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

[bazers]

Great detail work Steve.

 

[scottie3158]

Steve,
A cracking job so far, nicely done.
Scottie

 

[Deleted member 5819]

Hi Steve great scratch work on the sledge, I like it a lot, well done sir keep it coming.
Pete.

 

[Allen Dewire]

Evening Stevie Wonder,
Wow Buddy, it looks like you're leaving no stone unturned here. Don't you love the scratching business to death!!! It appears that you get it right only on the second try. I really like the worn wood work on the back of the bed. It adds character to the whole scheme of things. A good fix on the length hiccup too. Keep it coming Sir!!!
Prost
Allen

 

[minitnkr]

Very strong Steve. Love the foil work, and the buckles! PaulE

 

[SimonT]

Hi Steve,

are those door steps on upside down?

Pics I have seen show them t'other way up like this one I saw a few years back at Elvington vehicle rally



I have the Dragon 3t truck with 20mm flak - looks like it includes the sledge so if you need any measurements for a redo let me know

 

[Steve Jones]

Hi Everyone

JR - Is the scratchery so cunning you could stick a tail on it and call it weasel?
Barry - Thanks for the support
Scottie - Glad you like it mate
Pete - The sledge was fun to do and it came out well
Allen - It is surprisingly going well No issues with the sledge now (see below). Looking forward to painting up the timbers
Paul - The foil work is because of you my friend. If you remember we had a chat a while back about using milliput on tarps and you convinced me of the merits of using foil. No turning back now. Many thanks
Mr T - A good point well made. They are not upside down but they are not the popular version of the Opel Blitz step. They look more like the ones used on a Ford. So either Eduard have designed the piece wrong or they found a variant when they designed their PE parts



Thanks for the offer on the sledge but looking at other sledge photos the change I made is not that different from what they actually looked like



(For information purposes only)

I have put the support planks around the sledge. They were heavily scarred with the heaviest file I had to reflect a wooden look. Then a few bolts were added. These will come to life once painted



So the build is now starting to take shape



I spent some time going over the instructions to see if I had missed anything. This was one of the items that needed to be done



I now need to finish off the tow hitch and then its the final job of doing the springs and under carriage.

Thanks for all your interest and continued support

Steve

 

[RonGlass]

awesome work, distressing the woodwork of the bed....

 

[Marcello]

simply lovely

 

[Ron Lebert]

I was a bit late coming to Steve's wonderful build. Your doing a great job of it Steve, don't know how you can use the PE details as I usually get angry & toss them @ the wall!
I think I know Steve well enough that he won't mind if I post my drawing of the sled & a few comments about it's design.

At the time I built my example there wasn't much info out there on the sled itself, only a few fuzzy photos. I misinterpreted the photos to include three sets of rollers but with the newer photos it looks that there was only one forward set. Now there is a possibility that there could have been more than one set of rollers as the sleds looked to be built by the divisions maintenance shops. Careful study of photos show differences between sleds. Since my build some ten years ago, I have found a few more very detailed photos.


A very nice shot of the sled waiting for the gun to be placed on board. You can see why the platform is shaped as it is allowing the wheels to place the gun in proper location.
Well my Grand kids just showed up so no rest for Grapa Ronnie!
More to follow shortly.
Ron

 

[Ron Lebert]

Here is a nice overhead shot of the sled. As modelers we tend to get a bit overzealous about a photo.
We try to copy the photo to the exact detail. such as the board size & spacing. Remember that I mentioned that the sled was built by the work shop so they used the materials that they had laying around. What they did follow was the print, as the sled must fit the gun's footprint. Steve mentioned that my drawing was a bit too long to fit his style of cargo bed.
My drawing follows the layout for the sled seen in the photos fitted to a full size floor. Steve's floor has sections of wood blocks added thus reducing the area, making the sled slightly too long.
So you need to determine the open area of the bed & adjust your sled to fit.


In this photo we see a lever located to the right rear corner of the bed. This is part of the sled loading/locking system. The lever is pulled to raise a set of rollers.
Then the lever is lowered to lock the sled into position. No idea what that round disc does it may be part of the locking setup.


Here we see the hidden details, I didn't have this photo when I first built my sled.
The poor fellows have to man handle the sled up & into the back of the truck bed. They must be very strong men.
The sled's frame rails roll on the two rollers as the sled is pushed/slid into the cargo bed.
The front rollers help to keep everything moving forward., this is why you don't need the other rollers.
Now if the cargo bed doesn't have the loading setup you may need the other rollers to move the sled forward into position.
I don't know if the work shops installed this setup or the trucks came purpose built from the factory as it looks a bit complicated to ask a busy shope to modify the truck beds..




What a job it must be to lift the sled & gun.



Hee you see the heave-ho, looks like a real nut cracker of a job. Nice detail shot of the sled frame sliding on the rollers..



The same image from earlier but showing the end result of the sled in location. You can see that the sled extends to the very rear of the bed.
This would help keep everything secure when traveling over bumpy roads.

I have to go out for a bit & will load my drawing when I return.
Ron

.

 

[Ron Lebert]

The bench drawing. The drawing is sized for the Italeri Opel bed & the Tamiya gun. So it may need a bit of tweaking for the newer kits but probably not much.



My rendition @ the time of the sled loaded into my Maultier.


The sled dismounted. If you look @ the photos there are a few small details to be added such as the angle iron along the top of the sleds upper rear sides & a few more bolts.
Hope you don't mind Steve for the addition to your blog as it fit in so nice with your great build.
Ron

 

[Strenko J]

Mr J
So glad that I found this thread. The master detailer is at work again I see. SUPER impressive work my friend. The interior cab is just striking!! Micropore...would have never thought of that...and now catching up with the rest of the build that you are creating..my oh my... simply FANTASTIC. Can’t wait to see the next phases and will watch to the end for sure.

Mr S

 

[Armorguy]

Brilliant works, I like every bit'n bob of it.

 

[rtfoe]

Hi Steve, fantastic work on the additions and sledge. Might I add something although Simon has a point there, I think Eduard has got their drawing wrong, it's not upside down. Judging by Simon's picture the three lips facing up should be bent down just like the one that is facing front. You will need to remove the plastic step cutting flush against the body and mudguard. Attach the PE step to the two sides that were cut flush. Steps on real trucks are stamped steel with the edges bent down to add strength. The bent edges made it appear as if it's thick steeI but it's just sheet metal solded on. I know you've added the jack but I think its still doable.

Cheers,
Richard

 

[Jim R]

Hi Steve
So much great stuff going on. Love the detail of the PE. The axle alterations are excellent and so glad the sledge has worked out OK. A fine example of mogglin' at its best.
Jim

 

[Steve Jones]

Hi Everyone

Ron - The wood changes went well. Glad you like em
Marcello - Cheers mate
RonL - Great to have you here and many thanks for sharing all the details on the sledge. Great stuff
Joe - Glad you made it mate. I hope you like the next updates
Guy - Many thanks
Richard - I didnt quite do it your way but the adjustments were made and it looks a lot better. So many thanks to you and Mr T for all your help with the steps



Jim - I appreciate the support. It's been good fun

Not much of an update as time has not been on my side this week. Firstly the tow hitch was added along with some chain on the tow pin



I finally got round to doing the suspension. This is the first time I have ever done them so they aint that great. However I have had great fun doing them and learnt a lot which I can take forward to the next time I do them. Firstly the bands were added using foil strips and rivets



These were then bent over and styrene rods added for the bars along with rivets at each end



These were then added to the vehicle. I have yet to add the final wire banding's around the attachment areas but these will be done later



All the under carriage items were added with no issues



So we are nearly there now. Just a couple more bits to add. I am still undecided on how much detailing I will do on the chassis if any at all. I will see how I feel when I sit at the bench next




Thanks for watching

Steve

 

[scottie3158]

Those springs look the nuts mate I have done these a few times but yours look very good indeed.
Scottie

 

[Deleted member 5819]

Hi Steve great work on the spring's and it's really coming together now, the doom rivets are punch out or are they the moulded type?
Pete

 

[JR]

Cpl Jones.
Your undecided !! We of the under chassis detailing society expect a man of your calibre to add evey rivet, bolt head and more .
Yours .
Dzhon .