Trevor L Posted October 29, 2022 Share Posted October 29, 2022 (edited) My entry for this GB is the Trumpeter 1/35 SdKfz 7/2, or to give it it's full name German 3.7cm Flak 37 Auf Selbstfahrlafette (SdKfz 7/2 early version) with Sd.Anhanger 52. It's a bit of a mouthful, which roughly translates as a big truck, mounted with a gun and towing a trailer. This will be my first GB and also my first WIP, so please be nice 😁 I will be building it OOB and finishing it in desert colours, and hopefully I'll be able to cobble together something that will sit nicely on the shelf. On the subject of colour, I've tried a few different desert paints in the past but haven't found one yet that I'm totally happy with. They often seem too dark and brown compared to the lighter and more yellow shades shown in the instructions and on other models. I'd be interested to know what others use for desert colours? Edited February 11, 2023 by Trevor L 16 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Stuart Posted October 29, 2022 Share Posted October 29, 2022 Welcome to the wonderful world of Group Builds trevor. What colour to paint your model - in North Africa? I'm no expert, so I hope that others will chime in. The Germans had different ranges of colours through the war, so the time frame for your model will affect the answer. This site is a good start: https://panzerworld.com/german-armor-camouflage#north-africa If you are asking about paint brands, then I'd start with Ammo MIG, though Vallejo predominate in my paint rack. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stef N. Posted October 29, 2022 Share Posted October 29, 2022 Like yourself, I will be very interested to see how this builds and how it compares to the Dragon. Good luck with your build and I will happily follow closely. 👍 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edjbartos Posted October 29, 2022 Share Posted October 29, 2022 I like the look of this one, good luck with the build Ed 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marklo Posted October 29, 2022 Share Posted October 29, 2022 5 hours ago, Trevor L said: I'd be interested to know what others use for desert colours? Tamiya Desert yellow with AK streaking grime over it. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trevor L Posted October 30, 2022 Author Share Posted October 30, 2022 I made a small start on this prior to the GB start date. I'd finished my previous model a few weeks ago and tried to wait, but I couldn't resist. I'm nowhere near the 25% rule though. So far I have built the gearbox and engine I've also made a start on the chassis. There's a lot going on down below so I won't assemble the whole thing before painting as there'll be too many nooks and crannies to get into. Instead, I'll make some sub-assemblies and paint those plus some loose parts before putting it all together. Two sections completed so far 14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Courageous Posted November 1, 2022 Share Posted November 1, 2022 With that lovely engine there's an opportunity for detail and the bonnet up... Stuart 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trevor L Posted November 1, 2022 Author Share Posted November 1, 2022 5 minutes ago, Courageous said: With that lovely engine there's an opportunity for detail and the bonnet up... Stuart A nice idea, but undecided on that at the moment. There's a lot of detail elsewhere, so I'll see how it progresses. Just been cutting 5mm sections of 0.5 wire to go round the winch wheel, which will probably never be seen again once it's finished! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasper dog Posted November 6, 2022 Share Posted November 6, 2022 Good choice, I've the armoured cab version of the same kit so I'll be interested to see how it goes together! As for colour RAL 8020 Braun seems a fairly common colour for DAK vehicles in North Africa, it does depend upon the time frame though (AK does it as AK 700). Good luck Darryl 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bertie McBoatface Posted November 6, 2022 Share Posted November 6, 2022 On 11/1/2022 at 8:58 PM, Trevor L said: which will probably never be seen again once it's finished! Ah the old, old, dilemma. Looks good so far Trevor. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trevor L Posted November 7, 2022 Author Share Posted November 7, 2022 (edited) Covid raised it's ugly head this week. I'd managed to avoid it thus far but it finally caught up with me. Fortunately the symptoms were mild (I've had worse colds, to be honest) but it meant I was confined to the bedroom for a few days and couldn't get to the bench. All is back to normal now though, and I've cracked on with the build this weekend. I've added some more parts to the previously made sub-assemblies, and also made the tanks and winch wheel, and prepped some loose parts. Edited November 10, 2022 by Trevor L 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maginot Posted November 8, 2022 Share Posted November 8, 2022 Good choice of subject. Another favourite ordnance and vehicle combo. I have this kit in the cupboard. I'll be watching your thread regardless of self interest. Hals und Beinbruch. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stef N. Posted November 8, 2022 Share Posted November 8, 2022 That chassis does look more complex than the Dragon and very nicely detailed too. Good work Trevor.👍 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasper dog Posted November 8, 2022 Share Posted November 8, 2022 There I was thinking the Trumpeter one would be less complicated than the Dragon offering. Looking good though! Good luck Darryl 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trevor L Posted November 10, 2022 Author Share Posted November 10, 2022 The final chassis parts have now been prepped. I prefer to assemble as much as possible before painting, but this is as far as I can go in order to get everything covered. So far it's gone pretty smoothly. A little bit of flash etc, but nothing to get worked up about. I've dry fitted it all and it's all fine, so it's time to get the paint out. 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edjbartos Posted November 10, 2022 Share Posted November 10, 2022 It's all looking very good, I'm looking forward to seeing some paint on and then assembly... Ed 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasper dog Posted November 14, 2022 Share Posted November 14, 2022 Progressing nicely, doesn't look complicated in the slightest...... Good luck Darryl 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ned Posted November 14, 2022 Share Posted November 14, 2022 Wow, that's a lot of plastic. Looks fun 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelscale Posted November 21, 2022 Share Posted November 21, 2022 (edited) Hi Trevor, nice choice and progress but tread carefully in places. I've said this before but having built quite a few Trumpeter Sd.Kfz 7 variants they are far more challenging to assemble than their Dragon counterparts. More accurate, yes, in places, more pleasurable to build, certainly not! They are definitely not a kit that can be rushed, or you are guaranteed an extremely FRUSTRATING time at the bench. If you have not built any of Trumpeter's Sd.Kfz 7 series of variants there are a few inherent issues which effects them all which will really spoil the build experience unless addressed. The sprocket being the worst offender. The tracks will simply not fit flush round them unless you do some remedial work. Look up the review and fix on the PMMS website. https://www.perthmilitarymodelling.com/reviews/vehicles/trumpeter/tr01523d04.htm *I personally found you don't really need to replace all the cut off tabs so the extra work really can be a 'quick fix' Although almost completely hidden once built, the chassis and suspension components might have far more detail, but it is at the detriment of an overly complex construction arrangement. If you rush this, further problems could occur. They also instruct you to add far too many fragile components early on which are asking to be broken off during further handling. Adding gear levers in early steps only to find you must then juggle major floor mouldings through them all is a recipe for disaster. Likewise, adding the steering shaft only to find the next step involves turning the whole assembly on its back to add the running gear is madness! As for accuracy, many panels are too thick and out of scale. Detail can be crude in places, attachment points vague, thus prone to misalignment which can lead to frustration adding further parts down the line. It all sounds like a kit to avoid, especially when Dragon makes equivalent kits. But hold on…… If you are prepared to spend more time than you maybe normally would and build them up without following their instructions to the letter you are rewarded with a great end product. Trouble is, struggling through one is more than enough for many and we all know how easy it is to simply pop it back in the box never to see the light of day again. Now I know how to avoid the many pitfalls I personally prefer these to the Dragon kits. The mouldings are a little overscale in places and replacing their trailer with a none fantasy option helps, but they do look good once completed, even more so with a Flak gun sat on the back😀 Edited November 21, 2022 by Kelscale 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelscale Posted November 21, 2022 Share Posted November 21, 2022 As for colour, most of these vehicles would have had their grey base coat overpainted once they arrived in North Africa Not a Flak variant but a dusty 7 in its original grey coat. Note the engine side panels removed for better engine cooling. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trevor L Posted November 21, 2022 Author Share Posted November 21, 2022 7 hours ago, Kelscale said: Hi Trevor, nice choice and progress but tread carefully in places. I've said this before but having built quite a few Trumpeter Sd.Kfz 7 variants they are far more challenging to assemble than their Dragon counterparts. More accurate, yes, in places, more pleasurable to build, certainly not! They are definitely not a kit that can be rushed, or you are guaranteed an extremely FRUSTRATING time at the bench. If you have not built any of Trumpeter's Sd.Kfz 7 series of variants there are a few inherent issues which effects them all which will really spoil the build experience unless addressed. The sprocket being the worst offender. The tracks will simply not fit flush round them unless you do some remedial work. Look up the review and fix on the PMMS website. https://www.perthmilitarymodelling.com/reviews/vehicles/trumpeter/tr01523d04.htm *I personally found you don't really need to replace all the cut off tabs so the extra work really can be a 'quick fix' Although almost completely hidden once built, the chassis and suspension components might have far more detail, but it is at the detriment of an overly complex construction arrangement. If you rush this, further problems could occur. They also instruct you to add far too many fragile components early on which are asking to be broken off during further handling. Adding gear levers in early steps only to find you must then juggle major floor mouldings through them all is a recipe for disaster. Likewise, adding the steering shaft only to find the next step involves turning the whole assembly on its back to add the running gear is madness! As for accuracy, many panels are too thick and out of scale. Detail can be crude in places, attachment points vague, thus prone to misalignment which can lead to frustration adding further parts down the line. It all sounds like a kit to avoid, especially when Dragon makes equivalent kits. But hold on…… If you are prepared to spend more time than you maybe normally would and build them up without following their instructions to the letter you are rewarded with a great end product. Trouble is, struggling through one is more than enough for many and we all know how easy it is to simply pop it back in the box never to see the light of day again. Now I know how to avoid the many pitfalls I personally prefer these to the Dragon kits. The mouldings are a little overscale in places and replacing their trailer with a none fantasy option helps, but they do look good once completed, even more so with a Flak gun sat on the back😀 Thanks for the info and tips, they're much appreciated. I had picked up on some of those points, but the more info the better! You're right that it needs extra time and thinking through rather than just following the instructions, and making it in this gb with this sort of help will hopefully allow me to see it through and avoid an addition to the shelf of doom. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ned Posted November 21, 2022 Share Posted November 21, 2022 I can't wait to see the built chassis. It looks very beefy and I am a little bit jealous. I can observe safely, because a Sd.Kfz.7 is bigger than my self-imposed size limit, which means that I will not be tempted to buy one. Not even to look at in the box. No. Not ever! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trevor L Posted November 21, 2022 Author Share Posted November 21, 2022 11 minutes ago, Ned said: I can't wait to see the built chassis. It looks very beefy and I am a little bit jealous. I can observe safely, because a Sd.Kfz.7 is bigger than my self-imposed size limit, which means that I will not be tempted to buy one. Not even to look at in the box. No. Not ever! Go on, you know you want to! 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trevor L Posted November 26, 2022 Author Share Posted November 26, 2022 It's been a little while since my last update, but I've been a busy boy and got the chassis painted and assembled. First up, everything was primed and painted... I then began piecing it together, starting with the two main sub-assemblies and the gear box. A bit of tinkering was required on the sub-assemblies as there were multiple points of contact, but I got there eventually... Next up was the winch, tanks and leaf springs, which all went together nicely. I also assembled the steering, but I'll leave that off for now as it has quite delicate moving parts... And finally I added the engine. It has four mounting points but even though everything looked straight and square it wouldn't sit right at first. Some jiggery-pokery was needed to get it to fit, but now it's in... There are a few other parts that I'll leave off for now, as they may get in the way or get damaged during further assembly. I also need to do a bit of tidying up plus some weathering, but for now I'll put the chassis to one side and move on to the next stage. 14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edjbartos Posted November 26, 2022 Share Posted November 26, 2022 Very nice Trevor, I really like the work that you have done on the chassis, looks very neat, well done... Ed 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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