One35th presents the 28cm K5(E) Eisenbahngeschutz - scale model built by Bernhard Lustig

Model built by Bernhard Lustig Scale : 1/35 Brand : Dragon Courtesy of Xtreme Modelling - Military Modelling Magazine Issue : 5 - Spring 2004 Title : Hunting Down URL : http://www.xtrememodelling.com/
A Short description: I think everyone of us had the "big bang", when we heard that the K5 - giant model would be one of the new Dragon releases. But this news was topped by the messages that Trumpeter will also do this job ! But which company has the better in their range ? The result of a first look in both boxes is that one of these kits is the most accurate; the other one is easier and faster to build. You have to decide for yourself what you prefer. I took the quicker way and took the Dragon model with me. First of all, I was impressed by the nice box art, painted by Ron Volstad, and the multi pose figures, which are included in the kit. But now you can buy these very nice figures separately. This model really beats the average dimensions of a 1/35 scale model. A closer look at all the spruces will fill your whole workbench.

Now Let's go: You will be able to build the 6 axle railroad trucks without any problems. These elements are the biggest differences between the Trumpeter kits. The Dragon railroad trucks need about 190 parts, against 752 parts in the Trumpeter kit. The main components like the spring assemblies are added on a long piece of plastic. You only have to add the wheels and axles and a few other small parts. The weak points of railroad trucks are definitely the ends. They were done so simple, that you will have problems finding parts, which will be similar to the original once. I wondered, because Dragon has so beautiful railroad trailers in their range, and the bumpers for example, have no similarity to the originals. The other parts are ok, but I missed the long steps in front of the engine compartment. Like the Leopard situated in a French Museum, Dragon left this off, and made instead of this, long holes in which the steps were put, if you want, you can produce these parts easily by using plastic card.
The gun and gun-chassis: The build of the gun was also done without problems. The fit of the parts is good; putty will only be used in small amounts. I would prefer to add the ladders and steps in a later stage, because you are always in danger to break it away. The main additional work was done in the area behind the gun. As you can see in the photos, I added the wooden lath floor, because it is missing in the kit. I used 2mm x 1mm Evergreen plastic strips. I changed the plastic handrail to a brass from 0.8mm brass rod, which should be soldered together. For a perfect fit, I used the plastic pieces as a sample. The kit-chains are too thick; so I bought some from the ship-modelers range. I have the most problems with the ladders, which are placed at the sides of the chassis. The ladders consist of three smaller ladders, which must be fitted together. The Dragon designers explain how to fit them together in only one stage, so you will have problems to find the correct positions, it would be better to explain it in a minimum of two stages. The plastic material of these parts is too thick for the scale. I remember more in heavy steel than in light material. If you choose the ladders in the long position, you will see that the angles (ladder/gun) are too small.
Color: This model has really big dimensions and you will need a big amount of colors, so first check up on you color stock, so that you will have enough of it. I applied a basecoat of white Tamiya primer (fine). After a drying period with a minimum of 8 hours, the model was covered with a mixture of Tamiya XF-67 (tank Grey) and some semi-matt vanish. After adding some drops of flesh and light grey to the base mixture, I give a cloudy over spray to the model, insisting on the center of the panel, avoiding the borders. But the more lighten up the color, the more thinly you should use. Do not over do this process. The following stages will also bring effects in shading edges and corners. Now it's time for the decals. Because of their size, they are not easy to fit. I also missed the decals for the railroad trailers. If you do not want to have these problems, you should have a look at the Archer Dry transfers range. As you can see, I used a darker mixture for the railroad trailers. Here I used a mixture consisting of black and tank grey, which will not be lighten up. To break up the monotone color of these huge parts, it is important to do a good weathering job. The weathering procedure starts with a particular washing with black Humbrol. This job was carefully done in the lower area, corners or in the edges, and applied two or three times if necessary. I think it is absolutely necessary to bring up filters in a model of these big dimensions. This means to bring up irregular small dots of artists oil colors. In thsi case I used Prussian blue, black, burnt sienna, warm grey, white and ochre. After this I took a wide flat brush and Tamiya enamel thinner and rubbed these dots off. Oil stains and flowing rust give a realistic effect to some areas. Both were done with diluted oil colors. For this I preferred burnt umber, black and my favorite color lasur oxide orange (Lukas). I used Mig pigments to dust horizontal surfaces. Small scratches or chips can be painted using Vallejo-acrylic paints (black/dark brown). For working with acrylics I preferred an Andrea-acrylic brush (3/0) The railroad trucks got a washing with diluted pigments (dark rust, and a small amount of middle rust and sand). The top of the wheel hub castings and some other very raised areas in the bottom of the trailers got a separate treatment with diluted sand color pigments. The exposed outer radiuses of the wheels were painted with Humbrol metal cote (gun metal) After a short period of drying out, I used cotton sticks for polishing these areas. The main effect was achieved with graphite powder, which was rubbed over the surface, also by using a cotton stick. A subtle dry brushing with silver artists oil color gives the final touch. Graphite powder was also very useful to give a worn effect to ladders and some parts of the hand rails.
Overall verdict: The fitting of the parts is perfect. Sometimes you may think that Dragon produced this giant in a minimum time to win the race against their Chinese competitor. So the result is, that some parts are done without any accuracy. But if you want to have accurate model you don't want to put too much work in, buy the Trumpeter one. If you want to build it in a tolerable time, this is the best value. As you can see in the pictures above, with some paint and effects on the model, you will not find the weak points, and also be impressed of the size of this 1:35 scale model.




Altantic Wall Museum in Audinghen (France)	Altantic Wall Museum in Audinghen (France)



Scale Model Image Gallery - Bernhard Lustig
One35th	T.Kaneko	Nico Los	C.Potter	R.Lang	Ironside
J.Neumeyer	Nathaniel Ng	Kees v.d.Pols	FSM Jan.2003	PMMS	Dragon
Trumpeter	Jon J Bersabal	Joeri Michiels	B.Lustig	P.Albers	Summary
Martin Davis	Jeff Brundt	Juan	Projectiles	K5 Decals	Al.Barrel

Acknowledgment : I would like to thanks above mentioned, who have allowed the use of pictures.	Click to index page