Dragon Flakpanzer I

[andrei383]

Hi all!

I'm taking a trip back in time with my first WWII build, the Dragon 1/35th 2cm Flak 38 auf Pz. Kpfw. I Ausf. A! (phew, thats a long name! )

I just got this kit today and i couldnt resist getting started on it since its something different from my modern armor builds! one thing ive noticed is that its surely a small little thing, the lower hull just being a little longer than my Revell Luchs is wide!

pics to follow once i get some glue to styrene! ;D

 

[JohnSimmons]

Eyes peeled

 

[OldHammer]

Nice!!
I'll be watching the build with interest!

 

[Elm City Hobbies]

I have a Tristar version of one of these about 80% built. If the Dragon kit is anything like that, should be awesome!

 

[andrei383]

thanks for following along guys! ;D

firstly, this is my first time building a Dragon kit and the amount of parts was incredible! 343 parts plus 216 individual tracks for such a tiny little tank! the detail, i must say, is really nice!

not much work done so far, im taking it slow to make sure i dont make a mistake (many reviewers have pointed out that Dragon's instructions contain errors in many cases).

some work on the trailer as well:

 

[Elm City Hobbies]

Looking good so far!

Just don't do what I did. When I built mine, I didn't bother putting any of the interior to the driver's compartment, thinking that it won't be seen once everything is put on the top.

Little did I know that the driver's compartment is open to the elements and you can see right in it.

Lesson #1....study the instructions! LOL

Oh well...I am just going to fashion a tarp from some tissue, and put it over the opening. My story will be that the crew hates picking empty 20mm shells out of their driving space....tarp keeps the shells out of it! LOL

 

[FAUST]

This has always been one of my favourite Panzer I variants. Even with so few built it just looks awesome.
The dragon kit is nice allthough it has a bit of a simplified interior. But what is visible from the top is right where it belongs. So actually not that bad. Somewhere in a box at my parents house I have the Tristar Flakpanzer. But I doubt it can be rescued to anything other then a wreck.
Your work so far is great. Painting up that interior should look very cool. Looking forward to that.

 

[andrei383]

thanks ECH and Faust! im gonna see if i could find some reference photos of the interior and maybe detail it a bit before it hits the paint! ;D

heres some photos from additional work done it (and my recently worked on German Waffen Grenadier for scale). i spent quite a long time snipping all 216 track links from the sprue :

and just a quick closeup of the figure (details on my build thread for the figure):

thanks for looking! ;D

 

[geegad]

nice building bud and your figure looks superb

 

[Eastrock]

Figs looks great on the kit, Andrei

 

[FAUST]

You can actually play around with a lot of color there in that small space. I have always had a soft spot for the panzer I and have collected a bunch of reference on the little panzer.

I found two pictures online of a Panzer IB that seems to have been preserved very well. Yours is an A but internally not much change was among these vehicles. Might give you an idea on color. In most references the floor seem to be grey. The transmission often was black allthough I have seen examples with parts in green and even painted up in the color of the interior. The brakedrums were black. Etc etc. quite the recipe to paint up a nice interior.

Hope it is of some help.

 

[andrei383]

thanks for the comments geegad and Eastrock! the figure is not meant for the kit, its just there for scale, but thanks!

Faust, youve given me a wealth of information! those photos are just what i needed. i think ill go for the elfenbein, grey, and black combination. thanks a lot!

 

[FAUST]

Ola Andrei.

My pleasure. I'm glad it is of use. By the way if you follow those pictures you have to keep in mind that that Elfenbein is probably original and therefore very old. The years have tarnished the paintlayer and it appears very yellow. Freshly painted elfenbein is much whiter. A more cream white is advisable here. Also you'll notice that the frontvisor for the driver is black. All the interior bits of the visors were black on early war panzers. This can be adapted for other interior fittings as well.

 

[letsgobrowns82]

The figure is looking great! Cant wait to see what you do to the tank.

 

[panzerace007]

ANDREI ,

Good lookin start ! I'm lookin forward to th work !! really lookin forward to th interior !!

\m/

 

[andrei383]

hello and happy 2013 to you all!

apologies for the lack of updates as i have been on a bit of a modelling hiatus, but i have since come back and started work on the Flakpanzer I again!

the interior has now been painted and the first layers of weathering have been added: some details such as the chair and control levers still need to be painted and added. im starting to do more variation with the weathering as compared to how i previously did it with fewer colors and techniques:

the back portion of the interior will not be seen in the end as the Flak 38 sits on a platform above, so i used it to practice a bit of chipping and other effects:

the filter did leave the elfenbein a little too brown but hopefully it shouldnt be too obvious when the top structure gets added:

thats all for today, some more weathering/detailing needs to be done and then its time to close it off and finish the rest of the build!

 

[wyoroy]

It looks fantastic.

 

[letsgobrowns82]

Looking good, the interior weathering is great.

 

[geegad]

nice interior bud looks nice and used

 

[JohnSimmons]

Ooooh nice!