Zvezda Pak 36

[Gary Boxall]

Latest SMMI features this kit (along with 2 of my articles ). Have to say that yours - even without paint - is looking streets ahead already

Gary

[Philipp Gross]

Thanks everyone

Still going on slowly, but I pieced together the main ingredients for a fist setup test:



The gun itself will be sitting in a crater for cover with most of the track blown away and/or to pieces. The base is the lid of a small wooden box I bought somewhere cheap, quite suitable for diorama purposes. At least I won't have to worry about right angles this time

The track set is made by Trumpeter, and while it's acceptable as a foundation for a train model, it's not quite good enough for diorama purposes. Most likely I'll be making new sleepers/ties from wood, which allows for more realistic damage anyway.

Speaking of damage...two photos from a book of mine, to give you an idea what rail infrastructure might look like after applying enough explosive force:





Since a full scale bomb crater wouldn't work for the purposes of the scene, let's just presume it was medium artillery...

Philipp

[Vincent Power]

Great idea for a diorama Philipp. I like what you have done so far. Thanks for sharing those pictures too. The level of destruction is incredible. What book are they from?

Cheers,
Vincent

[Philipp Gross]

Thanks Vincent!

I'm afraid the book is only available in German: "Eisenbahn im Zweiten Weltkrieg" (Railways in WW2) by Andreas Knipping and Brian Rampp, published by GeraMond in 2013. It's got a lot of high quality photos of everything the German railways were involved with between 1939 and 1945, from Nazi propaganda to the devastation at the frontlines and back home.

Philipp

[Shawn Ramsey]

Really great lay out Philipp. Looking forward to see the tracks once you get them done.

Shawn

[Philipp Gross]

Thank you Shawn

I've been thinking about the setup again. How about having the rails turned 90 degrees? There would still be a crater with a gun-sized section of the track destroyed, but this way there might be more useful space available. What do you think?



Philipp

[Philipp Gross]

I decided to keep it as initially planned, if only for the simple reason that I have to make less wooden ties Those from the Trumpeter kit really are horrible. And hollow. Can't have that.



I think the main ingredients have been sufficiently prepared, now it's time to get everything finished. The coffee stirrer stuck in the corner is a placeholder for Greg's telegraph pole

Philipp

[Raoul Kunz]

It's already starting to look awesome Philipp!
Maybe a wooden beam "liberated" from the rails in front of the gun?


Best regards

Raoul G. Kunz

[Matt Parvis]

Looks like they may be aiming a little low Philipp? Or are they after a worm?(You know how dangerous they can be.)

On a more serious note, I like the look of this a lot. Small, simple, but action packed with some tension from the last ditch feel of it.

Matt

[Philipp Gross]

Thanks for dropping in gentlemen

Raoul - that's what I also had in mind. I'll make another tie tomorrow. One is enough for today

Matt - moles, not worms. Far more dangerous. That's mole damage the gun sits in, not a shell crater.

Philipp