Bill Cross reviews Kamizukuri's Mesh Guard Set for DML''s Sd.Kfz.7/1.


Link to Item

If you have comments or questions please post them here.

Thanks!

Nice review Bill. Im still not sure which one I will use though. The Griffon set does look really complicated. One thing that might sway me though is how the scale thickness is on this set. From the photos its hard to tell. Do you have a better close-up of the thickness of this set? sorry, wanted to make your job even harder

Thanks, Tim, try this:



The Griffon Model set can't be touched for accuracy, but it does not assemble easily, and my first panel is warped a bit. Don't know if mounting it will ease that, and it will need some filling with Mr. Surfacer to clean it up.

Thanks Bill...from the looks of it, I think I might just take the plunge and try the Griffon set. then I can feel your pain.

Don't say I didn't warn you, LOL!!!

Regarding the reference pictures - there's a picture in the Panzer Colours book of a crew changing out one of the barrels of an Sdkfz 7/1 in Normandy - and you can see in that pic it's a lattice array - rather than mesh. regards Jezza

Thanks, Jeremy, for pointing that out. I was watching some film of Barbarossa, and an Sd.Kfz.11 went by towing a small gun, and it was clearly a lattice-work array. But in some photos, the lack of contrast doesn't tell us clearly. Take this image from the Panzerkeil website:

thanks for the review Bill! I'm very interested in those laser cut paper sets, and I hope to see more of them in the future as a simple replacement to PE parts (a laser cut paper set for the stryker! and so on) and i really like seeing more and more of these released.

I bought a few of these for the 7/1s and 7/2s I have and I was really impressed with them.

I don't know about the 7/1 as I only have the Dragon 7/1s and not the Trumpeter one but on the 7/2 the Kamizukiri one fits the Trumpeter one as well ( at least as far as dry fitting goes as I haven't put it together yet ).

I'm also going to look at how hard it is to mod one for the Italeri 10/4.

Let me know how you do, Dean, as I have a 10/4 in the stash....

The actual fit is a piece of cake, you just trim away the outer frame of the Kamizukuri one and cut it down to the right size. What I need to do is try and identify the structure of the centre strips in the framework of the 10/4 sides.

If you take a look at yours you'll see what I mean, the vertical strips with the bolts.

I'm trying to work out if these were:

A; flat strips - in which case I can just lay the latice inside the frame the way the supplied mesh is supposed to go.

B: T-beam in profile - in which case I'll need to add the centre strip and cut the Kamizukiri lattice into panels for each

C: H-Beam in profile - in which case I'll have to do as for B but then also add the inner surface.

If you get what I mean.

That seems to make sense, let me mull it over tonight on the work bench.

Problem solved. After typing that up I had a vague recolection of buying a book on the 10/4 way back when I got the kit ( almost a year ago now ).

So went hunting and now thanks to Wydawnictwo's SdKfz 10-4 I can say without a doubt that there is no internal framework and the outer strips I was talking about are just flat strips used to mount the ammo boxes.

Particularly the photos on page 27 and 31 which I'll scan in and post up when I have more time. ( BTW this is an excellent resource for the 10/4 and clearly shows the lattice type mesh ).

So in short this set is also good for any other vehicle using the latticework style fold down sides.

I would love to see those photos, as I looked at adapting the Kamizukuri mesh to the Italeri 2cm Sd.Kfz.10 and found it too deep to slide in easily to plastic rails intended for plastic mesh. I'm all ears, Dean, in how to do this and will be looking for your guidance!

Here you go.

PHOTOS FOR DISCUSSION PURPOSES ONLY.

The first three show the inner surface clearly.







This one shows internal framework on the front one but not on the one in the background, and the random layout of the framing seems to imply possibly a repair or that it was made using leftover latticework that wasn't long enough.



And this one is just because the shadows clearly show the boxed latticework.



I found the Kamizukuri lattice sits a little too proud. I don't want to try sanding it flush as I figure it will most likely fuzz-up so I figure the easiest solution is to put the lattice in place then use very thin strips of platicard to build up the outerframe accordingly and then sand the outside.

Like so ...

I really should keep better track of what I buy. This morning whilst looking for something else I discovered that I DO in fact have a Trumpeter 7/1 ( don't even remember buying it - welcome blissful senility ).

I see what you mean, the sides are a little longer and the rear a little narrower. I reckon with a steady hand you could adapt the Kamuzukuri parts to fit, you'd just need two sets ( or the leftovers from modding one to fit the 10/4 ). Annoyingly the leftovers from fitting the tailboard would be enough to lengthen one side but you're still ablout a cm short for the other side.

With careful cutting I think you could remove the bottom "lugs", trim off the frame at one end and then add an extension piece and use the Kamizukuri vertical lengths repositioned to match up with the Trumpeter base.

When I get around to building it I'll give it a go, if it fails I might have to just go the wooden sides option as I think there's a snowflakes chance of adapting the griffon PE set.

I agree, Dean. The materials of the set (steel, not brass) make cutting them challenging. I don't really see how you could easily adapt the set, which functions as a totality.

But then, given the scratchbuilding skills of some modelers, nothing is impossible.