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| Subject: | SQ: ESCI/Italeri SdKfz 10/4 |  |
| Date: | Jun 5, 2007 |
| From: | Dave Clark | |
After years of visiting Track Link at least weekly, drawing inspiration and information from the gallery and forums, I'm finally inspired to pony up and contribute to the actual content: this is my first submission to Track Link. It's my white elephant, my guilty consience, my bane, my Shelf Queen.
I started this model project in 2000, when I picked up an Italeri SdKfz 10/5 as a raffle prize at the annual IPMS/Seattle Spring Show. Hoping this kit would be everything the ESCI model wasn't, I was disappointed to find that it was actually worse in several ways. So I set out on an odyssey to build the most accurate flak wielding SdKfz 10 I could. Naturally, I had to make it a bit harder by back-dating the kit to a 10/4 version mounting a Flak 30, which meant the ESCI gun was going to need a lot of TLC too. (Italeri would later release a 10/4 but it was boxed with the ancient ESCI gun anyway, so no loss there.) After scrutinizing all the photos I could get my hands on at the time, I decided to kit-bash the Italeri and ESCI models and throw in some Eduard PE, Friul tracks, Tamiya SdKfz 250 wheels, Jordi barrel, and a whole lot of Evergreen plastic and Aber brass stock. Actually, I used very little of the Italeri kit, just the floor pan, dashboard, steering wheel, and a small backet to support the back of the gun. The hull, hood, fenders, and suspension arms are all ESCI. My goal was to complete the project within a year's time and take it to the 2001 IPMS Nationals in Chicago. I fell short of that goal; my
first child was born in July of 2000. Need I say more?
I worked like a fiend on it for the next 12 months whenever I could steal the time, often parking my son beside my work bench in one of those little motorized swings. I did get a long way into the project however and took it with me to Chicago for display. When I returned, I was pretty burned-out on German halftracks and shelved it. It sat for several years until I picked up a DML SdKfz 250 and thought, "Hey, these wheels would look great on my SdKfz 10!" So in 2004, I broke it out again and replaced the outer road wheels and the wheel hubs on the inner Tamiya wheels. I turned the front suspension as well. At that time I also came across some excellent pictures on the internet of the driver's area from a restored SdKfz 10, so I re-built the transmission housing details and all the gear levers. I got sidetracked on a couple of commission projects after that and the model was shelved again. It's been 3 years since I've touched it.
I can't seem to fully enjoy working on newer kits while this monster is
lingering unfinished. I've started and shelved 5 other kits since '04
and I've promised myself I won't crack open another model until I at
least finish the 10/4. So this contest is just the sort of accountability tool to motivate me to finish it. Even though Eduard now makes a PE set for the Italeri 10/4, I'm sticking with my scratch built details like the gun shields and rifle racks.
Here's what's done:
Vehicle:
- Italeri floor pan and driver's compartment in ESCI hull, detailed with Eduard parts and scratch details.
- Completely built gun platform and drop-sides using Evergreen
dimensional and sheet plastic, covered in Aber tread plate, using the
Italeri piece as a rule.
- "screens" in reality are actually grates, strong enough to support a
man walking on them. This was simulated by laminating 3 pieces of Aber
screen material, resulting in a more 3-D appearance. I used the Italeri parts as a rule.
- Detailed ammo boxes with thin sheet plastic and Aber latches.
- Rifle racks made from Evergreen stock.
- Front suspension turned and front wheels replaced with Tamiya SdKfz 250 wheels.
- Added engine oil pan.
- Re-shaped front fenders.
- Various details added to hood and front grill, such as new headlights, driver 'knows', radiator cap, hood hinge, tool box, etc.
- Replaced road wheels as mentioned above. Drive sprockets & tracks
replaced with Friul items.
Sd.Anhanger 51 Trailer:
This stared out as a New Connections item as there were none in plastic
in 2000. Ironically, the New Connections kit included an ESCI trailer frame! It was a waste of money. I ended up using the box but just as easily could have built one from scratch as I had to add considerable detail to it anyway including a new lid and hinge details.
- Tamiya trailer frame and wheels from Flak38 kit with little details added from scratch.
ESCI Flak 30 gun:
- Jordi Rubio gun barrel
- Corrected and scratch built all other details (too many to list) from
sheet plastic and Aber tread plate. Only other AM parts added were some Model Kasten wing nuts.
Here's what's left to do:
Vehicle and trailer:
- Move idler wheels to adjust track tension
- Correct right fender rifle rack (mounting points are incorrect)
- Add pioneer tool brackets and tools
- Build Notek mount
- Construct/turn signals and rearview mirror
- Improve windshield cover
- Add tail lights and wires
- Add license plates
- Add rear drop braces
- Texture seats
- Add driver's pedals
- Add hooks to ammo box lids
- Add trailor hitch
- Add trailer fender handles
- Add trailer frame handles
Gun:
- Completely re-build gun sight and arm
- Replace over-sized J Rubio barrel with scratch built barrel using mussle from Armorscale KwK 30
- Build spent case basket
- Add gun tube shield
- Detail gunner's seatback |
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