Looks like it will be on the way sometime in the near future....

http://www.squadron.com/ItemDetails.asp?item=ac35088

Already have mine on pre-order at VLS

Ditto for Steven's Intl

Personally, I think I may purchase this AFV Club 8.8cm Flak 18 over the Dragon 8.8cm Flak 36, even though Dragon gives you more goodies and is a better value for the $. Then again, Dragon could very well release a 8.8cm Flak 18 kit of their own.

You never know

Cheers !!

Alpen

I too will purchase the AFV offering, having built the pak 40 and 43 from AFV I can't imagine anyone doing it better than AFV. Not that Dragon is that bad, I just feel that AFV is a little better detailed when it comes to artillery pieces. Although I might pick up the Dragon one for all the goodies.
Regards,
Robert

It's good to see that there is continuing interest in it. Personally I think anyone who is really 'serious' about the Flak 36 or the Flak 18, should buy both the AFV Club one
AND the Dragon one..

What many people seem incapable of understanding, is that they are both VERY different models. After all, people build AFV variants - why not artillery variants...Jim

Hi, Very well put jimbrae. You can't have one without the other. I'll be getting both as well.

Take care, Sgirty

:-) Well here's the rub, I've got the Tamiya 88 with JR barrels and Ed pe so with AFV's ammo it will be close to DML's (yea right) but can't aford to junk the existing stuff. So ill buy AFV's 88 cause it is different, and that my feible mind can rationalize! Steve

The essential problem remains however - a towing vehicle. I'm now considering a Famo...

I bet I buy a Famo and DML announce an Sdkfz 7....

The same problem exists for the new AFV Club 43/41 - what towing vehicle to use? Aaaaaarggghhhh!...Jim

Looks like we have entered another "No Spin Zone" here, ey Jim ?

I agree with the fact that one should buy both the Dragon Flak 36 and AFV Club Flak 18 kits. Afterall, we have multiple Tiger I's, Tiger II's, Panthers, Shermans, T-34's, and tons of Sd Kfz 251's, so why not several versions of the "infamous 88".

Sd Kfz 9 Famo seems kinda large to pull a Flak 18 or the Flak 36, but I have seen a wartime photo with one pulling the 8.8cm Pak 43/41.

Tamiya has the Sd Kfz 7, but its a bit dated (even with upgrades), so maybe either Dragon or AFV Club will do a new-tool Sd Kfz 7

What we really need for all these "88" kits is the Sd Kfz 8. Its the semitrack that was larger then the Sd Kfz 7 and smaller then the Sd Kfz 9 Famo. The Sd Kfz 8 was by far the more common prime mover for the "88". Dragon would be wise to produce this kit for their "88" kit(s)

We can only ponder and make wishes on shooting stars. Then again, you never know these days

Cheers !!

Alpen

http://www.luckymodel.com/scale.aspx?item_no=AF%2035088

here it is

reb

Must... have... both...

i could agree more that both kits are a must for artilery freak like me. The only problem is my budget so i have to choose one...

still havent figure out yet which kit to buy ... but would think of DML ... hmm..arghhh AFV Club....



Have to order thru internet as most LHS dont carry DML new kits ...hmmm

Silantra, I don' know what the prices are like in Malaysia, but for me, buying both from HK , isn't gong to be much more expensive than buying one (mail-order) from a dealer in Madrid or Barcelona - bloody ludicrous! ..Jim

Jim, first of all u got my name wrong..hehe.. in Malaysia Zaida is a common female name.... in fact it's my sister's name..

ok back to the flak... I dont know about the price of the Flak here since there is none of them are sold here..but usually typical DML and AFV Club prices ranging from RM69.90 - RM89.90 with the exception of Karl Morser .... i did try to use Hobbyeasy online calculator and the total price of DML Flak are RM150++ (with shipping) ... that's a price for two kits........

arghhh...but the dark force is too strong...can't resist the power and the temptation..........

Yes, must assimilate both...resistance is futile.....

AS for a towing vehicle, instead of a german one, how about a US one? Maybe an M39 towing a captured arty piece. Just some food for thought. "Q"
I'll be looking at both with much interest.

With Dragon and AFV Club releasing 88s I was able to get a Tamiya for free!! Is there no hope for the Tamiya kit?

Hi again Guys!!!!

I just got both Afv " Acht acht" Flak 18 and Dragon Flak 36and both are really gooooddddd, details in the cruci form axel are great in the AFv´s, barrel and photoeched too, and Dragon´s is also superb, they both have alot of detail and Dragon has the plus of the crew.... if you want to see both in detail, you can see a review of both model at the web page of Perth military modelling site.

I am a fanatic of the 8.8. !!!

"buena caza"

Javier

None whatsoever.... :-)

The Tamiya kit is old, but not one of their kits that was ever panned for being bad. As a matter of fact, it was one of the better kits to survive from the 70s.

I ordered mine from Lucky Models and it was about 36 bucks with shipping. Its supposed to be here by Friday I think.

In "German Artillery in WWII" by Joachim Engelmann - it has a photo of an SdKfz 7 (8 ton) halftrack pulling a Pak43/41. This same photo is in "German Medium Prime Movers" by Reinhard Frank list this vehicle as an 5 tonner (SdKfz 6). I tend to believe more that it is an 8 tonner. Tamiya does have a SdKfz 7 Prime Mover as well as one with a Quad 20mm and one with a Flak 37 with an armored cab. I have all three in my stash - but have yet to build any of them.

The Reinhard Frank books shows generally that SdFfz 7's (the 8 tonners) pulling the Flak 18's while SdKfz 8 (12 tonners) are generally shown pulling the Flak 36/37's.

In most cases - the FAMO's are shown pulling heavy loads or in vehicle recovery rather that towing artilleriy pieces. A main exception being a photo of one pulling the upper carriage of the Karl 60 cm Morser.

Of course this could just be an unintended coincidence that the photos chosen for these books show these combinations. And my Identifications of the towed pieces may not be 100% correct.

hth

cn

I have gotten word from Sprue Brothers that my pre-ordered Dragon 88 in the delivery pipeline... scheduled to the arrive the afternoon of the day I leave in the morning for vacation...oh well, at least it will be waiting for me when I get back.
A question about the AFV 88... I have just about finished the AFV M-10 mid-production for the TD campaign, and my only (and very minor) complaint is that the plastic seems a little soft, compared to Tamiya and Dragon... is that typical for AFV in general, and true for the 88 in particular? Not that it's going to stop me from getting the AFV 88 as soon as the kit budget allows...

Chris you are absolutely correct - officially, the German T.O.E. shows the SdKfz 7 as the 88's prime mover...

However, I am toying with this arrangement - a deuce-and-a-half towing the Flak 36....Jim:)

Jim,

If I may ask a slightly off topic question... Were white wall tyres common on WW2 vehicles, artillery, etc? The above picture is the first I've ever seen of it...

Rudi

It's a post war pic of a Spanish Army Flak 36....Jim