

 

Then simply attach the rivets as desired. This is easier said than done, static dictating that the rivets go everywhere except where you want them to go. But eventually, after much frustration, cursing and breath holding, you end up with rivets on your chassis. Being a masochist, I also attempted some simplistic representations of the cross-member brackets inside the chassis rails. Not sure why as they are unlikely to ever be visible:

 

Once the hateful rivets were out of the way, we could move on to fixing the rear exhaust which was a casualty of the 'chassis incident'. The exhaust was originally attached to the chassis by delicate brackets that had broken during the mangling. Rather than simply reattach them and hope for the best, I thought it would be a good idea to fashion something more substantial. The exhaust was therefore fully detached from the chassis, the final section being removed to be replaced by brass tube which had a bracket knocked up from scrap etch soldered on. The mid section of the exhaust was then drilled to accept a smaller diameter brass tube that the replacement end exhaust would slip over:

 

The mid section exhaust was then reattached to the chassis, the new end section could then be slipped on as and when required. I don't plan to permanently attach the end section until just prior to painting as it is very 'sticky-outy' and so prone to damage:

 

So we end up with something that is detachable, more robust (hopefully), and more to scale to boot. Win, win!

Hmmm, the rivets I added look a tad large in these comparison pictures. Whatever, I'm definitely not doing them again!

 

And finally, I wonder if you wise people could help with something that is confusing me. The Voyager set has a rather nice upgrade for the front Notek light. Does anyone have any idea what the odd 0.5mm rod sticking up at the back of the Notek light is supposed to be? I'm tempted to leave it off but wondered if I may be missing something...?

 

Cheers, and thanks for looking,

 

Paul.

[Jochen Barett]

7 hours ago, Lummox said:

+++ And finally, I wonder if you wise people could help with something that is confusing me. The Voyager set has a rather nice upgrade for the front Notek light. Does anyone have any idea what the odd 0.5mm rod sticking up at the back of the Notek light is supposed to be? I'm tempted to leave it off but wondered if I may be missing something...?

 

 

Cheers, and thanks for looking,

 

Paul.

 

I have no idea what that "rod" (a handle?) or pipe/tube (holder for a signalling flag?) is. So in case you care what I say, it is: "Permission granted to omit it", in case you don't care: just ignore.

 

When it comes to the distance giving tail light https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notek#Abstandsrücklicht

 

 

and you care for a translation of the explanation of the operating principle relying on the typical resolution of the human eye, just let me know 😉

Original text:

"Das Auflösungsvermögen des menschlichen Auges beträgt normalerweise rund eine Bogenminute (1', entsprechend einem Visus von 1). Nachts sind die Pupillen geweitet; wäre das Auge ein Objektiv, so wäre seine Auflösung unter diesen Umständen (größere Blendenöffnung) besser (d. h. kleiner als 1'). Beim Menschen ist jedoch die physiologische Tatsache zu berücksichtigen, dass im Dunkeln nur die Stäbchen, nicht jedoch die Zapfen lichtempfindlich sind. Da weniger Lichtrezeptoren aktiv sind, ist das Auflösungsvermögen bei Dunkelheit im Allgemeinen schlechter. Laut „Survey of Optical Instruments“ (siehe Literatur) hat ein Normalsichtiger bei Dämmerung bzw. Dunkelheit nur noch einen Visus von 0,3 bzw. 0,1 (Auflösung von 3,3' bzw. 10'). Nimmt man den Mittelwert (Visus 0,2 entspricht Auflösung von 5') und betrachtet man die Abstände der Mittelpunkte der Leuchtflächen (außen 1 + 1 , 6 + 0 , 9 = 3 , 5 c m {\textstyle 1+1{,}6+0{,}9=3{,}5\,\mathrm {cm} } ; innen 0 , 9 + 3 , 8 + 0 , 9 = 5 , 6 c m {\textstyle 0{,}9+3{,}8+0{,}9=5{,}6\,\mathrm {cm} } ), so ist der kleinste Abstand noch aus 24 m (alle vier Leuchtflächen unterscheidbar) bzw. der größte Abstand noch aus rund 39 m (äußere Leuchflächen verschmelzen) erkennbar. Dies entspricht ungefähr den oben gemachten Angaben (die gewählten Abmessungen wurden vermutlich durch praktische Versuche ermittelt). Zur Berechnung benutzt man den Zusammenhang tan ⁡ φ 2 = a 2 d {\textstyle \tan {\frac {\varphi }{2}}={\frac {a}{2d}}} zwischen Punktabstand a {\textstyle a} , Betrachtungsabstand d {\textstyle d} und Betrachtungswinkel φ {\textstyle \varphi } ."

[Lummox]

On 12/16/2022 at 11:39 PM, Jochen Barett said:

I have no idea what that "rod" (a handle?) or pipe/tube (holder for a signalling flag?) is. So in case you care what I say, it is: "Permission granted to omit it", in case you don't care: just ignore.

Thanks Jochen, the odd rod thing is now history. As for the Notek black out tail lights, respect to the smart chap who came up with the idea - simple, yet pretty much foolproof. Having said that, I'm not sure I'd have been that comfortable driving in the pitch black peering at little green lights in the distance. I guess the convoy must have traveled quite slowly or things could have got very messy very quickly.

 

Over the festive season I've actually managed to get in a bit of bench time, which was a welcome surprise, and had the additional benefit of removing me from the temptation of endless mince pies. Continuing work on the chassis I thought I'd tackle the prominent width indicators mounted on the front mudguards. The indicators do show some variation, but we'll be attempting to replicate the style seen in the first image:

 

The indicators provided in the kit are fine, but fragile, and would inventively be mangled given their exposed position. Brass rod was used to produce more robust replacements:

 

 

Handily the Voyager update set provided some etch to replace the softly moulded attachment bracket on the mudguard:

 

All trace of the moulded brackets were removed, and then sections of brass tube were embedded into the mudguard around which the etch bracket could then be slipped. The brass tubing provides relatively string 'sockets' to accept the width indicators (which will be permanently attached later just prior to painting):

 

We end up with width indicators which should hopefully have a chance of surviving the odd knock or two:

 

Moving on to the front Notek lamp, although there seems to be some variation, it most commonly appears on a small raised bracket above the bumper. A clear view of the bracket has proved to be elusive, so a certain degree of creativity will be brought into play:

 

Voyager provides a replacement Notek lamp in resin, which is very nice, but unfortunately difficult to photograph (these images don't do it justice). The kit lamp (and associated bracket) is a bit, errm, agricultural in comparison, resplendent with fetching sink hole to boot:

 

The replacement etch bracket was added to the chassis, including some appropriate wiring (which in retrospect looks a tad 'hefty' - hmmm, I may need to do something about that 🤔)

 

Finally, here's a couple of shot with the Notek lamp in situ. The lamp is just placed in position here (which may explain why things look a bit squiffy) it being vulnerable so will be permanently attached just prior to painting:

 

 

And that brings things up to date.

Cheers, thanks for looking, and may I take this opportunity to wish everyone health, wealth and happiness for the year to come,

 

Paul.

[Modelholic]

Could the 'sticky up rod handle' thing be an adjuster to swivel the light left/right?

Tom

[vaoinas]

Oh, sweet jesus, that is just beautiful!
I really appreciate all the great detail work you are doing here.

 

 

Kristjan

[Jochen Barett]

13 minutes ago, Modelholic said:

Could the 'sticky up rod handle' thing be an adjuster to swivel the light left/right?

Tom

That is "possible", but it does not fit into the rest of the picture.

 

The Tarnscheinwerfer was intended to shed some dim light in front of the car and the mounting device (bracket) was required to hold the Tarnscheinwerfer fixed in such a position that it does not illuminate any part of the car itself (bumper, fender, ...). It was not a swivelling searchlight or anywhere near that.

 

I'd rather suspect a holder for a tactical sign like seen here (but this is total guesswork!):

http://www.kfzderwehrmacht.de/Hauptseite_deutsch/Kraftfahrzeuge/Deutschland/Krupp/Krupp_Protze/Kfz__69/kfz__69.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

In post war Germany I'd suggest a flag holder.

Sorry, German only:

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warnflagge#Kolonnenfahrt

 

Any car of a Kolonne (Bundeswehr, Police, ...) moving on the road has to carry a flag.

"Regular"cars: blue

Towed cars: yellow

Towing cars and other "dangerous" cars (lots of fuel / ammo): red

Last car of the unit: green

Unit leader moving within the Kolonne black/white

[Bullbasket]

Every update is a joy to read. Your detail work is second to none. I especially like those width indicators. They remind me very much of the one that I ripped off of a Bussing at some roadworks, along with most of his mudguard back in 1966, coming back off of exercise. Hardly any damage at all to my Bedford RL though. Happy days.

Happy New Year to you Paul.

 

John.

[Lummox]

On 12/29/2022 at 10:43 PM, vaoinas said:

Oh, sweet jesus, that is just beautiful!
I really appreciate all the great detail work you are doing here.

Thank you Kristjan, it's very kind of you to say so. 👍

 

On 12/30/2022 at 9:03 AM, Bullbasket said:

Every update is a joy to read. Your detail work is second to none. I especially like those width indicators. They remind me very much of the one that I ripped off of a Bussing at some roadworks, along with most of his mudguard back in 1966, coming back off of exercise. Hardly any damage at all to my Bedford RL though. Happy days.

Cheers John. I have a passion for the detail work but worry that my updates may reflect my OCD too much. Your feedback is very reassuring - thank you.

Love your story of the 'incident' back in 1966. It sounds like shoddy workmanship from Büssing. If only they'd made the indicators from brass rod it may have been your Bedford that came off worse. 

 

On 12/29/2022 at 9:53 PM, Modelholic said:

Could the 'sticky up rod handle' thing be an adjuster to swivel the light left/right?

That's an interesting suggestion Tom, the odd rod thing certainly has the appearance of a handle to allow the light to be swivelled.  As Jochen has mentioned though, the Notek lamp would make for a very poor searchlight.

 

The concept and design of the front and rear Notek lights is quite interesting (well to me anyway). At the risk of boring people, it may be worth a quick run through. The various lights are succinctly covered with this handy diagram:

 

The front Notek lamp was designed to throw a diffuse reflected beam around 30m ahead of the vehicle. This would allow the driver to see, but hopefully not be seen (on the 'dim' setting the vehicle lights would be invisible from the air at altitudes above 2000 feet):

 

 

Only the front vehicle in a convoy would have the front Notek lamp illuminated. The other vehicles would play 'follow my leader' and rely on the Notek taillight of the vehicle in front. The taillight has separate sections, with running and brake lights below, and four green convoy lights above. A flap would be flipped up or down to obscure one section or the other depending on whether the vehicle for running under convoy blackout conditions or not. I think (but don't know for sure) that the small hole highlighted in the second image allows a glimpse of the brake light to be seen so there's no nasty surprised when running in convoy:

 

So, what are the four green lights about when running in convoy? Well this is the smart bit in my mind. The spacing of the lights are such that they give an indication of distance to the following driver as the eye will perceive the lights differently depending on distance. The four light will merge into one if too way away from the vehicle in front, be perceived as two lights if at ideal distance, or all four lights will be seen if too close. Clever stuff:

 

As for the off rod thing Voyager had added to the front Notek lamp...

 

On 12/29/2022 at 10:45 PM, Jochen Barett said:

I'd rather suspect a holder for a tactical sign like seen here (but this is total guesswork!):

I think your tactical sign holder is a good one Jochen, I'm struggling to think what else it could possibly be. After all, where else could they have displayed their Mickey...?

 

Cheers, thanks for looking, and thanks for the motivating comments,

 

Paul.