Well time for some fun with a big kit. Takom recently release both the Hanomag SS100 and V-2 Rocket kits. Well shortly after, these kits along with a Meillerwagen were released as a single kit, and I had to have this.So less than a week in the house, kit open and on the workbench.



It is a big box, and absolutely packed with sprues.

So the first night, I was able to get the rocket body halves together and puttied, as well as the engine for the Hanomag and center support for the trailer.



I did find the the edges are not perfect, some are a little rounded in spots, so the need for filler.

The rest of center trailer support goes together very well, no issues here.



The same goes for the basic frame for the Hamomag.



And the size of the rocket is impressive in 1/35 scale, but it next to a Scud, and wow.



There is a lot of details in the trailer, so work will continue. I am however looking for images of a Meillerwagen. There are a lot of air tanks, oxygen tanks, etc, and I would like to include the "plumbing" but have been unable so far to find and good detailed images of the trailer. If know of a source, please let me know.

Well I would like to thank those that chimed into my other thread on details for Miellerwagen. With the limited information and some, well guessing, I spent the time at the workbench this week adding to hydraulic lines to the trailer chassis.




I also managed to start on the trailer wheel assemblies.



Stay tuned more to come....

Most of the trailer lower section complete, and now getting a coat of primer. Assembly is pretty straight forward, no real issues.

I left the rocket raiser assembly off for ease of painting and handling.



Rocket launcher went together well too.



And on the side, so far, work on the Hanomag is coming along too. The only thing I have found so far is to watch how the air tanks are mounted. Then need to be angled below the top of the frame or there will be issue with mounting the cab. Dry fit before you glue.

TO ALL Meillerwagen and A-4 builders. my advise is download the report on operation Backfire !!!!!! and read it very well http://www.v2rocket.com/start/chapters/backfire.html you will find a lot of answers notice this is a very large file. there is also a good walkaround of the Hanomag of Samur to find on the WEB Greetings from the Netherlands. Bert

http://ffsmc.fr/index.php?/category/6
a walkaround of the Hanomag ss-100

enjoy

Bert

No further pictures of that Meillerwagen build ????

Take a look at the German DMMB forum section reviews 1/35 or bigger


Bert

Ran into issue with fit on SS100, and the whole project has become a shelf queen. Hopefully get back to it soon.

Kevin,
Don't let it remain a "hanger queen" for long-- you've got an impressive build going on there! I have a modeling acquaintance who has also been building the kit, he tells me there is a strip of metal the length of the V2's body that's present on one side and missing on the other in the kit. This strip joined the two haves of the outer skin of the V2. Out of curiosity, what's the SS100 fit problem you describe? Is it the positioning of the air tanks?
VR, Russ

I love the cool taper of the upper portion of that rocket body. I will have Marvin dig out his Plutonium 238 modulator and we will be ready to launch.

Great work! - More pictures please.

I take it the firing table does not include the small towing trailer nor the cut-outs to accommodate the trailer wheels?


A few photos of the V-2 in the Wright-Pat which Kevin, you have seen already:

http://s1061.photobucket.com/user/165thspc/V2%20Rocket/story

Michael,
I have the kit also-- it does not include the trailer for the firing table. In action, the table was towed by the 8ton firing command vehicle. Perhaps Tacom will realease all the support vehicles in a separate issue? We can hope anyway. Note in your photos that the front of the Meillerwagen is exactly opposite from Takom's box art, which is suspect as the rocket would never be raised into firing position with the SS100 attached to the Miellerwagen. Your first photo from the W-P museum (which I think is actually a shot from the Australian War Museum) shows the correct towing configuration--with the tow bar at what most modelers think is the rear-- but it's actually the front. The firing table was emplaced first, and the SS100 winched the Miellerwagen into position from the opposite side. Bert Koopman's V2Rocket.com is the best overall site on the web for info on the V2. I highly recommend it. I hope Kevin gets this build going again-- for selfish reasons as I haven't the started my V2 yet! I'm confident Kevin will work out the bugs first!
VR, Russ

The easiest way through all this is to say you are correct on every count.

All the photos EXCEPT the first one was shot by me personally and come from the Wright-Pat. As I recall I made no claim as to which end of the missile trailer is the "front". However, you are again correct, when being towed the tail fin end of the trailer is towards the towing vehicle.

There is a massive towing tongue that attaches to the "front" of the trailer. There is also a light weight manual steering tongue that can be attached to the "rear" of the trailer. This is used to manually steer the trailer as it is being winched up to the firing table.

I hope that clears up any confusion.

Michael,
No issues here-- I was trying to clarify for anyone looking in that the Takom folks got the box art wrong, and the instructions too for that mater, regarding the towing. I don't believe W-P has an SS-100, and I'm not sure what they have on their data cards for towing-- but thank you for posting the photos. I think since Revell released their 1/56 V2 and Miellerwagen kit way back in the late 50s, there's been a general acceptance by most modelers the Miellerwagen was towed from the four wheeled dolly end. I remember seeing a Revell V2 and Miellerwagen mated with a Bandai 1/48 SdKfz 8 way back in 1974 which led me to believe that's the way it must have appeared. I know I was of that belief right up until this kit was released,and Bert Koopman helped set me straight. I've built several of the CMK 1/72 "Special Armor" kits in prep for a scratch-built 1/35 Vidalwagen. The CMK kits also imply the Miellerwagen was towed from "the wrong end" (four wheel dolly end). Recently I've seen two builds in my local area where modelers have followed the Takom instructions and box art-- depicting the Miellerwagen being towed from the wrong end by the SS100. In trying to refer these modelers to the correct info, I've been met with a "who cares" attitude. Thanks again for the photos we can never have too much info on a subject. I think a V2 special interest group on Kitmaker would be great-- it's a fascinating subject-- truly the granddaddy of the race for space. Had it not been for the folly of this terrible weapon of destruction, mans conquest of space and it's accompanying technology advancements may never have occurred, or may have been delayed considerably.
VR, Russ

Well I would like to contribute to this group if you start one.
On the other hand you also can look at my building review on the DMMB forum.
Think that you will find enough new information on the Meillerwagen as it should be in a operational state, and not as a museum piece.
The DMMB is a German modelbuilders forum, but the review is done in the English language !!!

http://www.dmmb.info/t12217f301-TAKOM-V-A-Rocket-Meillerwagen-amp-Hanomag-SS-Building-review.html



Greetings from the Netherlands

Bert

Wow,
Great reading! 14 tons of documents???
Also, there are the fuel support trucks:
A-stoff & B-stoff

and the rest of the group
From Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meillerwagen

Feuerleitzugmaschine Sd.Kfz. 7/3 (command vehicle)
Feuerleitpanzer Sd.Kfz.251 (command vehicle)
Hanomag SS-100 (tractor vehicle)
Meiller-Wagen (V-2 mobile wagon-erector trailer, the direct precursor to self-powered 20th/21st century transporter erector launchers)
Opel-Blitz T-Stoffwagen (fuel car-tanker, possibly of the same "Ausf. S" version as used with the Me 163B)
Kesselanhänger für Fl-Sauerstoff (liquid oxygen wagon-tanker)

Kfz.385 V-2 Rocket B-Stoff Tanker Truck

[https://www.scalemates.com/kits/942307-leadwarrior-lw-35020-v-2-rocket-b-stoff-tanker-truck]

This is great stuff! I have this kit on the shelf waiting for me to complete the move to Rhode Island in order to get started.