Sd. Kfz. 184 Elefant w/interior

[Johannes]

Hello,

I want to present you my current work. It's a Sd. Kfz. 184 Elefant with a full interior (except the engines / generators). This project started under the premise to use the best parts from Jaguar's and Verlinden's interior with minimal scratched additions. Well, over the course of this project it turned out that most of the interior stuff from these two companies is of no use for my project. This due to the old molds (Jag) or either to complete ignorance of the real tank (Verlinden). The build is now going on for almost two and a half years with quite long breaks from time to time (university's calling). The most difficult areas are now completed (I guess / hope!), so hopefully the tank will be completed in the end of the year. But it will receive a whole diorama, set in Rome, 1944, with a few GIs passing the abandonned tank while receiving hefty fire out of the nowhere.
Please excuse me for picking just a few photos from my blog. It wouldn't be very pleasant neither for the reader nor for me to post every single photo from the blog here, because it has swolen up to 551 pictures already. If you want to see the whole rest, you probably would want to see the complete blog over at . If there's anyone who'd prefer to read the German version, no problem
Just a few more notes on the AM-stuff used on this tank. There's a whole lot involved. ABER PE (basic, fenders), Voyager armor plugs, Modelkasten tracks, ABER tank MG34, ABER 2m Antenne, [Jaguar & Verlinden interiors], ABER 88mm gun barrel, Karaya to cables. The Zimmerit is home-made from Tamiya epoxy putty.

Well, I think that should do for the start. If you have further question, don't hesitate to ask! Let's go straight to the pics, then.



























































































Puh... that's it for the first time. Note that the pictures were taken over a very long period. Some things changed, were redone or completed in a second or even third attempt. I hope you like it. With your permission, I'd post further updates in full also here on this site.

Cheers to everyone and thanks for stopping by,

Johannes

P.s.: Cheers Jamie

[Jamie Tainton]

Johannes, great to see your stuff here. Thanks for making the effort- I know time can be precious. It may seem a bit slow here right now but with this caliber of work on display I 'm sure we will hook a few converts or new fish.

[Laurent Moitrot]

Glad to have you around. Your work really is impressive !
Hats off !

[Johannes]

James, Laurent, thank you for the warm welcome! I've just noticed my registration date here in this board and realized that this is only my second post since. As James said, time can be very precious. But I'll try to come by more often. Here's a new update.


Here's something I wouldn't exactly call an updated, it's much more a little note with a few pics. Let's start with the latter...



This "stopper" connects the barrel with the ball mount via an "U"-shaped (consider the "U" upsidedown). The strips at the the end of the barrel are there for making it easier to align the barrel in the ball mount once it will be glued in there. Practically, the same system was used in reality, too. But I don't consider my depicition to be close to the real deal.
The area marked red underneath the "stopper" in the upper right picture is supposed to show that there was also such a thing. As I couldn't make out how it was attached to the ball mount (or was it?), eventually I decided to leave it out.
The areas marked red at the "stopper" in lower right picture are supposed to show that there will be weld beads missingm, yet.


Between these two sheet strips the "U"-shaped plate will be, once the mount is put in place.


Further picture studying made it clear that the shape of breech block as it's designed by DML is not fully accurate. So I need to shape it the way I drew it here in the pic.
The purpose of that circular piece is mysterious to me - as are many of the gun parts If anybody has more info on that piece or even pictures / drawings of this side of the gun, I'd be more than happy to see them.


Here we go. It's not hard to see that it's in its very beginning of reworking and is far from being done...


... and that's where it will remain for some time, presumably. Because it seems like I got the flu again, like last year. In this state, it's hard to do any modelling and as I have to leave for Augsburg Thursday again, there won't be a new update 'till the end of February or so. Sorry for this!


One more thing I'm asking you for: If you realize I'm writing a lot of crap, please let me know! Especially in the area of the gun, there's only little I know about. Teach me, guys


Greetings and all the best,
Johannes.

[Laura]

this is the most comprehensive build of all times i have ever followed! i remember how my jaw dropped when i first noticed this build on pa!

outstanding acchievment johannes!