Brokeneagle
Master at Arms
I HAVE BEEN VERY BUSY AT WORK LATELY AND UNABLE TO DO MUCH MODELLING SO PLEASE INDULGE MY BOREDOM WITH THIS BLOGG ON MY KARL BUILD FROM 2007 (COMPLETION)
As this will be quite a large post I will break it up into 4 parts starting with my intro, then the completed shots in detail, folowed by some build shots and the finishing section will be a breif comparison with the Dragon kit. I hope this blogg will serv as a form of reference for modellers who have none on this particular vehicle and a guide or refrerencE for people thinking of starting one. Otherwise I just hope you enjoy it as pure entertaintment.
PART 1
BACKGROUND
This WIP actually started before Nov 2004, as I built and modified the Dragon version when it came out. I was 90% finished when the wholesaler for Trumpeter asked me to build their version for the Melbourne Toy and Hobby fair in April 2005.
They delivered me a massive box with plenty o' plastic for free so I was very excited. Once I started I soon realised how superior the Trumpeter version was over the DML one. I was stunned at all the extra effort Trumpeter had gone to in the area of the gun cradle, loader, mantlet detail and shape, as well as the torsion bar area underneath the gun cradle. This kit also offers the 040 and the 041 in the same kit, as well as the option to have it on tracks or on the rail transport. Don't let anyone kid you on this, the Trumpeter kit is WAYYYYY better than the DML. So much so that I boxed my DML with various scratch items and brass railings because I was so disappointed with their level of accuracy and detail.
So, having got that out of my system I had 4.5 months to do a 'spanking' job on a model that had a box a foot high to accomodate the amount of plastic sprues contained within. They only wanted it built OOTB so I had to plan how I could do that but leave my options open for a dio after the fair was over. I decided to add extra track from my Trumpeter Leopold to allow me to put an additional carriage or figures in later. The Leopold has heaps of track to spare and I had decided to do the build as the version attached to the rail transport carriages to fully display the potential of the kit.
I was a bit short on ref's so I used what I could get.
THE DIORAMA SCENE
I wanted to display the Trumpeter model of the Karl [60cm] pretty much on its own, still mounted on the rail cars, as this was a new option that had not been offered with any models before. I also still plan to do the longer barrel [52 cm] version with the loader off the rails so this gave me the ability to display the same subject in two very different ways.I wanted the 'beast' to have seen some action and wear and tear but be in a dusty setting in the East. My references showed dusty and dirty machines that collected lots of dust during firing, due to the violence of the recoil raising dust clouds during the dry summer months on the eastern front.
The actual vehicle that I have depicted is Thor, vehicle number 4.
According to my references 7 of these machines were built, but only 6 saw combat field use. All vehicles were produced between January and August 1941 and during the opening phase of Barbarossa , vehicles 3 and 4 were in operation together in the Lemberg area.
Battery no4 next saw action at Sevastopol in 1942 against the heavy Bunker ‘Maxim Gorki’.
This is where I come in, as my scene is set after the Sevastopol action with the No4 Battery on route to it’s next destination – possibly a refit to it’s later form as a longer barrelled 54cm in Tri-color cammoflage. I hesitate to call this a diorama as I look at it as a display of a Karl Geraet with various details happening to allow a more interesting model and provide weathering opportunities, as well as a longevity of interest for viewing the piece. Please keep in mind that this is but a section of a situation and further detail such as more crew , field kitchens and the rest of the ‘baggage train would be found just a few more steps to the right or maybe another 100 yards back down the line.
The Karl itself is weathered with a recent combat history in mind and the hot dry Russian summer of 1942.
As far as I can Tell the THOR Battery made it’s way back to Germany after Sevastopol, to be refitted and re-sprayed. I have set my display to be at a time during this journey, but only a week at the most, after the Sevastopol operation.
The enviroment has left it’s mark on this massive vehicle [being outdoors all the time sitting around] and the crew have stopped somewhere on the Eastern front to allow a Prpoaganda photo shoot for Signal magazine. A couple of Staff officers have come along to witness this engineering wonder dismount from the rails for the camera. Some of the crew are desparately trying to get a small feast prepared for the visitors before the event. A young private pulls back the tarp on some extra supplies that have been forwarded to the unit as a ‘gift’ for making a special effort and allowing the visiting staff officers there own private show. Two other support mechanics check a drive wheel as it was making some noise on it’s last journey back to the train. A bike has been left propped against the side of the train as one of the engineer/ cooks arrives back from a quick trip to the field kitchen further down the long Baggage train of support crew that this vehicle requires.
Swastikas serve as Air recognition flags for a Luftwaffe dominated sky at this stage of the war.
The Kubel wagon has been oversprayed in the new Dark Yellow as has been a fuel drum and a jerry can used for starting the field stove.
By the later half of 1942 the Eastern front was starting to see a large mix of Grey and Yellow with the Yellow becoming more common even before the official changover order in 1943. [A noted case of this being the platoon of Stug F’s supplied to the 24 Panzer Division in Stalingrad in Sept 42(produced in mid 1942) that were base -coated from the factory in Dark yellow, even at this early stage.]
Fuel barrels are at the ready on the rear deck of the Karl and the tarp for the main gun has been removed and hung over the side of the gantry for the time being.
First some lunch for the officers and then the show will begin.
Refernces
'I SHALL RETURN'soon
Brokeneagle
