Mercedes Benz L4500R Maultier + 8,8 cm PaK 43

[Dario Risso]

I started this beautiful half-track on saturday. It's the Zvezda 3603 kit.
We make a Group Build in a local foro; you can see others Mercedes in this thread:


Some Info (mainly the 4x4 truck MB L4500A)
Books
Mercedes Benz 1941-1945 (part 2) - Tornado - Automobile History 16
Mercedes LKW 1935-1945 - Podzun-Pallas Verlag - Waffen Arsenal Sonderband 62
Mercedes-Benz (part 2) - Tornado - Military Machines 32
Panzerwrecks 9
Flak auf dem Gefechtsfeld - Waffen Arsenal Band 51
Deutsche Flakpanzar bis 1945 (Editorial?) (Spielberger)
Encyclopedia of German Tanks of WW2

Webs














Kits
Zvezda 3596 - Mercedes Benz L4500A












Zvezda 3603 - Mercedes Benz L4500R Maultier








Revell 3091 - Mercedes Benz L4500R Maultier


Zvezda 3647 - Einheitsfahrerhaus L4500A


Wiener Modellbau Manufactur 35003 - Mercedes Benz 4500A mit 2 cm Flakvierling 38


Schatton Modellbau 3541 - DB 4500A mit 5 cm Flak 41


Gaso.Line 50188 Mercedes 4500 blindé 37mm Flak36


Alby Mercedes L4500A Cargo


2cm Flakvierling 38
4 links to Walkarounds of Flakvierling 38



3,7cm Flak 36/37 - 43






Ammo carriers

[Dario Risso]

First build pics:
The chassis and part of the undercarriage; 50 parts just for steps 7 to 9



Reference pic to detail the engine, MB OM67/4



Some details added



The other side; I wonder from wich book is this picture



Any comments wellcomed

Darío

[Dario Risso]

Opps, I forget this:

The choosen version:



Using this kit:


Darío

[Roy Schlicht]

Awesome, look forward to seeing this done up. I have the kit also but haven't touched it. Are you going to use the kit supplied tracks or replace them? I think I will be using Friuls on mine.

Roy

[Dario Risso]

Thanks, Roy; No, Friul tracks are faraway from my pocket, so, I will use the Zvezda ones.
No much progress, but, I had do some this weekend.
I glued the ...er....those thing that give suspension to the vehicle , aligned with the help of some toothpicks





More tubes added to the engine. I replace one of the pulleys too and the bumper, made using copper sheet



Finally, I add some detail to the radiator, using a wire mesh and plasticard



Darío

[Roy Schlicht]

Leaf springs I think is the word you were looking for. Looking good.

Roy

[Dario Risso]

Thanks, Roy!
Well, I made some advances with this little monster:
Some colors added to the engine:




The cab floor is a metal foil (from a margarine lid, I think) rubbed against a piece of brass mesh and then glued with ciano


Some details added to the firewall:


Instrument panel and pedals (from a Dragon's Panzerjäger I)


A pair of reinforce strips for the cab roof, made of tin foil


The rear window with the rubber sealer painted

That's all for this week, I will continue the StuG III

Darío

[Laurent Moitrot]

nice !

[Tim Coulson]

Looking good.

[Dario Risso]

Well, thanks for comments guys!
There was poor advances with this, due to some issues with the tarpaulin: I don't know if I wrong glued some of the cargo box parts or the instructions are wrong, but the canvas doesn't fit well; I glued it 3 times and I modified it a little to get a kind of good fit.

First I delete the molded on rope and drilled the holes:


First try (wrong) gluing the canvas:



Finally glued after 3 tries



Fenders glued with much care (not enough...the left one should be 0,5 mm inwards)





As you can see, the canvas parts desn't fit very well; fortunatly, putty exists



I removed the diesel filter to glue the right fender



That's all for now, hope you like it
Darío.