Gun team: Tamiya's 8 ton half track and 88mm Flak
Tamiya made these two to work together. The 8 ton half track was the tractor that pulled the 88mm gun into position and carried its crew, and Tamiya's own box side shows the pair on the move. Both are classic 1/35 kits, both come with a crowd of figures, and together they make one of the most satisfying gun team displays you can put on a shelf.
The 8 ton half track
Kit 35148 builds the Sd.Kfz.7, the half track best known for towing the 88. It is about 200mm long once built, with the complex interleaved road wheels reproduced, steerable front wheels, and a driving position with instruments and pedals. The canvas hood can be built raised or folded, and no fewer than eight figures ride along in relaxed poses, so the crew compartment is full rather than empty seats.
It is our most popular pre-order right now, at £21.99.
The 88mm Flak 36/37
Kit 35017 is the gun itself, with over three hundred parts. The barrel elevates and the mount traverses, so you can set it to point exactly where your scene needs it. Tamiya adds a transport trailer, a motorcycle and nine figures in action poses, enough to crew the gun and run ammunition with hands to spare. Richard Tomlin summed up opening the box in one line: "Big box, filled with grey plasticiness."
Building the pair
Build the gun first and leave the barrel and mount unglued until the end, so the elevation and traverse still work for posing. On the half track, paint the interior and the figures before the hood goes on, and keep the road wheels as subassemblies so they can be painted off the vehicle. If you want the two coupled together, build the 88 in its travelling position on the trailer and check the tow height against the half track before the glue sets.
Built by Richard Tomlin
Our regular contributor Richard Tomlin has just finished the Flak 36/37, and he went all in: the full crew, a sandbagged gun pit and a base of his own, with spent shell cases scattered round the trail legs. He finished the gun in German grey, the early war scheme, which suits the busy crew around it.
Paints
Tamiya's guides quote Tamiya paints, so everything you need is on our shelf:
- Early war grey, like Richard's: XF-63 German Grey.
- Later dark yellow: XF-60 Dark Yellow, with XF-61 Dark Green and XF-64 Red Brown for the camouflage, as on the half track's box art.
A Tamiya Weathering Stick in Mud is a quick way to dirty the tracks, wheels and trail legs once the paint is dry.
Complete the scene
Tamiya's 1/35 German range goes well beyond the gun team. These sit naturally alongside it:
Or collect free from the shop at 294 Hillmorton Road, Rugby.
About our contributor. Richard Tomlin is a regular contributor to the SuperModels blog and a member of Modellers Anonymous, our Rugby model club. See his full 88mm Flak 36/37 build, and many more, on his blog Do you have a hobby?
Sources: Tamiya product information for kits 35148 and 35017. Build photographs by Richard Tomlin. Cover image: Richard Tomlin.