Sd.Kfz 9 Famo

[echen]

Made a start on one of my Famos. Not sure if I'll build the Revell 21cm Morser to go with it or to build the tank transporter trailer that came with my other Famo.

My early efforts at putting the tracks together are posted here.

The large number of parts.

Some parts have a little flash and others do not quite match the destructions which can be found on the Henk of Holland site.

I started work on the engine. The block is in two halves, each moulded with a head and rocker covers. The front of the engine is moulded in one piece with the dynamo and cooling fan.

Part of the destructions show this part and elsewhere a separate fan which looks much better

 

 

So I resorted to a mini disc cutter and, after initial tidying -

 

Methinks it looks a tad better.

 

 

Then, after some carving of the front section to ensure level engine mounts the engine is dry-fitted in the chassis.

[echen]

Does any one know where the Famo fuel tanks were located and how they were filled?

There is a tank to be added on top of the ladder frame which I understand to be an air tank. There are two cylinders built into the ladder frame between the first, second and third torsion bar tubes - are these the fuel tanks? If they are how does one fill them?

I've read that the tanks were 90L and 230L but the tanks in the frame both look identical and there are no filler tubes.

[Stef N.]

According to Tamiya there's a tank in the cabin firewall? Haven't a clue where the larger one is though.

 

 

[echen]

There is a tank in front of the front row passenger. Maybe the main tank is under the seat as with other German trucks?

[Peter2]

A simple way to check on those tanks might be to go to the Scalemates website where various Famo 9 kits have downloadable instructions. Those instructions should show the fuel tanks and their locations. Also numerous modellers have made Famo models and so you could examine their work in progress reports. 

[Stef N.]

Here's the tank on a 7, under the front seats as you mentioned. Could be a similar position?

 

 

A bit blurred, but this big box.  👆

[echen]

Found a pic of a Famo fuel tank under the front seat. It is at this site. Better illustrated here.

Edited April 18, 2023 by echen

[echen]

Having asked the question here and flogging round the internet looking for Famo fuel tanks I had a gander at the floor pan for the Trumpeter Famo.

Is that the underside of a fuel tank under front of the crew compartment or is it the underside of a fuel tank?

(Some of those sink marks are going to be tricky to fill............)

[Keeff]

1 hour ago, echen said:

 

(Some of those sink marks are going to be tricky to fill............)

They will in 1/72, but I'm sure your skills will make short work of them! 

 

 

Keith 😁 

[echen]

17 hours ago, Keeff said:

They will in 1/72, but I'm sure your skills will make short work of them! 

Not as little work as one hoped.

 

The putty went on ok.

Flattening it off within the frames on the underside is not very short-workable at all. A mixture of chiselling and sanding has dealt with some of it but it's really putting up a fight. I do not want to damage the surrounding "metalwork". 🥴

If anyone has ideas for a different technique all would be most welcome at this particular point.

[Mike]

8 minutes ago, echen said:

If anyone has ideas for a different technique all would be most welcome at this particular point.

Make up some custom sanders from coffee stirrers or something similar.  Glue some wet'n'dry on it, and wet sand it carefully, taking care not to wear down the ribbing.  You can also buy small sanding stick bases and self-adhesive paper that will do the same job

[echen]

15 minutes ago, Mike said:

Make up some custom sanders from coffee stirrers or something similar.  Glue some wet'n'dry on it, and wet sand it carefully, taking care not to wear down the ribbing.  You can also buy small sanding stick bases and self-adhesive paper that will do the same job

Sounds excellent, thanks for your helpful input. 

[Mike]

2 hours ago, echen said:

Sounds excellent, thanks for your helpful input. 

No worries. If you have a rod of some sort of a reasonable diameter a little larger than the ejector-pin mark, you could glue some sand paper to that too, and rotate it.  I'm thinking one of those round wooden lolly sticks you sometimes get.  I've got a couple stashed away just in case they're needed. DSPIAE and Galaxy Tools also make stainless steel and carbon fibre small sanding bases, and I've also got a little box of those tools.  They're invaluable when there's limited space.

[echen]

10 minutes ago, Mike said:

They're invaluable when there's limited space.

Some invaluable equipment there. I've made a little progress with wet and dry wrapped round a watchmaker screwdriver head. I'll see what it looks like when sanded and under a coat of base colour.

Then again - there's always mud and road grime thrown up by the tracks.........................

[echen]

Looking at the figures for @Maddoxx77's SU76 today reminded me of the figures I acquired back in 2020 in anticipation of needing crew for a selection of German vehicles.

 

 

 

Unfortunately they look a lot better in the plastic than they do in close-up pix.

There is great variation in size across the various manufacturers too.

 

The top left hand corner there are 5 in a similar pose. 4 Preiser in dark grey and 1 Hasegawa in light grey. The lower left sprue are Plastic Soldier Company. Top centre - sandy coloured Airfix 88mm crew.

Top right are Preiser personal weapons and equipment items and lower right Preiser Pz Grenadiers with one PSC infantryman holding his rifle separate to the left of the sprue. Once my Famos are built I'll have to start populating the crew compartments.................

The PSC figures seem well detailed but a bit on the large side and the Prieser examples a tad smaller - maybe they're 12SS and still on sweets instead of a cigarette ration?

Edited April 21, 2023 by echen

[echen]

3 hours ago, echen said:

Preiser Pz Grenadiers

Currently on e-bay for £100.00 including postage - not what I paid for them...........................

Seller was in Canada and £28.00 of the £100.00  is postage. I got mine for £23.00 ish 3 years ago.

Edited April 21, 2023 by echen

[echen]

Dry fitted the load deck after adding some of the supports.

I'd forgotten what monsters these things are.

Reminds me of the escape scene in The Dirty Dozen when they took off in a Famo, bashed a staff car then squashed a Kubelwagen.

Edited April 22, 2023 by echen

[Keeff]

Looking good and progressing nicely! 👍

 

 

Keith 😁 

[echen]

Thanks for your encouraging comment@Keeff Still a way to go with this. The engine needs tidying around the fan and there are two bulkheads, the seats and the dashboard etc. to be added before the side and rear panels go on.

Edited April 26, 2023 by echen

[echen]

Had a few minutes spare so I made some additions to the upper body.

 

Front fenders, firewall, Driving compartment and load bed put together and dry fitted to the chassis.

 

and with the engine in the engine bay. I'm hoping to tidy the engine and add some hoses and wiring so I can leave off the engine side covers.

[Peter2]

Apparently it was not a Famo in the Dirty Dozen movie (1967) but is said to be a 1939 Daimler-Benz DB 10 s. Zgkw. 12t Sd.Kfz.8. Eddie81 on the site Internet Movie Cars Database says his grandfather (who later worked as an extra on the movie) and his team restored it for the movie. Originally it was discovered in a Salisbury Plain barn in the UK!

[echen]

13 hours ago, Peter2 said:

Apparently it was not a Famo in the Dirty Dozen movie (1967) but is said to be a 1939 Daimler-Benz DB 10 s. Zgkw. 12t Sd.Kfz.8.

@Peter2 Had a quick gander at the Dirty Dozen escape scene again. I had a look at truck encyclopaedia too, I stand corrected. There is more crew space on the Dirty Dozen vehicle and much less cargo deck than there is on a Famo - Sd.Kfz 8 it certainly is in the film.

[echen]

The Famo is proving to be one of the more complex Kits I have ever attempted - and there's another whole one waiting attention in the stash. The part count is high and a lot of the parts are very, very small. I keep dry fitting the part-built sub assemblies to encourage myself to persevere with it. It is coming together and hopefully, with some paint on it it will be worth the effort in the end.

If I don't get it done I have a 21cm Morser 18 that is going to look a little lonely..................

 

 

 

A small series of mini-disasters has not helped today. Liquid cement generated a fingerprint on the outside of the rear panel. The modelling knife slipped and damaged one of the front axle leaf spring attachment points - probably something to do with the nut that was holding it at the time. A couple of floor pan chassis mounts got a bit bent and restricted attachment to the chassis - but they allowed themselves to be persuaded to stay out of the way in future. In the end I decided to take a break from the Famo, fitted the rear turret schurzen on the Pz IV and manage to bend a crease into that.

Close eyes, take a deep breath, count slowly up to a high number and relaxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

Edited May 2, 2023 by echen

[Stef N.]

One of those modelling days.😬 Keep going, it's looking really neat and will be great with paint.👍

[echen]

@Stef N. Thank you for your encouragement.

 

Quick question.

Do I need to gloss paint the wheel rims to avoid attack on the plastic by the vinyl tyres?

I know in the olden days when I started modelling the old tracks used to be harmful to rolling gear. Does this still apply?

Edited May 3, 2023 by echen