Italeri Kfz 305 Opel Blitz with Tamiya 20mm Flak 38 MIT Sd.Ah.51

[Deleted member 6559]

Fantastic modelling Steve.

 

[col68]

Nice work Steve.

 

[Steve Jones]

Hi Everyone

Scottie - As you know the devil is in the detail
Jim - Keep taking the pills mate
Pete - I used to use milliput for sheeting put found foil a lot easier to use
Peter - Cheers mate
Colin - Great to have you along for the build and thanks for the support

 

[Steve Jones]

Hi Everyone
Well after melting in the back garden all day it was nice to cool down with some bench work today

Firstly the pick axe holder was done. Then the Opel mascot on the bonnet was added along with the front hooks and number plate. Chain or rope will be added onto the hooks at the end of the build. This then completed the front cab


Next comes Section 3 which deals with the under carriage



The rear axle is incorrect and lacks detail. This is what the kit gives you



The central hub needs to be oblong not round so the edges were removed. Fresh ribs have been added, sanded down and filled. This will be left to dry over night before a final sanding is done. A dozen bolt heads also need to be added



On the other side I added the bolt heads using Johnsons Klear



While this was all drying I jumped ahead and made a start on the wheels. As always the rubber tyres had rubber flash all the way around the tread. Also the grooves of the tyre are incorrect. However the resin sets are so expensive I will just have to live with this mistake



So I set about removing the flash. I gently shave the tyre with a razor and then remove the leftovers with steel wool





The problem with no sprue numbers hasn't been an issue until now. These are all numbered differently and there are subtle differences on each one. Anyhow thats tomorrows problem



Thanks for watching

Steve

 

[Marcello]

Hi Steve,
I may have missed this one previously, but now I am catching up. Excellency at its best. I am always amazed with your skills and detailed work. Looking forward for more and more

 

[Allen Dewire]

Hey Steve,
I finally found this as I have been searching all over for it. It wasn't under where you said you put it and not in the other normal categories either. No biggie Bro!!! Nice bling and this is turning into another super build. I will be following this from now on. Please don't move it someplace else, ok???
Prost
Allen

 

[Steve Jones]

Marcello - Great to have you here. thans for the positive comments
Allen - Glad you found me. I have been a lost soul for far too long now I will make sure I dont move her again

 

[SimonT]

Just had a read through - off to a good start

Don't forget that the master leaf spring has rolled ends so the roll part doesn't sit on top of the leaf, it is part of the leaf itself

 

[scottie3158]

Steve,

Nice work so far, try a scotchbrite type scourer for the rubber wheels. I find it gives a better abrasive action than the steel wool.
Scottie

 

[Jim R]

Hi Steve
Amazing stuff Sir. Mad as a box of frogs but still amazing. Just love the rolled up roof. And as for the 10 leaf spring - great.
Jim

 

[Steve Jones]

Hi Everyone

MrT - I saw that. I have sanded them down as best as possible but it doesn't look like one solid piece. I will try again
Scottie - I will try that as wire wool gets everywhere
Jim - More madness to come. Sadly Matron is late bringing my pills again

Well after a day roasting in the garden it was nice to cool down with a little bench time. Firstly I would like to start with a mini rant. I would luv to go to a kit manufacturing plant and find out how the moulding process is designed. I can deal with seam lines. I can deal with flash. I can even deal with the odd badly formed part but injector marks on the front of parts that are clear to see??!! How difficult can it be to put the marks on the back of the part out of sight of the viewer. This seems to happen all the time



Any way rant over. The injector marks have been filled and sanded. The wheels went together well. They even supplied a spare for under the chassis



I completed the detailing on the rear axle with the completion of the ribs and the addition of some bolt heads



I still cant bring myself to finish the springs so I jumped to the next section which deals with the engine parts



I am no engine person and all the parts will be fitted as is. However if you want to detail the engine this is a good base to work from. None of this can be fitted until I finish the chassis detailing so it was onto the rear floor



This is the blank canvas that the kit offers you



Firstly the wood parts are heavily sanded with the coarsest sand paper I have. Then I sawed off the back end



Next I added wood grain to the planks with heavy marking with a craft knife at each end. The a few grooves along the length of the plank



However at the sawn off end I went to town on the grooves adding as much damage as possible. Then the rear end was reattached giving a nice worn out look



Thats it for today. Thank you all for your continued support

Steve

 

[Fernando N]

Homemade springs very nice Steve and good job with the hood hooks.
Great woodwork too, keep it coming.

Fernando

 

[Deleted member 5819]

Hi Steve sorry for being stupid, you added the bolt heads to back of the diff housing using Johnsons Klear, what as a glue ???
Pete.

 

[Wouter]

Seems like someone really likes etch and extra detailing ey ^^. Nice build Steve, and what an original way of trimming the mould seams on wheels

Cheers

 

[Steve Jones]

Hi Everyone

Fernando - Springs are on the sidelines at the moment as my attentions are being diverted elsewhere
Pete - That's right. It's ideal for difficult to reach places. You need to apply a couple more coats once dry. Its far from perfect but the ease and lack of glue stains does make it appealing
Wouter - Cheers mate. Some bling on its way

Sorry everyone but I have had no time this week to do regular updates so here we go

First heat damage was added to all the fenders. This will become more evident during the painting phase



The PE rear mud flaps were made up and added to the mudguards



The rear number plate was replaced with a selection of PE items and a strip of plastic. The number plate was bent up. When the decal is applied it's quite a good look. Certainly better than the kit offering on the left



If you look on the original photo there is a row of jerry cans on the L/H side. However there was a lovely PE box which I decided to make and put there instead. So I have moved the jerry cans to the other side



The rear kit boxes are nicely detailed. So rather than replace the padlock and clasp I left as is and just added hinges and brackets



In between these boxes is a PE jerry can holder. I have made this up and put in a captured American can from the battle at Kasserine pass. I also added a pin and chain for interest



Next I turned my attention to the make shift jerry can holder. The picture showed seven cans. So I made these up and checked to see if they would fit



Next I stuck them all together with two decent ones at the ends



The easy way to make the frame would be to just stick the strips of plastic to the cans. However I wanted to create depth so I built the frame around the cans. I used styrene strip and brackets



Then I added strengthening bars at each end and then a holding bar all the way around the centre of the cans



I added a padlock and rivets for extra detailing








So now I have a drying table with a lot of components that all need to be put together. However firstly I need to look at making the sledge.



Thanks for watching

Steve

 

[Si Benson]

Evening Mr Steve,
Ever so sorry for missing so many updates. I’ve just had a thoroughly good catch up with all yer mods and extra odds and sods.
Very impressed with how the tyres turned out....I’d never of thought to rough em up, they look good like that.
You’ve done loads to improve this kit...I only did some PE on my Italeri one as a practice piece but you’ve really gone the whole hog
Keep it rolling mate. If you want any more pics give us a shout
Si

 

[rtfoe]

Whoah...after going through the pages I need to rest my eye from all that bling. This is what happens when you miss so many updates.

Steve, must you detail the undercarriage as well...you're killing me. Overall fantastic work.

Cheers,
Richard

 

[JR]

Steve.
You are indeed related to Mr T with out doubt !
Mad as a box of drunk frogs ,but I like you.
Matron will be around later to tuck you in.
Blown away mate, just amazing .
JR.

 

[Steve Jones]

Hi Everyone

Si - Thanks for the offer mate You know me, I like to add lots of detail
Richard - I am thinking of doing all the wiring on the under carriage as well but we will see how I feel when I get to it
JR - Sadly not mate as I am a southern softy. However I am certifiably madder than Mad Jack McMad, the winner of last year’s Mr Madman competition

Well today has been a rewarding day at the bench. The task was to scratch build the sledge for the flak unit to go on. I have unashamedly copied Ron Lebert's wonderful blog that he did in 2010 on the site with no name about how to build the sledge. Although not as good as his, and despite the disaster at the end, it hasnt turned out to bad.

So firstly we need a base.



Following Ron's hand made scale drawing of the base, I cut a piece to the right size and added a central line to work off.



I then drew on the shape that needs to be cut away. I dont have the correct tools to do this exactly so I used free hand and then sanded it into shape.



I then checked the Flak base would fit in position okay



Next I made the stops for the three feet on the Flak base. I dont have a drill bit this size so again this was done free hand and they came out "okay"



Next I had to build a simple frame underneath. I did not have the correct size struts so I doubled up the ones I had and glued them together



These were then cut to size according to Ron's instructions, sanded and glued into place. I also added a couple of supporting struts



Next the rollers were made from these parts. One day I will learn how to cut a piece of tubing straight



These were then put at the front and end of the sledge. There should be one in the middle but as this will not be seen I didnt bother



Next I attempted the criss cross support at the top. My first effort on the R/H side was to thick. So I cut a smaller strip and this looked far better



Final detailing was added with copper handles, bolt heads and rivets



I then put it onto the truck and DISASTER! It was too long!!. Ron had designed his sledge to go up against the back board of the truck. I actually needed mine to be shorter and supported by a plank of wood bolted onto the floor.DOH! So I had to go all the way back to the beginning and build another one. Yeah - that aint happening. So I cut 7mm off the end and redid the handles which I was happy to do as I was not happy with the first ones. The cross members were left as is so it's a little out of proportion. However if we dont tell any one we should get away with it



So as you can see it fits as it should do and the support plank will fit okay now and it still leaves the damaged plank ends showing



The support planks around the outside will be tomorrows challenge

Thanks for watching.

Steve

 

[JR]

Steve.
A cunning piece of scratchery indeed. The wood work dept here at Race Towers are highly impressed with the timber work on the bed.
JR