Update Time:

The mortar is now finished and primed:











Anyone There?




Any comments for the figure? Ripped pants perhaps?




If there's any double pics, I apologize.
Comments and tips appriciated
Richard

"Building is easy. Painting is hard. Weathering is harder. Not going crazy doing the above is hardest."

Hello everyone, I'll have to do pics now and talk later:

The mortar finally painted:





What do you guys think of the wooden crate?



I'll try to update with better pics and the touched up paintjob.
Richard

"Building is easy. Painting is hard. Weathering is harder. Not going crazy doing the above is hardest."

She is coming along nicely Rich! This sucker is so big, you wonder how the hell the germans actually moved it around and fired it. It must have made one hell of a bang! I certainly wouldn't want to be on the recieving end of her shells!

Hello everyone, a small update:

Say hello to Eva, a girl that you do not want to see on a bad day






A little work on the rear plate. The Ladder was a pain in the butt. There actually is a way to make it workable but between the small photoetch barely a couple mm large, it is a hassle just putting them on one ladder, when there is 3!


Here are some pics around the driving deck:





If anyone could tell me all the colors on the dashboard, I'd much appriciate it.

Richard

"Building is easy. Painting is hard. Weathering is harder. Not going crazy doing the above is hardest."

I don't know how they properly fired it, I know it had an electrical ignition system instead of a lanyard, They probably had a remote control with a button to remote detonate the mortar as the recoil must haved caused mini earthquakes I reckon. But for long disances and other technical info, you can find on the internet or here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morser_Karl

http://www.one35th.com/morser/karl_main.htm

I wouldn't have wanted to be on the recieving end either, between the monstrous shell, the huge bang, and the massive explosion, there is just no way to describe it ...

The lengths we go to kill...

I think I just figured out the title for the diorama

Richard

"Building is easy. Painting is hard. Weathering is harder. Not going crazy doing the above is hardest."

Hello Everyone, I know it's been a long time since I've had an update, but I'll finally be able to work on it this weekend. This is where I am at

Suspension: I need to paint the wheels, and return rollers with a blackish color for rubber.

Tracks: I have these glued but does anyone have an idea to paint them? (Remember I only have limited resources)

Upper Hull: Cockpit is completed and needs to be painted. Everything else still has to be done. Anyone know the colors for the gauges on the control panel?

Morter: The only part that is completely done!

Front and Back panels: Still need to be completed.

And does anybody know how to paint an aluminum shell?

I've kinda lost inspiration for the project just because it's so freaking daunting!

One last thing: I'm thinking of a simple diorama for this thing entitled: "The Lengths We Go To..." Anyone have an idea for me to carry this out? I'm thinking of an open field but I need to do something better than that! (I think?) Any comments Appriciated

Richard

Hey Rich.

I'd say for the tracks, they should be pretty freakin muddy and full of dirt. This big guy moving around, it HAD to sink atleast 6 inches in the dirt, thats if there was no mud. Also, the tracks probably rotated so slow, I doubt much of it would have been flung around and knocked off like a tank would do. The guages...my guess would be a grey background with white numbers?

Hope that helps a bit!

About Friggin' time for an update:
Here are some pics:
Most progress has been made on the upper hull attaching some fixtures here and there.

If you notice on the support bracket on the far left, be careful, it bends really easy and it broke so I had to try a couple of times and a few harsh words until I got it to look adequate.



If you notice this light, It's with the driver but I lost the darn piece for the left fender so I had to garden tape it over on the left fender.



These are overall pics showing the added side walkways:





Does anyone have any idea what these boxes were for?


Here are some pics showing the entire thing sans tracks dryfitted together:















Any ideas? Anyone? Please?! Questions and answers are welcome!
I think my pictures are getting better. Who knows maybe I'll take good pictures when it's all said and done.
Richard

"Building is easy. Painting is hard. Weathering is harder. Not going crazy doing the above is hardest."

Look nice. I have Karl on rail transporters, but still cant begin...

Hey Richard looking good. Just one question. Why did you not paint the whole thing at once? Wouldn't it have been a little easier?

Hello Richard, I was wondering when you would post an update, looking forward to your final verdict of this kit.

As far as your diorama question, if you plan to have it ready to fire, I suggest adding AA flak guns near it. If it is traveling, mybe a Munitionpanzer IV Ausf F bringing up the rear?

hi
nice build log. the alu shell should paint ok, just give it a coat of primer/undercoat first ( i use car primer in a rattle can) that should stick well.

someone above mentioned possably showing it it about to fire..... but.... and correct me if i'm wrong.... i think you have built the wheels in the down/ transport possition... they where raised up to fire, due to the huge recoil i imagin.
you could do a dio of it almost in possition, with someone in the controls cab, just moving it forward that last bit........ but it would look really good with a munitions carrier on the base with it.

hope this helps
neil

Rich, shes looking good buddy. Keep up the hard work. I'm dying to see her finished!

,That would be an even bigger projoct than this, but when you finally begin, make sure you have a long construction window!

Richard

I'm using spray cans to do each of the main sections and then doing the detail sections. It's kinda like car manufacturing, paint the large peices and then put them together. I also know if I spray everything at once, I' know something would go horribly wrong (Murphy's Law), so I'm doing section by section. Hope that's clear enough.

Richard

Well, my verdict thus far is that this kit is amazing with tons of details but will test every aspect of patience and sanity because of the numerous asemblies and small parts but it isn't final yet as I'm not done but hoping to

The AA sounds kind of cool, have a bunch of people just staring at it, that would get my title across. Where would the AA emplacements be around it? What AA guns should be used that would be relatively affordable?

Richard

I did assemble them in the down position, for that is what the instructions said and I know its not excactly the best thing to do but I'm going by them. But I think the difference is that for the late versions, when they were down: travel. When they were up: firing. But I think it's reverse for the early suspension but I wonder if someone could give the real answer. That would determine what my diorama should be.

As for the person in the cab: that might be another idea I could put in, but I'm wondering who in the plethora of figures out there would fit in there to drive it?

And as for the aluminum shell, that is the answer I needed. I have some auto primers laying around from my dad's hobby.

thanks for the answers
Richard

I definitely am working hard on this one and I know for sure I'm gonna finish before February for the Big Guns Campaign.

Richard

Thanks everyone for the replies!

I know the answers aren't the best but I'm trying my best to balance so many things at once. Between school, Christmas projects, band concerts, this project, and who knows what else will come but I can't thank everyone enough for your support,comments, and answers.
I'll finish this darn thing for all y'all

Richard

p.s.: the more I work on this project, the more I realize how stupid the Germans were in investing in this behemoth! It's downright stupidity!

Hey rich,

Whatever feels best for you when constructing and painting the model, just do it. You learn from each model in what steps to do each process. She looks good!

nice build so far Richard, i have the dragon Karl, so i can sympathize with how challenging the build is... but keep up the good work.

Thanks for the complements and I'm trying to find the best way (not easiest) to get the most I can right. What's the progress on the Tiger I, I haven't seen it on the top of the C.F. forum lately?

Richard

I'd bet yours was a lot easier than this. I've seen on reviews that it was simplified in terms of construction but I'd say that no matter who's kit it is, it's still a pain in the @$$ to build! Is it completed or being built as I'd like to see some pics of it eitherway

Richard

Hi Richard, I also have the Karl with the rail trucks, haven't started it, it's sitting in the back of the wardrobe, winking at me every time I open the door. I only bought it because it was in our local charity shop for half the original price - I just couldn't leave it there! I am looking forward to it, I just keep getting diverted on to smaller things that I think will only take two or three weeks and end up taking months.

Looking forward to it so much that I managed to get hold of Schiffer Military History vol.39 "German Heavy Mortars" (just the the thing to be seen reading on the train. . .). There is a picture of a shell in its sling being loaded from the Panzer IV munitionschlepper, can't tell the colour, but it looks to be some medium shade like grey or brown (just oxidised metal maybe??), and very flat, like there's not much light reflecting off the top of it. Near the base, if you divide the cylindrical part before the taper into 10, say about 1/10th up, there is a narrow band about a 1/10 thick, then another about a 1/10 from the top, which is much shinier, probably metallic, so I'm imagining you could even mask off the two bands with masking tape before giving it a thin spray, and leave the alu parts exposed.

There is also an interesting photo of one of the early ones, like yours, being prepared for firing in Russia in 1941, with a grey scheme, again like yours, but the whole thing has been well caked in very light coloured dried mud - all of the side of the hull, the gun assembly and the front and rear; with the gun raised at 60 degrees you can see where they didn't muddy it up underneath on the belly of the barrel. An idea that could add some interest in a diorama.

Not sure about the position of your wheels being for firing or driving, they are actually the wheels for the original version - 8 road wheels on external suspension arms, while the one in the rail truck kit has the later 11 road wheels. The 8 wheel version - I don't have any photos of that one being fired, just transported.

Another nice diorama idea is suggested by one of the photos, which is taken from the inside of the barrel as someone sticks his head and arms right in to inspect the barrel, something which was apparently done before after every shot, to check for damage to the rifling. So you could have the barrel down, and someone climbing in.

Hope you're enjopying it still!

hey up richard the build's more or less complete, i've primed, and painted the first coat, just starting the figures, i'd post pictures but my pc at home has died, so i'm limited to posting on my work's internet cafe, hence the unusual hours i post (i work nights ) and due to security restrictions we aren't allowed to download or upload stuff but i'm hoping santa brings a new part or two for my pc will post pics then but again keep up the good work i'm watching this build with interest.