And now...for something completly different *finished*

[Maddoxx77]

After the Sherman Calliope vignette i wanted to build something else. I mainly do ww2 tanks and diorama's but while i was digging around on the internet for a new project i came across this beauty:

The Krupp M-gerät 420mm also known as  Big Bertha.

A siege gun designed by Krupp to destroy fortifications. These guns were mainly used by the germans on the western front during the first years of ww1. 

The gun is massive! Original size was about 4,5 meters high and more then 10 meters in length. 

To give you a bit of a perspective: here is a tiger 1 standing next to the first part of this build.

In typical Takom fasion the quality of this kit so far is very good. The only thing that requirers attention are some seamlines on the parts that have to be removed. Other then that no issues so far. The kit is big and so are all the parts. It almost feels like building in 1:16 scale. 

This build will become the main part of a WW1 diorama. Right now i'm searching for some good figures to go with the model and i want to add some extra ammo so tips on finding 420 mm shells in 1:35 scale are welcome.

 

Feel free to tag along.

Cheers guys!!!

 

( yes the title is a Monty Python quote )

Edited March 27, 2024 by Maddoxx77

[Stef N.]

Ooof, nice!!👍

Is there some tricky WW1 paint scheme to go with it?

[echen]

Wow - that is different! (And huge.)

Another interesting build to watch.

[Andy H]

Yes, that is different! Looking forward to seeing this one come together. 😎👍

[echen]

Is it finished yet? 😁

[Hamden]

 

Another Maddoxx77 masterclass an interesting project to watch come together - is there room for one more?

 

    Stay safe            Roger

[psdavidson]

It's a biggun

 

I'll be in the lurky corner

/P

[Keeff]

Ooh, interesting .... have I made front row?  

That thing is massive .... and I thought the Tiger was big! 😲

 

Keith 😁 

[mbthejester]

Flipping heck, have heard of it never seen one  in person to appreciate its size, seeing it with the Tiger brings it home, to think it was pulled by horses too. looking forward to this done 👍. 
 

Mark

[Maddoxx77]

6 hours ago, Stef N. said:

Ooof, nice!!👍

Is there some tricky WW1 paint scheme to go with it?

Yes i think there are a few suggested paintschemes but i did not looked at them yet. 

 

23 minutes ago, mbthejester said:

Flipping heck, have heard of it never seen one  in person to appreciate its size, seeing it with the Tiger brings it home, to think it was pulled by horses too. looking forward to this done 👍. 
 

Mark

These guns were transported in parts by tractors designed for the job. 

[mbthejester]

13 minutes ago, Maddoxx77 said:

Yes i think there are a few suggested paintschemes but i did not looked at them yet. 

 

These guns were transported in parts by tractors designed for the job. 

Cheers, thought it was one of many with teams of horses 👍

[Maddoxx77]

15 hours ago, mbthejester said:

Cheers, thought it was one of many with teams of horses 👍

Here you can see the tractor that was used to transport the weapon

To transport the weapon, they disassembled the gun in 5 sub assemblies each beeing pulled by a tractor.

In optimal conditions these transports could do 4,3 miles per hour.

[Maddoxx77]

Did a bit more work on Bertha. There are a lot of subassemblies that i need to keep apart before painting so most of the build is dryfitted.

Below the platform there is a winch for the hoist mechanism. After studying some photo's i saw i need to attach a cable from the winch to the beam. 

I think i'll use 0,5 mm copper wire. 

 

So far i really enjoy this build. The parts are well molded and the fit is good. The plastic is sturdy so cleanup is not too difficult.

I think the biggest challenge will be to keep a keen eye on the assembly to determine what needs to be kept apart for painting.

 

I'll keep you guys posted.

Cheers!!!

[Maddoxx77]

Had a little time between work, playing husband and  doing all sorts of father things. 

I made the 2 platforms that go on each side of the canon.

The chain rail is the only part in this kit that isn't plastic. The job was delicate but went very well.

I dryfitted it to the model to check the fit.

 

So this is my pace atm. Slow but shure. Taking my time and enjoying myself. Still have to do the cable for the hoist mechanism. That will be a fiddely job. 

 

That's it for now.

Cheers! 👍👍👍

[Keeff]

This is progressing well Maddoxx, lots of details and the sheer size of the kit is becoming apparent! 👌 

 

Keith 😁 

[edjbartos]

Looking very good Maddoxx, interesting looking build, I'm looking forward to seeing more...

 

Ed

[Maddoxx77]

The build is alost complete. This is what i got so far. 

Right now almost the whole build is a collection of dryfitted sub assemblies. 

There were virtually no issues with the build itself. When building this kit the only thing to keep an eye on is the excess sprue on the inside of the barrelparts. You have to clean that before you assemble the barrel otherwise the inner barrel wont fit. Other then that this kit goes together flawlessly. 

 

So, i got a few more jobs to do but then it's primer time. 

[Hamden]

 

Stunning looking piece of ordinance will look superb once painted and set on its base

 

    Stay safe            Roger

[mbthejester]

Looking awesome, what a monster even in 35th

 

Cheers

Mark

[Keeff]

That is impressive ..... it's a beast!  

 

 

Keith 😁

[Bullbasket]

This brought back rather fond memories for me. We used to tease my Mum and tell her that she had been named after a big German gun, (even though her birthday predated this monster by about 6 years). Probably why she liked to be known by her middle name instead.

Nice work Maddoxx on something that we don't see very often.

 

John.

[Maddoxx77]

She is primed..... it took quite a bit of primer and it was a complex job to reach every nook and cranny but i managed.

Still have to do the cable so that part was kept apart. 

Also i'm waiting on a figure. It's pretty difficult to get good ww1 figures. I looked at guncrews from various brands but they all lack detail or ar not suited for this build. So it will be one figure. More to show the size of the gun.

[Maddoxx77]

Basecolor and highlights done....

For the camo pattern i'm thinking 2tone. Just grey and brown.

I can't find any good reference pictures regarding camo patterns and colors so i'll do my own take.

 

[Keeff]

And so the transformation begins .... 

This will be good! 

 

Keith 😁 

[echen]

26 minutes ago, Keeff said:

And so the transformation begins .... 

Quite a transformation from a box of bits!

Very impressive so far.