Kit Build/Review: 1/72 Kfz. 305, Opel Blitz Ambulance, Pt II

Part II of the build of this model.

Ok, so here's a follow up to my recent archival report on an Opel Ambulance Build in 1/72. All of this second post still pertains to the original build, way back at the beginning of the year, during which I started detailing the interior of the ambulance body. In a third post, due soon, I'll be finishing the model with paint and decals.

I left off the last post having blocked in some colours for the interior of the cab. Having done quite a few similar builds I felt I was wasting time doing fairly detailed interiors, which wound up nigh on invisible. So I decided to keep this simple. Block colours, no shading, and very little detail.

Introducing a driver figure. Keeping it all very simple.

Starting to put the glazed cab together.

What's with the steering wheel moving 'twixt driver ...

... and dashboard?

Cab more or less completed, next thing was to fix it to the chassis. 

Cab assembled...

... er, that should be fixed to the chassis by now!?

At this stage I decided that, like the British ambulance I built a long while back, this should have opening rear doors and an interior with some detailing/interest. Finding contemporary wartime ref of original German vehicles where the interior was visible seemed nigh on impossible. The image below was the best I could do at the time.

The only view into the interior I could find; poor and limited.

So I wound up referring to this.

In the end I was forced to look at assembly or parts images from 1/35 models, such as the Dragon stuff shown above. More recently I got a load of modelling mags, one of which has a Maultier ambulance with detailed interior as a featured build. That'll be a great help when I get round to finishing the interior, in the third and hopefully final part of this extended build!

Started adding detail to the interior of the ambulance body.

I should've done this before putting the body together!

It's not going to be anything too great, I can see that. Especially since I decided to go down this rabbit-hole after putting the ambulance 'office' space together. Adding detail - and painting it, for that matter - would've been a lot easier whilst this whole assembly remained as separate parts. They say you learn from your mistakes. That's why I make so many... I'm keen to learn!

Kit Build/Review: 1/72 Kfz. 305, Opel Blitz Ambulance, Pt I

NB Another old post finally arrives. 'Tonight' was actually some time twixt Jan'-March!

Tonight I started a kit that's been in my stash for a couple of years at least. Somewhere along the line I seem to have discarded the box, save for a cut-out of the 'colour profiles' off the back of it. I think this is the Italeri kit, possibly formerly produced by Esci. 

Laying out the kit and tools, etc.

Step one, the chassis.

Step two, the cab (inc. glazing).

Blocking in interior colours.

At this point my photographic record, like the build itself, gets hazy. I know that I completed the cab, and started detailing the interior of the rear of the vehicle. Hopefully I'll locate the images, and come back with a second instalment on the build soon...

PS - In the interim, I've got hold of a modelling mag (Airfix Model World, Mar' 2016) in which a guy builds a 1/35 Maultier Ambulance. Although the chassis is rather different, the inner detailing of the ambulance should be a great help to me in completing the interior of my own much smaller model.

Kit Build/Review: 1/72 PSC German Trucks

Although they're very basic, I do really like these PSC kits. Sure, they're not exhibition quality. But that's not the idea. They're simple, robust wargame models. And they do the job superbly, in my view. I already plundered this box to help me finish my Zebrano Einheitsdiesel, covered in the previous post. 

Now, with the remainder of the contents of the box sitting about getting in my way, I figured why not start building them? Well, one argument against would be the enormous backlog of unfinished models that's accumulating on my workbench. But, ah, the feck wi' it, as they might say on Craggy Island. 

Painting the interior of the cab, and the figures.

I've decided to make the first one up as a Mercedes, as I already have a few Opel Blitz models built. I'm really loving working on rear-echelon materiel. Today I've put most of the truck together, and painted the inside of the cab and the two figures, albeit the latter is a quite basic paint job.

Teresa watched a godawful sci-if movie as I beavered away. I then watched another, sort of, whilst working on my models. The one Teresa watched was called The Predator, or poss Predator II, but didn't seem all that related to the original Arnie movie. I didn't find out what my one was till the very end, Extinction. Although I didn't pay it close attention, it seemed alright to me. Certainly a lot better than the Predator one.

Tigger's not interested or impressed!

Tiggy remained unmoved by Sci-Fi horror, or my modelmaking efforts! Now I'm chilling with snooker on YouTube, and getting ready to climb the wooden hill to Bedfordshire. Tomorrow we visit Patrick on his boat. But I hope to get some modelling in as well.

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The next day...

I have three German trucks at present: Airfix, Zebrano and PSC.

Sunday evening we got back from visiting our pal Patrick, on his narrowboat. I assembled the painted interior and figures for the cab of the PSC Opel Blitz truck, at right in the above picture. At left is an Airfix Opel Blitz, from the set that also includes a Pak-40 gun and crew. And in the middle is my recent Einheitsdiesel with Flak-37.

I have two more unbuilt PSC trucks, and numerous others in the pending pile, including several ambulances, a fuel tanker, and a whole heap of various staff cars. I also harbour a strong desire to scratch-build a few trucks (some partially, using the PSC left-overs, etc, some completely), using resources like the Nuts And Bolts [1] title, issue 32, on German 6-ton lorries, and other reference materials.

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NOTES:

[1] You can find the complete inventory of Nuts & Bolts titles here.

1/76 WWII - Airfix Opel Blitz & Pak 40

Yet another addition to my recent spate of 'tidying up'. And yet another instance of a very partially documented build. I've got a niggling feeling that pics of these builds must've been tken. But where the deuce are the images now?

This was another kit that I bought two of, one for me, and one for my father. and we sat building them together on a monday afternoon, before watching some World At War to wind-down. I like trucks, and this is fun to make. The lower chassis in particular, is greatly enjoyable. There are some fiddly bit, making this one of the ore challenging of the Airfix kits we've tried thus far. And as Pa found out, if you're not careful, you can damage the axles and put your wheels out of whack quite easily!

I love the suspension and drive-shaft/transmission, etc.

Although I painted my driver, I didnt end up putting him in the cab, whereas ye aulde Pater did. I've also built the gun. but I can't find any pics of that, or any more of the build. The truck is finished, assembly-wise, but remains in matt black undercoat only for now.