German Flak 88mm Project
Greetings. Here are some pics of my 88mm tear down and rebuild. The original model was sold by Merit Intl and is all metal and super heavy. The original factory pics show a very glossy paint scheme. This paint was applied without adequate primer, so it needed to be removed and reapplied.
In the process of removing the paint, I found that all of the detail pieces were glued on with a glue that easily came off in paint removal. Thus, a rebuild was required.
Using JB Weld was the key and using micro machine brass bolts added the right detail without any gluing. Just drill a pilot hole and tap them into place for a snug fit.I also tried to “pin” some pieces rather than glue them to add additional structural integrity.
After reassembly, the pieces were all properly painted with primer and then coated with basic Krylon tan camo. This spray paint is ideal. It dries fast, dries flat and provides a nice base to add the final base coat.
The final base coat uses Tamiya brand Dark Yellow in little spray can bottles. This paint is meant for smaller scale plastic models but it is perfect for 1/6 plastic and metal vehicles. With the tan primer base coat, this stuff applies very nice without having to buy too many small bottles (especially since they are $6-$7 each). I used 4 little bottles to paint all the nooks and crannies on this beast.
Now on to the final weathered paint job courtesy of Scott Carter of Faded Armour who is visiting us in the desert Mar 21-23. Next post after that!
How is the jb weld holding after a few years and playing with the model. I just got one that the person never finished and it is suffering from all issues you mentioned. Regards.
Hi Greg. It’s holing up very well. It is mostly static in my hobby room, but I do adjust the barrel height often and no issue with structural integrity.