Hello everyone, this is the Tristar flak panzer 1 a which i began construction on a couple of days ago, i will be building it OOB and i am undecided on the paint scheme at this point.



Step 1 through 4 consist of the gun assembly which is quite amazing the detail is some of the best that i have come across in anything that i have built so far, some of the parts are a bit small but i took my time and did not find anything overly difficult. The gun comes with 2 options of elevated or not so watch to use the correct parts also there was 1 error in part numbers which is pointed out in the pics.

The first 2 steps are the gun itself.





3 and 4 cover the seat, sights and shields.



Here i am not using internet jargon to call part A9 an Ass just pointing out it should in fact be part A33



Step 5 is the transmission.





Step 6 call for interior floor details but i decided to build the tub prior to this just in case of any fit issues which would be harder to fix after this was in place and things were a tad tight in places so i am glad i did.



I noticed in the pics a couple of spots need to cleanup but no worries there also i would like to point out something i really like so far about this kit is just about all the sub assembly parts are on the same sprues so instead of searching 8 sprues to find the right bits for an 8 piece transmission they are all together on single sprue, well done Tristar

Ron.

You are truly back!!! Will follow this one with pleasure. Looking good till now. May I suggest a winter camo? Was this one in use in DAK? Would also look good . My 3 cents.

spit

Hi Ron

Nice to see you back on the big A. Your kits were one of the first I followed with keen interest when I first joined the site a few years ago.

I like Tristar and I have this kit myself so I'll be following along for tips etc. If I may give you one. Does it not say to fit the transmission etc before all the hull sides, as I believe you can't get it in once its fully assembled with all the sides in place.

Alan

Hello, Ron G.!

NICE work!

So... You are doing that Tristar kit OOTB... Looks really nice from here! You look like you're off to a good start with it. I'll be watching!

Just so happens I have a couple of the Dragon version (kit 6220) - the flakpanzer 1A is perhaps my fav version of my favorite tank, the tiny (but versatile) 1A - and I have just finished the construction part of a strictly OOTB of one!

I can't say which kit is the better - both have their ups and downs, according to many reviewers. I found the Dragon a nice build and pretty replete with detail, so I'll be watching how your kit comes out with great interest!

I do have one suggestion on your gun... cut out those tabs that connect the shield mount tubes to the gun "pivot rings"! They are not there in the real thing!

I have attached a pic of my in-progress Dragon for to show this- you can see the item in question easily, I think!

Again- your stuff looks like a great start and I look forward to seeing it done!

Bob

BWhahahehehe.. A33.. hehehe.. I have this one in the stash and will be watching this thread with interest.

Awesome, I have this kit too and look to be starting my build within a month or so and will be building OOB as well.

Subscribed!

On a side note, are you entering this build in the Targets Shoot Back! campaign?

Thanks for the interest and comments guys i appreciate the company

Pawel one of the things that really got me about this kit was the awesome boxart (probably one of my all time favourites) so im really thinking i will try to copy it as close as possible also i posted a T-80 russian light tank in the russian forum i finished the other day if you are interested.

Alan great to see you are still here i always enjoyed your blogs too i know i have lots to catch up on, thanks for the pointer on the transmission but it worked ok as the holes in the transmission are deeper than needed so the shafts can be slid all the way in then once the transmission is in place they just slide out into position none the less i am rusty after a year off so i do appreciate anyone helping out

Bob i swear when i started i saw those and said i will wait a while before cutting them off otherwise i will end up snagging one and breaking it.... and they are still there and probably would have been after i painted it lol thanks and please continue.

Hi Warren thanks for the interest mate glad to have you along.

Hi Jeremy glad for the comments and company im not in any campaign at this time just trying to get back in the groove after a year off from building.

quick update to end the day.....

steps 6 and 7 finished out the interior, because i built the tub before installing the transmission it was necessary to install the 2 drive shafts into the transmission first pushing them all the way in (the holes for these shafts are deeper than needed) then once the transmission is in place simply slide them out until they are in the correct position.





step 7, 8 and 9 most of which is dry fit until the interior is painted, i attached the front plate, fenders and engine deck also the visors etc everything else is dry fit.













Ron.

Hi Ron. Great to see you back again. I spotted your T80 on ML yesterday as well. Very nice. Great start to this little Flak. I have it as well waiting in the wings. Looking forward to more.

Great progress so far, I have always loved that little Flakpanzer

S

nice one that small panzer !
I was considering this Tristar kit, I have the Historex version but it lacks detailing, quality and I figure it will give me plenty of headaches during the build.
I will follow this one carefully !!!

Just happened to stumble on this build and thought some may like to see my take on this kit, so far.Good luck and hope you have a successful ending to this build
http://panzerfaust.ca/ArmourWorkshop/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=24

Thanks everyone for the interest and comments, James i followed the start of your build on PA and used it for reference on the gun and transmission a couple of times for part placement i appreciate the effort you put in to blogging its fun to follow and always helpful .

Well its been pretty crazy here because of the weather and christmas but i have found some bench time here and there and managed to get this one together and ready for paint...

Step 10 was the rear hull which presented a couple of issues, the jack block does not fit in its place because it is obstructed by the bracket part D21 and the tail light, no biggy i will leave it off also the support for the tow assembly wants to sit right where that small thing part B8 (not sure what this is?) so i left it off as well but the main problem was with the tow bar itself it was misaligned in the mold and required lots of cleanup to get even looking half way ok.



Step 11 the running gear and tracks was pretty effortless and went well just had to watch for the wheels having an "outside" same thing with the tracks. The tracks were glued together in one long run then starting at about 4 oclock on the rear idler i ran them up and over the return rollers around the sprocket and back to connect then gently set the sag with toothpicks and cotton buds once dried overnight they were removed for painting.





step 12 was the upper hull details again this went without issue.



Step 13 covers the tools etc also no problems here to report.





that pretty much wraps up the construction i left the front fenders off as most of the images i have of this vehicle shows them that way so next up will be the painting.

Everything on for the picture.



Everything off for painting.




Thanks for looking.

Watching with interest Ron. Lets see that awesome weather-fu you got!

nice build so far

Ron, Nice going on that little kit there, looking forward to seeing the paint process Seems like we both got into the hobby for the same reason

Thanks guys for commenting and i just wanna wish you all a merry christmas and hope you all have a productive and happy new year.

Hi Jacques i will definatly log the outer painting and weathering best i can but the interior i couldnt the missus took my camera to work and i needed to get it done and dried so i can close it up for the exterior besides i was goin for quite a beat look on this one which wont be everyones cup of tea

Thanks Jamal

Hi Sal it does look like we did mate also it seems we follow basically the same philosophies as well build to have fun and not sweat the small stuff

Small update, I painted the interior a couple of nights back but my missus had taken my camera to work so i wasnt able to log the steps but really nothing hardly can be seen once the gun and everything is mounted so it was just really something for me to get used to painting again.

The base was a mix of white and buff nothing fancy just an off white then using cheap craft paints i splotched some chocolate brown around for chips then painted the transmission grey again a craft paint mix of black and white nothing fancy lastly i painted the seat black.

Now i gave it lots of sloppy washes of van dyke brown cleaning up with a cotton bud as it dried each time until i had a good build up of grime then i scrapped a graphite stick til i had a nice pile of dust and rubbing a cotton bud in it began to polish the metal parts until it suited me all i will probably do now is using clear floor polish redo the vision blocks and instrument panel and call it done again it cant be seen so no biggie.

Merry Christmas Ron, and good lookin progress on the I A!

Thanks Jeremy

After a bit of a set back with the whitewash this project almost came to an end, due to my own impatience (i believe) after applying the hairspray i probably didnt wait long enough for it to dry properly and the white crackled terribly.



At this point all i wanted to do was paint and weather something it is my favourite part of the whole thing and the thought of having to strip this was too much i would rather just build a new model so i decided if i could strip the white off enough to just have a VERY aged post winter vehicle that would be fine.
During paint removal.


After an hour or so i had it down to this also i noticed the future/hairspray/whitewash left some strange looking panel fading which i liked so i decided to incorporate it into the finish.


I still have a way to go with the details etc but here is some progress on the gun itself.

I have started on some of the detail work and weathering, the pics are still bad and really exaggerate some things (in other words it looks better in real life heh) i will try sort that out for the next build but still a general idea of how scruffy this thing is looking.







i am also curious about maybe doing a fig for this but not sure what would work if anyone has any ideas please let me know, thanks.

I am calling this one finished for now but intend on a base and figure at some point but a couple of new projects demand the bench space im still having trouble with pics and lighting but these are getting a bit better.

Bummer to hear about what happened to the paint job... Still came out pretty worn and battered looking just as a nice little flakpanzer should

Is this still a winter beast, are are you changing it seasonal setting?

I think it looks really good, very very scruffy but I like that

Excellent comeback Ron. Some people would throw a model when something like this happens ... but the new finish has made perservering worth while. Great weathering.

Turned out great, Ron. Congrats!

Damn I like the look of that, no matter where I see it.