A couple of years ago I came
across an old issue of Armor Modeling which had an article in it on converting
Tamiya's then-new 1/35 Famo to the mobile flak cannon version. Now,
normally I build airplanes but vehicles also interest me if there is some
connection to airplanes. The Germans developed an impressive variety of
anti-air tanks and vehicles during WWII, most being based around 20mm or 37mm
cannon. A
massive armored half-track with a 8.8cm flak gun on the back looked really cool,
so I bought the mag from the used book shop and stuck it in the bookshelf at
home as a reference for a future project.
German Revell recently released a 1/72 Famo, and that finally provided the
impetus to pull the Armor Modeling back down off the shelf. A 1/35 Famo is
simply massive, but in 1/72 the size becomes much more reasonable, plus most of
the rest of my collection is also 1/72, thus making size comparison easy.
Trumpeter has also just released a 1/72 Famo, and while it has a lot more detail
than the Revell kit (and every bit as much as Tamiya's), the Revell looked to be
the easier build plus most all the extra detail would be wasted in a conversion
like this.
Click on
images below to see larger images
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The Armor Modeling
article provided templates for the armored cab, bed and magazine.
Modification was required as the two kits are different (aside from the scale,
of course!), but with test fitting and trimming everything went together pretty
well. The cab, bed and magazine were made from sheet styrene, with brass
rod, pipe and sheet being used for handles, the bracing legs and other details.
The ladders on the cab were cut and filed out of aluminum sheet, wire mesh was
used on the lowered sides of the firing platform and premade brass anti-skid
plate was cut to size for the floor.
The Flak 36 is from Hasegawa, with some details added. The figures are
also from Hasegawa, some from the Flak kit and some from their German Infantry
set (modified so the poses looked better). Gunze and Tamiya paints were
used throughout.
The Germans only made less than 20 of these beasts, and only 2 photos seem to
exist, each of a different vehicle and there are apparently numerous differences
between the two (I could only find one of the two photos). Apparently all
completed examples were sent to Italy, but details of their service there seem
lost to history. Supposedly none were lost in combat, however what did
happen to them is a mystery.
On the one hand, this lack of detailed information could be seen as a hindrance,
on the other hand it is something of a blessing. You can make one of these
vehicles without being dogmatic or worried about whether best guesses made
during construction are "right", and if anyone says anything just ask
them for "proof". What's important is that you have fun building
something you find interesting, and I know I had a lot of fun with this
conversion. I hope you enjoy the pictures.
Lance
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