Hi,

Currently in the middle of building the Hobbyboss St Chamond and came across Emhars German Field gun kit which I think might add some interest to the diorama I have planned.
So my question is, is the kit any good as far as build and detail. Not fussed about the figures. I can find some sprue shots online, but nothing about a build review.

I built Emhars range of 1/72 WW1 tanks a few years ago and found them to be very easy with good detail. Tracks however are another story. I'm hoping this is to the same standard, especially for it low asking price.

Thanks in advance

It goes together well but detail is very soft, and I can't say it's 100% accurate either but seeing as these last few years there's been quite a slew of WWI related kits by various manufacturers I'd say wait for a better kit to come along.

Buy it anyway & then tell us.....or search the net for reviews or pictures.
With any low quality kit I myself just doll it up.

IBG make some nice WWl Axis artillery in 1/35 such as this: http://www.ibgmodels.com/35027.htm

Pretty nice kits, but lacking crews.

Thanks guys. I'll pick one up in the new year. See how it goes and post a build.
As long as it builds without any trouble I'll be happy. I did also wonder if it was of soft plastic rather than hard styrene.
The plan is to have the gun abandoned in its emplacement with the St Chamond driving past. If I'm feeling ambitious I might try battle damage if I can get good references.

Biggles, thanks for letting me know about the IBG kits. Looks really nice. Heres hoping we can get some crew for it soon.

Ste

Here's the link to the WW1 version :

http://www.ibgmodels.com/35026.htm

CMK has some Austro-Hungarian weapons :



Model Cellar has released some German artillery crew :



H.P.

Stephen,
Depending on what you are looking for in the 1/35 Emhar gun kits, you should be prepared for a lack of accuracy. If it’s the kit with the figures, it’s made in a soft plastic that’s mostly a snap together kit— and the figures are in a form of vinyl or something like it. The detail is pretty sparse on the gun, but if you just want it for a knocked out gun in a diorama, you can probably make it work. I would not recommend this kit for folks looking for lots of detail or accuracy.
VR, Russ

I bought the emhar kit an is made of polystirene. Not soft vinyl. The gun is simplistic but will look ok with a little work.

Emhar's kits usually suck quality of details and accuracy-wise.

The kit figures are rubbish. The gun is only about seven parts. Molding is reasonably sharp, but hugely simplified, Gun shield is about two scale inches thick. You could sacrifice the detail on one side and sand it thinner, then remake the lost details from styrene.

Bottom line is that it's the only 7.7cm Feldkanone option, good, bad or ugly. And the consensus seems to be bad and ugly .......

You could show your St Chamond advancing forward past a knocked-out French gun position, using one of the slightly better ICM French 75mm kits. Being a St Chamond it would have gotten bogged long before it ever reached the German gun lines anyway...........! Or there's always the lovely Takom 21cm Morser. Bovington has one of those that was captured by a Tank Corps unit, so there is precedent for such a heavy gun.

I'm sure that someone does a German trench mortar Minenwerfer: can't recall who. What about passing an abandoned MG08 position with a Minenwerfer pit a bit behind?

I'm certainly open to different ideas, it's all still in the planning stages anyway. Still working on the tanks running gear.
I also have Mengs really nice Whippet and Ft-17, vehicles which would have made it through the lines better than the St Chamond!

I'll shop around in the new year and see what I can get. The Emhar kit is incredibly cheap, so might be ok for a dug in position with little of it showing. But I'll also look into the IBG gun. The Takom morser is VERY nice but a little out of my price range at the moment.

Thanks for the help and suggestions.
Merry Christmas

Well I bit the bullet and bought one of the Emhar Fk 96 kits.

Have to be honest, it's a pretty good little kit for the low cost. Obviously missing the elevation and traverse handles and sights but I should be able to scratch those from the spares box. I found the detail it does have to be very finely done and it's better than their Mk. IV kits. The figures are junk toy soldiers.
I've found a few useful pictures around the Internet and Fk 96's even feature in Battlefield 1. Another excuse to replay it I think.

It's perfect for what I want and I'll be sure to do a build log when I get around to starting the project.

Thanks again for the advice.

CMK made the minenwerfer