I just moved and the painting environment is not ready yet, so I got into another kit. This time, I would like to make a prototype self-propelled gun of the German Army, Dickermax. I am now ordering an electric lifting desk, and when it arrives, I think I will blow the airbrush with proper consideration for arousal. If I have time for another week or so, I am thinking of taking it easy and assembling it. I’m happy to be working on my favorite model building on the afternoon off without having to deal with trivial clerical work, moving preparations, and cleaning up. But for now, I just put a lot of stuff on a shelf and make it invisible and feel like I’ve cleaned it up.
As usual, the part numbers in the assembly instructions are not very reliable. When I had doubts about the shape and number of the parts in the manual, I selected the parts by trial and error. I got lost in the part on the back of the starting wheel. Maybe it’s different.
I wonder if the suspension assembly is more complicated in the earlier tank type IV. I remember having a lot of trouble assembling the Tristar kit. The parts of Dickermax of Dragon are complicated because I think it is the vehicle undercarriage of the early stage of the Tank type-IV.
(2025/01/11)
The assembly of the rollers into the chassis is complete. I can feel the elaboration of the manufacturer such as the engraving of the manufacturer is reproduced on the side of the rubber tire.
There are not many etched parts in this kit. But they start using metal parts here and there.
I wonder if they are parts of the gun racks or the rear combat chambers. It seems that rather large parts are built into the chassis at first. The rearmost guide wheel can be moved slightly, but in the end, even if I moved it to the rearmost position, I was able to wrap the tracks neatly.
It seems that the right and left tracks of the Magic Track are distinguished. The longer side of the connecting pin is inward. So the light gray part will be on the left and the dark gray part will be on the right from the view from front side. But I think it’s almost impossible to recognize it on either side.
(2025/01/13)
The left and right track parts are slightly different like this. I wouldn’t get lost if the directions were easier to understand.
I managed to wrap the tracks properly while making the upper part slightly loose. Since it’s a Magic Track, it won’t break due to aging, and more than anything, since there’s no work to separate it from the runner, I was able to work very smoothly. But in my case, even if it is a belt type tracks, I have never worn it out because of deterioration. Maybe it’s because all the contacts are glued together and not so much tension.
There are grenades in the back of the operating compartment. It is to counterattack when the enemy infantry comes close. But I wonder if there aren’t many soldiers around the artillery. I think it would be a serious situation if they started to fight back with grenades.
Dickermax is an open-top AFV, so we can see the gun rack and detailed mechanism inside. When I put it on, I can see the back a little bit, and I can’t see the details that much.
There was a metal barrel in it. There is no description in the instruction manual and it says to use plastic parts, but this is a waste if I don’t use it. The plastic parts need some processing.
The combat compartment was in a plastic guard, probably because it was one piece and fragile. The kit doesn’t say deluxe edition or premium edition, but it’s pretty gorgeous.
(2025/01/15)
It was difficult to attach the large combat room to the body. I mean, it’s an unusual way of assembling. Even if there are some gaps, I will fill them with putty later, so I put them together at once without thinking too much.
Metal barrels are very cool, but they are too heavy and the barrel droops. I fixed it at a suitable angle as it doesn’t look good if it is facing downwards.
As I thought, there were some gaps when gluing the battle room. It’s embarrassing. But for now, I filled the gap with light-curing putty, so I hope it won’t be so noticeable after painting.
The inside of the combat room looks complicated and realistic with various parts. But the front is so deep that we can hardly see it.
I wonder if it’s a shell and a charge. It was explained at the beginning of the assembly manual, and I didn’t intend to attach it anywhere, so I left it. There seem to be several types of each, so I guess they use them depending on the purpose.
I think I will paint it soon because the assembled kit is now two pieces. I finally received the electric lifting desk yesterday. I thought about it, but I chose Flexispot. It was quite heavy from the top plate to the supports, but I finished the assembly and installation without any problems, and when it was finished, it was quite comfortable, so I’m glad I bought it. I also installed the monitor arm of ERGOTRON. It’s like I took the opportunity of moving to a new place and built an ideal environment for many years. But it would be a joke if I sat all the time without elevating it in about a month. In other words, it may be typical of a lifting desk owner. However, it’s convenient to be able to adjust the height slightly when using a PC and when making models. It’s cold, but I hope to paint the Merkava somewhere this week.
(2025/01/19)
I undercoated Dickermax in black. After moving, the room gets more sunlight, but the paint is too bright and I can’t understand it well. It’s cold when I close the curtain, so I’m checking it little by little.
I painted the details and attached the decals. After that, weathering is planned. I think it’s the Eastern Front, so maybe I will make it pretty muddy.
The Panzer Selbstfahrlafette IV Ausf. A Dicker Max is now complete. It was positioned as a prototype and only 2 vehicles were completed. The Panzer Selbstfahrlafette IV Ausf. A Dicker Max is now complete. It was positioned as a prototype and only 2 vehicles were completed. They deployed the 521st Tank Destroyer Battalion. One of the 2 vehicles may have also participated in the 1942 summer offensive on the Russian front. It may have been destroyed by the winter of 1942, since it is not mentioned in the report. This vehicle is marked in 1942. It’s a prototype tank, so it may be partly an assumption. Isn’t the prototype Sturer Emil also assigned to this battalion?
It has a kill mark on the gun barrel, so I guess it is a story that it was very successful.
This main gun, the 52 caliber 10.5 cm cannon K18, was able to defeat the T-34 and KV-1 from a long range, which was difficult to defeat with tanks type-III and IV at the time, so it must have been quite good. Unfortunately, the 88 mm gun was more convenient, so it was not officially adopted.
The vehicle was equipped with several shells as it seemed to be capable of using armor-piercing bullets and howitzers. Maybe because the cannon is a separate shell type, there were many small shells and shell casing parts attached. It’s rather detailed.
The square one on the right in front of the vehicle body seems to be a dummy driving compartment. So the real one is on the left? The rear of the vehicle was also heavily armored to protect the loaders.
Now that it’s surrounded so much, it should have covered the ceiling to improve its defense.
As for the paint, I like the German Gray body a little bit bluish, so I used the paint of the 500s of Mr. Color.
This kit was quite difficult to assemble the battle room. It is an open-top car, but there is a cover at the battle room of the front, so we can’t see so much detail around the gun tail. The 10.5 cm gun is mounted on the type-IV tank body, so the barrel looks much thicker. It is an old kit now, but I am glad that it was completed successfully.
(2025/01/30)
コメント