Howdy Guys,

I have been watching and admiring from afar during your 'informal' Group Build thread, and I must say I am enjoying it Immensely!!
Really great to see you've attracted a Brazilian contingent to your growing 'posse'! :-)
I think that all of the time shared here on this thread will be great 'fodder' and an invaulable reference source for all who take on the challenge of building their own K5 in the future. And, frankly, I'd like to consider myself amoung those ranks.
I would 'chime-in' now and then, but i don't feel worthy. You guys are doing all the foot-work that we will all learn from.
Good on ya mate's!!

Tread out.

tankcarl,

You are right about the putty on the crane. I've use the squadron green putty adding a little bit of liquid glue to it and sanding with water made the seem disappear . For the hand wheel and railing I put a small piece of strip styrene between and it worked out fine. Right now I'm in the process of replacing the wood slates on the decking of the monster that dragon left off. I felt that i was going to loose my eye site after that encounter.

I am not having fun! I am on my third attemp with this slate thing- it's a learning process.
The first attempt- cut strips to size -hard to alighn properly

Sanding of the crap

ready for a fresh start

used full length strips -to cut track forrow after.

thought I had it. but the track ruts did not line up when I built the box car on the back and put it on. I will try again- sheesh1

I really appreciate the info and pictures in this thread... now the leo lurking in my model closet isn't quite as daunting. Please keep the pics and tips coming, in another month or so I may even peek in the box again, and then a little longer look, and then break out the glue, exacto(s), etc. To one and all, Thanks!

Hi. Thanks for all the photos guys. You stuff looks really good. I just finished up the ammo car from the Trumpeter kit and it went together very nicely. Not any problems, except the railing that goes around the crane area was broken. But it mended very well with just a drop of glue.

Really like that Model Master glue in the triagular bottle. Drys pretty fast and that needle-like applicator is really great for getting into small places with just a drop of glue.

Am now experimenting with the hand-build railway track. Making a small section for one of Dragon's rail cars first. Using balsa for the ties. 3/16 by 3/8 pieces, and it is working fine. Found that the "G" rail in model railways isn't cheap, so the dealer said I should try the plastic "I" beams instead. And these I think will be okay. Have to make the rail connectors that hold the rails to the ties, but that should be no biggy I would thing. Also the rail connectors that hold the rails together as well. Been thinking of buying a punch and die set anyway, and I'll need this to make the washers and bolts for these connectors between the rails.

While I was at the hobby shop I found they handle about 8 different types, or kinds, of railroad ballast, in as many colors. Ranging from an almost white to very dark grey. Also 'coal' as well. So, like the person who built the K5 on Hyper Scale, I'll use this stuff to 'dress up' the alerady built T-track layout that came with the Trumpeter unit and see how that goes. Plus "weeds" too.

One thing's for sure, these kits sure do provide lots and lots of time well spent in this hobby. We are all learning lots of new techniques no matter which kit we are building.

Good luck to all of you and take care, sgirty

Jet,
What dimension,and manufacturer of strip styrene did you use.And,how many packages?
I am thinking of using an old carpenter's trick of putting a removable spacer between 2 boards,to put the correct gap on them.
As for the Dragon track,I am contemplating putting liquid glue on the supplied ballast area,and then sprinkiling model RR ballast on it.

I've used .40 x.080 strip. The gap between each run is 1mm, also the gap from the small rail are also 1mm on each side.

HTH

Hi all
So far i have built both railroad trucks for my Leopold but not got to painting them yet.I think i may well get my airbrush out.
If anyone in the uk is after a DML Leopold then look here

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3149666148&category=1191

it's at a silly price too.
regards
Pete

Thanks a lot,Pieter.
Just a picture to keep everyone apprised.


The power unit and hoist.

Here is a pic to clarify the problem I had. The pink line shows where I should have made my rail troughs- I should have built and mounted the box car on the back before cutting.


I also think that this area here


is not exacttly correct on the Dragon Leo- I think it should be flat all the way to the back of the gun. On the dml leo it goes up and then down. The trumpeter one is straight. This makes sense when you remember that the easier the loading process the better. I will probably be sanding mine flat.

JET,
In one of the pictures of the Calaise Leopolds,shows the section you outlined as being seperate,and going straight to the breech.But also,the same pictures show no wooden slats on top of the deck.More like the Dragon.But I think the slats would be on originally.

well the situation got so frustrating that I decided to stop building this Dragon K5.
It has been abandoned and with find its way to a land fill. I will try the Trumpeter kit and am hopeful that this one goes better. I will maybe get another K5 to replace the stillborn Dragon model I have been working on although it will be a Trumpeter version, not DML. Any one considering getting the Dragon one should reconsider and in my humble opinion buy the Trumpeter version. I will post images and keep you abreast of the Trumpeter kit's progress. Sometimes the fates are against ya and you have to surrender... I just did not feel like investing any more time in the DML one. I should have built it all up before painting. Live and learn.

I know what you mean. the dragon kit is lacking. I have spent 3 hours alone putting the ladders together. For anyone else that has this version, do not I repeat do not follow the directions for the ladders. The cross supports are not the correct size between the runs. What I did was get some styrene about .030 dia. cut individual pieces of about 12mm in length, then followed the direction about putting the ladders together.

I am nearly at the ladder stage,I plan on "finishing" the lower/outer "box" and will get to see what went wrong with your ladders.Somehow,I wonder if Dragon builds more than 1 model(for the box side pictures) and realises the problems modellers encounter.
I will press on with the Dragon.

Actually the bottom and middle ladders whre fine. it was the top that was causing all of the problems. the runs was long enough to go between the sides.

Is there a deadline on this group build? I just picked mine up today, but am actually getting ready to move in the next week or two, so wont even be able to start it for a few weeks.

Mark:
No dead line, this isn't even a formal group build. But like others have said it's one heck of a learning experience. Mine has gone back to the box (I'm way into building a Tammy GMC truck right now) and I'm glad. I can learn from all the head-- and heartaches -- you guys seem to be encountering.

Dose anybody have a picture or know. How the Ram rod for the shells and powder charges looks. any ideas

As for the ram rod,it must have been a seperate pole .I saw a picture on that K-5 site of what looks like cleaning rods on the right side of the main structure,below the top level.If you show your gun in the loading process,I guess you could estimate what the rammer staff must have looked like.But in the transport mode or firing mode,I think most loose equiptment would be stowed away to prevent iot falling off during movement,or during the shock of firing...

3 bottles of paint used so far.

So, I'm not sure if this is a "figure" question or not...but I figured you guys seem to know so much about the K5, this is as good a place as any!
I'm assuming that the men who manned the gun itself were Artillery, and not Reichsbahn (sp?) But how about supporting personnel? Like The anti-aircraft detachment specifically. Or if there were any guards or MPs??
Finally, I read that a full colonel was in charge of the "Dora", but what rank would be the highest for the K5?

Is this thread dead, or did it move somewhere else. I have the Trumpeter K5 and thought there was some great info here. It just seemed to die at the end of October last year.