it's starting to look like this should have been split up in to three build logs. The Horch, the Flak 38, and upcoming diorama... Ah well I'll just keep cramming it all together in super build!

Not to detract from the wheel project that I am working on, but I realized that I really didn't have good shots of the gun itself...

So...




That is all... gotta go... for now...

Hi Jonathan,

thanks for posting pics of the 38. very clean and precise workmanship. impressive!

Gary

Thanks Gary, I'll tell ya what, all that PE makes it a super delicate piece too. I'll be glad when that has been mounted in it permanent home!

As far as building goes, tires, tires tires! I had some of the first pieces out of the mold

and was getting ready to put a tire together when I realized that with this tread pattern

I need to flip the master and make some more molds...

So this morning I poured a fresh batch

and tonight we will see how it goes!

Good luck with the tires. I have never considered the possibility of casting the vinyl tires in resin.

Matt, the tires that I am using now are actually resin ones from Hussar for the Bronco 222. But with that chevron pattern my plan for using two of the same halves to make one tire won't work (dang). As far using vinyl for a master I have done that in the past and it worked pretty good. I think they were for an Ford maultier conversion. One of the auto modelers in the club had a box full of vinyl tires. The ones I wanted were too wide, so that was the beginning of the current casting and cutting process. It takes a little elbow grease with the precision sanding, but I like it.

You are insane!(In a good way )
I' suscribing and learning.

love the desert horch will keep following your build ..i cast the old vinyl tyres from the tamiya kit LRDG years ago and had no drama's coz the vinyl ones always used to split...

Good insane is good... right?

Well there was no workin' last night, but today was a different story. I pulled the tires out of the molds and got to cutting and sanding

and before I knew it (actually after hours and hours) I had a stack of tires ready to go.

If you notice the one on the bottom is the stock tread, that one will be the one of the spares. The other spare will be a limber tire.
The rims are all done too, cast cut and ground...


Then I took a look at the kit mounts to modify for the brake drums

And that is it for now, cause now it's break time... I think I need a beer! Next project should be mounting everything up! Till then...

Cheers!

And yes: insane is good

Pshew, thanks Phil, the voices in my head just couldn't agree!

Um Yeah, a break right... Well I couldn't wait to check out the rims on the rig... so here we go...



OK now a break for sure!

Superb! Now enjoy this beer
Wich resin do you use to cast?

Phil

Phil. I use Alumilite resin and mix it just slightly heavy with the clear part, maybe an extra 5 to 10 percent. I recently picked up their clear resin too, but haven't had much time to test it out. One of these days I would like to get set up to do some pressure casting, ah but that is for the future!

Thank you! Duly noted

Phil

What have I been doing this week? Well let's take a look!
I decided to mount the brake drums,

And I put in wire to help mount the tires later...


Then it was time for some wire bending, the first parts I worked on were for the cross bar behind the front seats.



The next part was the fun part though, and it starts with the instructions...

That's right, make with wire? OK, I'll give it a shot...

Hmmm, looks like the directions, but I don't know... let's take a look at the reference

That doesn't really look like the one in the instructions, so I went my own way on this one...

first a form for the seat base...

Then more parts and glue with a paper jig to make sure that they are straight and plumb...

Add some PE

Test out a seat cushion...

Then, of course, a test fit in the truck with the deck and gun base.

Well, that is what I've been doing this week!

Hi Jonathan,

Well somebody has been VERY busey this week!

Good Gosh!!! thats some fine scratch work right there! im very impressed. what type of wire are you useing for the seat frame? What type of solder, flux, and iron do you use?

I admire your dedication to this project man. That just good stuff!!!

Gary

I try to think of something intelligent to say but it would sound like: Blmblufff. I'm dazzled...And I second Gary on those question. What do you use to cut wire so the ends dont get conical (do my question make any sens?)

Phil.

Gary, Phil, thanks guys. Here is the low down on the seats. The detail set came with a chunk of wire crudely rolled up. I did manage to get some of it straightened out enough to use for the cross bar behind the seats, but it wasn't working too well for the seat frame. So I dug into my wire box (much like the parts box) and found part of a roll of stainless tie off wire. It was easy to straighten and bent well. I made the rough cuts with a pair of regular side cutters, then made the final cuts (after straightening) with a cut off wheel on my dremel. I found that is the best way to get them nice and flat on the ends. Any way, not to dissapoint ya but I'm still developing my mad soldering skills, so I didn't want to take a chance on this build and stuck with my tried and true super glue! I did pick up a variable temprature iron, and some liquid flux, it's been promising, but still not perfect. If there is anything else just let me know!

Thanks!
I'll use my dremel from now on.
The file was a little frustrating sometimes

Phil.

It all boils down to CA glue being king. That resin set really leaves a lot up to the building. Very impressive work with the wire. Would have been too flustrating for me.

Really outstanding job, as usual

I like I lot your style Jonathan

Ya know Matt, I was thinking the same thing. I keep getting little surprises (not the good ones) with pretty much all three of the sets I'm using. Part of it may be my inexperience with the detail sets, part of it may be lost in translation, but most of it seems like pretty simple fixes. Like the seat frames, a simple scale pattern for the wire bending would be unbelievably helpful.
As far as the CA glue goes, on most of detail projects it is the key ingredient! But everthing has it's place and I do need to get up to speed on my soldering for sure.
What I need to do is keep experimenting with smaller builds. The GPA was a good one for some small experimentation, mostly with finishing, and honing some of the casting skills. Actually thinking back the Jeep Wreck was huge for the metal work, and Ye Olde Schwimmwagen taught me about the value of research to the n'th degree. So I guess each build has something, shoot these detail sets are sure something new and different... very different!
Mauro, I'm glad you are enjoying this build. I'll tell ya what this site has been an invaluable source of information in the past few years and I hope that I can contribute to that vast pool from time to time! (Kinda brings a tear to your eye don't it) Seriously though, I do appreciate having this forum for sharing what we do!

Another day of small stuff!
Got the pedals in,

Then I took these little pieces...

made a form...

and ended up with some rife holders...

Jumped over to the dash for a couple more additions...

Then the shifters, the ones in the detail set were broken and or missing (the fate of small resin parts). So it was time for the scratch building hat again.


And a quick fit of the seats...


Hard to believe, but that is a days work.

Oh yeah, I did add the door handles on all of the doors, you can kinda see 'em in the background.

Incredible work Jonathan! What have you used for the form? (rifle holders)

Phil.

Good progress. I have worked with several pe sets and found the only problem is stretching plastic rod to fit hinges. The devil is in the details. Your work has inspired me. I am planning on adding a 2.5cm flak to Tamiya's old sdkfz 251/1. This kit lacks a lot of interior detail, so I will button up the top and have the gun slightly inset.

Thanks Phil! Yup, the form was for bending the oval piece that would hold the butt of the gun. I couldn't figure out any other way to get them to look the same so a little spure and some trimming and it worked like a charm.




Matt, so far the only hinges that I have had to build are on the Lyon Roar kit and those came with plastic and brass rod. I can't imagine trying to get just the right size of streched sprue to fit those! The 251 sounds cool I would like to see a another take on the old Tamiya kit. I did a build log on that very kit but I was going to fill it with figures. Well the kit got done, but the figures never quite made it. Best of luck to ya!

Jonathan