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48 13 April 2020, 15:06
Erwin LeetinkThe Karl itself is taking shape. Dry fitted the main components to get a size impression (note the partial figure for size comparison). Enough work remains to be done, specially around the plattforms and fitting of small parts on the front and rear panel...
Speaking of which: I opted to have 2 of the ladders folded, yet wonder how the folded part was fastened to keep it upright, although the pictures I see seem to have no brackets whatsoever? A holding pin???
As always, comments are welcome 🙂
8 June 2020, 07:42
Alec KIt's coming along! This will be a BEAST 😄 Regarding the ladder: looking at my reference (I looked at several images in Thomas Jentz's book), I cannot see any kind of holding mechanism. We can speculate as to what held it up, but in terms of representation, I would just glue it without any fasteners. In photos, the folded section is parallel to the upper rail, so maybe they just tightened the hinge? Who knows...
8 June 2020, 12:27
Erwin LeetinkIt certainly was a large piece of heavy metal... The orginal was 11 metres long!!!
I saw the same on the pics in the reference books I consulted... In the mean time, I also made the corrections so that both folded ladders are parallel cf. the photos.
8 June 2020, 14:10
Erwin LeetinkAll parts are in place, with a layer of brown primer and a base coat of dark yellow on. Waiting for the two camouflage colors. Actually not looking forward to this, as I have never done it before. ..
In the meantime I started on the next kit: Sabre models 0mmr flatbed rail car.
A nice build, without peculiarities. Only the instructions are a bit awkward in places. But nothing that is impossible to do. Just read carefully.
24 June 2020, 11:19
Don EdgecombExcellent progress! I've got all these goodies too so definitely will be following!!
24 June 2020, 11:48
Erwin LeetinkThank you! You are more than welcome to join the throng of visitors. The more the merrier.
24 June 2020, 14:44
Don EdgecombErwin- How do you like the Sabre kit? As I've been studying their instructions, I've had to go out to Sabre's site to download additional pics about their PE (Fotoatzung) proper installation. Thoughts?
25 June 2020, 04:35
Erwin LeetinkIf you get the sometimes cryptic instructions (mind the direction of the half circle, while there is only one way, for example) there is no problem. The plastic itself is good to work with. Not too soft or too hard. Mounting points can be easily removed. Little flash. I opted not to use the PE for the brakes or wheel brackets, since the details on the plastic parts are fine enough to be used...
25 June 2020, 15:24
Don EdgecombI'm currently restocking my wire and rod since I'm going hard core on the undercarriage.
26 June 2020, 10:12
Erwin LeetinkThe camouflage is on. Rather satisfied, considering the fact that I wasn't really looking forward to it. This was my first time ever in tackling camouflage...
Now for the details and weathering.
Comments welcome!
27 June 2020, 17:00
Erwin LeetinkJust finished the Sabre models 0mmr flatbed rail car. Ready for painting.
4 July 2020, 18:17
Erwin LeetinkCheers. I did some more weathering, and consider the flat car now finished. Just uploaded the results...
15 August 2020, 10:24
Erwin LeetinkAnd Karl is also done. Except for the tracks, which are in back order for a couple of months now. Apparently Friul is not really trustworthy these days (according to my LHS). Of course the crew will be added in due time.
16 August 2020, 11:26
Don EdgecombLooks great! Awesome build. Looking forward to the finishing touches and final display!!! just a note.....I have been finding alternatives to Friul as their cost is still rather high. …Cheers, Don
25 September 2020, 00:39
Erwin LeetinkThanks Don... It seems as if nothing much happened recently, but I've been building slowely but surely. Just upoaded some pics of both the BR-86 and G10 in progress
I know that Trumpeter themselves have plastic indi tracks in their assortment, but I read somewhere (can't find the page anymore) that Friuls are the very best. Besides: the tracks have been paid for...
25 September 2020, 14:19
Erwin LeetinkI did some construction work on the Ammo Panzer IV last weekend. Officially, you get the choice between the PE fenders or the plastic. IMHO you actually have no choice...
5 October 2020, 11:50
Erwin LeetinkBreaking news!!! The Ammo panzer for the Mörser Karl (Pz. Kpfw IV Ausf. F Fahrgestell) is done. Minus tracks and head for the driver. My hopes for the tracks are Masterclub, as they announced the correct tracks with open guide horns to be released soon. For the head I have to order a set with a Schiffchen somewhere.
As I have seen a picture of this vehicle with a tarp over the shell gripping device (for want of a better word), I figured it would be a nice change, specially since the vehicle just completed a long train journey.
The tarp on the hatch is a necessity, as the hatch dropped and was stepped on. This is to cover up the damage ????
7 November 2020, 15:57
Erwin LeetinkAfter painting and adding one rather bored looking Soldat/ Fahrer (this came with the Zvezda kit), I declare this Mercedes L-4500 finished. Number 6. 4 more vehicles to go (I think)…
14 November 2020, 17:35
Erwin LeetinkRather big... I think about 1.80m long, by 80 cm deep... I can only tell when I have all vehicles completed and can toy with the layout.. .
14 November 2020, 17:58
Erwin LeetinkKarls' driver is also done. This Gefreiter needed quite some adjustments to the lower parts to fit. Figure is from MiniArt.
15 November 2020, 19:47
Don EdgecombYour progress looks wunderbar! I like your driver for the Karl. He looks like he just graduated from driving an RSO to this beast. Miniart also just released a new version of their figures with additional resin heads added to upgrade their figure line. Your dio is almost going to be about the same size as my U-Boot pen dio. You should add the Dora in the background of your dio. Cheers, Don
20 November 2020, 05:40
Erwin LeetinkThanks for your reply and compliment, Don! These figures are not yet with resin heads, but it sure is a good development...
As for Dora... I didn't know she was present in Warsaw in 1944? Plus, not less important, both space (this dio will not be 2m long) and the bank will not allow me to have her in my stash, let alone build up, no matter how much I'd like!!!
Furtermore, another vehicle is ready:
The MiniArt gondola is done! As always, I left of the air hoses till I will couple the truck to the others. Actulally this waggon has no brakes, so no hoses are included. Yet in order to have it included in the train, provisions to pass through the air for the brakes of the other freight cars need to be present. I did no go so far as to add piping to the underside, as not of it will be visible anyway (wait, did Í say that??? :astonished🙂 . The cargo will be oildrums. 8 are included in the kit, together with the personell loading/unloading (who can tell the difference?) but that is not enough for me. So another set needs to be procured. That set contains 12 drums, which makes the tally on the doors accurate 🤔miley:
24 November 2020, 12:45
Erwin LeetinkYet another wagon ready to receive (some more) paint. And because Thunder Model, in all their wisdom decided to include only one PE grate (and I prefer the grates over the slatted ones, which are included) I decided, after some wise advice) to make the grates myself from Evergreen. Looks a bit different, but not easy to make. Comments are always welcome.
6 December 2020, 18:05
Erwin LeetinkAaaand finished. This is the last wagon for this project.
Not one for the faint hearted or inexperienced. Very detailed but with some flaws that need corrected or worked around. I made the couplers articulate and left the airhoses off, to facilitate coupling with other wagons.
Hope you like it and as always comments are welcome...
19 December 2020, 12:20
Alec KWell done Erwin! I really like your weathering technique, looks very realistic. Looking forward to some overall pics😉
19 December 2020, 13:39
Erwin LeetinkThanks Alec. I still need to do both locomotives. Then I can do a mock up and see if this is all I need /want.
19 December 2020, 13:46
Erwin LeetinkKarl finally got his shoes on… I mentioned earlier that I wanted Friul tracks for Karl, as those rubber bands were out of bounds. These, however, were impossible to get by my LHS (who generally is a reseller of Friuls). So he finally managed to get a different brand: Masterclub.
So, after 8 months (!) I finally got some metal to assemble. Took me 2 days :roll_eyes:
After dipping them in burnishing fluid, I put them on…
28 December 2020, 14:31
Erwin LeetinkWell, another step to the completion of the diorama is taken…
I can say, not without pride, that I finished the BR-86. It was an interesting journey, again with a couple of firsts. Like weathering black and red…
Thank you for watching and I hope you like it…
11 January 2021, 08:20
Erwin LeetinkCheers.. So do I. I have one locomotive in the works, then the figs (need to rebuild a couple. Not my favorite activity) and the accessories. I hope the DIY stores will be reopened by then, so I can buy wood for the base.
18 January 2021, 11:14
Erwin LeetinkWell, the shunter is ready for markings. Only then I can start the weathering... The BIG issue is finding the correct markings. I dislike Peddinghaus decals, as I have very bad experiences with the quality of those. Very thick carrier film, that is impossible to hide, no matter how much varnish you throw at it...
CMK had a similar loc with markings, and they are trying to get them for me (kit is OOP). Fingers crossed...
27 January 2021, 15:52
Erwin LeetinkI made one of them, though I know there were more than one per mortar. If you look at my pictures you can find it
1 February 2021, 19:22
Marder IIIjust went through them and saw it. wow ! that's a lot of pics its going to be a massive diorama.
1 February 2021, 21:14
Erwin LeetinkA milestone has been reached. All rolling stock/vehicles are finished now, and I am very content with the result.
13 February 2021, 16:54
Erwin LeetinkI take my bows for you... Now on with the rails, figs and accessories...
13 February 2021, 21:17
Rui SThe ballast looks great. IMHO no need to weather it 🤔 maibee just a litle oil and Grease stains in the Middle 😎
27 September 2021, 23:52
Marder IIIHow big is the dio going to be and how many figures are you using and what brands ?
28 September 2021, 05:26
Erwin Leetink@David: It indeed has been some time. I spend most of the time on a different project, putting this one on a siding 😉
La rencontre | Project by Golikell (1:35)
28 September 2021, 12:27
Erwin Leetink@Villiers & Rui: Thanks for your comments... I indeed will need to add a black/brown smudge down the middle of the gravel between the sleepers ...
28 September 2021, 12:30
Erwin Leetink@Marder III : the size of the base plate is 150x65cm. As for the amount of figures: that comes close to 25... As for the brands: you can look them up in the project details 🙂
28 September 2021, 13:00
Erwin LeetinkAfter quite some silence on this project, I went ahead again. Not that I didn't do anything on it: I did paint the figures to a close to finish state. Now I decided to finish each little scene to a complete one, in order to keep things interesting. The first 3 are done: the motor orderly with officer telling where to go, the gunners on the Karl (obviously this is not the complete crew) and the driver of the shunting engine...
20 March 2023, 11:10
gorbyWow amazing project! Certainly more impressive than my 1/72 attempt.
Incidentally, the driver didn't fit into the 1/72 drivers seat either.
20 March 2023, 11:13
Erwin LeetinkThanks for the kind words... As Trumpeter didn't care to include a driver at all, I had to resort to the driver from the MiniArt artillery riders set... As are all the other figs on the Karl...
20 March 2023, 11:58
Erwin LeetinkI know it has been on a siding for quite some time, having finished a couple of other projects in the mean time, but I am glad this one is back on track!
21 March 2023, 07:11
Erwin LeetinkThe next scene in ready : transferring the fuel.
The fuel drums are being removed from the gondola and loaded into the Mercedes truck, while the Leutnant keeps track… The truck is from Zvezda, while the drums, figures and waggon are from Miniart.
26 March 2023, 16:35
Erwin LeetinkI decided not to replace the heads of the goons.
This enabled me to finish yet another scene.
"Wo bleibt ja das LKW?"
A working party is in the process of unloading a bunch of crates from the box waggon. As always, there is this guy who keeps working while the others are taking a break.
While this one is done, I also could add the bloke that guides the ammunition Panzer IV off the flatcar…
This is getting somewhere…
5 April 2023, 12:26
Erwin LeetinkThe Propaganda Kompagnie, ever ready for some nice footage to show in the cinemas, also arrived at the scene to capture the arrival of the glorious Karl. Yet the Hauptmann is not satisfied with the subject the Gefreiter is currently shooting.
9 April 2023, 17:09
Erwin LeetinkThe last scene is complete... Both carriers will be connected to a draw bar after which the upper parts will be joined by large pins.
While one soldier of the railroad troops guides the engine driver in the shunter, another one guides the draw bar so it will ease into the slot, without damaging the air hose.
On top of one of the carriers yet another one sits ready to insert the pin.
All this under the watchful eye of the driver of the steam locomotive...
This finishes the whole project!!!
10 April 2023, 13:12
gorbyNice work Erwin, it's turned into a remarkable dio.
I would question one point....would the bar which joins the two carriers be light enough for one man to lift? It looks like it might be quite heavy to me.
10 April 2023, 14:09
Erwin LeetinkThanks Gorby... The bar is already connected to one of the carriers on one side. So there is no (or almost no) vertical movement possible...
10 April 2023, 15:05
Mr JamesVery impressive work. Hundreds of hours of work have gone into this, and it shows.
18 June 2023, 11:17
Erwin LeetinkThank you so much for the kind words Mr. James. A lot of work went in to this dio indeed. I am happy to learn that this is visible...
18 June 2023, 20:07
Album info
17 August 1944. Mörser Karl "Ziu" arrives at a goods station in Warsaw in order to help suppress the uprising. Arrival of such a big gun requires a large logistic operation with parts, ammo an personell. While the gun trundles off to its intended fire position as soon as possible, the train which brought it there is being unloaded and its carriers are connected in order to be shunted to a different siding.
