This etched set for the 20mm Flak30/38 Ammo Magazines and Boxes from ABER was released last year before the more recent sets from Lion Roar (set #LAM040) and Voyager (set #AP067) and while I had prepared this review some time ago for some reason overlooked posting it earlier, but better late than never someone once said.

The set has one etched fret with the magazine and ammo box parts with the standard of etching being very good with nice surface relief on the magazine sides and ammo boxes and the metal being slightly thicker than normal for better strength and to allow good etched relief on the parts.

Etched fret

Magazines:
There are two different style of magazines included in the set, one with the five small inspection holes on one side and the other with a single inspection hole as well as alternate spines, so check the instructions to match the appropriate sides and spine parts as the spine with the inspection holes goes with the sides with the one hole.

These are made up of four parts each with well defined details on the separate side sections but there is some careful bending required during assembly.

The base and spines (part 6) have small side sections that need to be bent upward and it is very important to bend these as tight as possible to the width of the two spine sections to minimise any gaps after bending (Pic 1).

The two spine sections of part 6 form the ends of the magazine and require subtle curves added to correspond to the curvature of the magazine sides and you will need to use the magazine sides (parts 13-16) as guides as no other indication is given (Pic 1).

The two magazine sides (parts 13-16) require small curves inwards added at the top and these were added by laying the part across a small drill bit and curved around with a small rod to give a smooth bend (Pic 2).

When attaching the two side faces it is very important they are glued (or soldered) perfectly square with the base to make sure the two sides line up correctly (Pic 2).
This will have a marked effect on the final appearance if the two sides are not lined up correctly at this point, so take care here.

The two spine sections are then attached and it is best to solder these to fill in any small gaps that are present but using thick cyanoacrylate can be sanded after curing (Pic 2).

Finally the base and larger spine rib is added and again it is important this is lined up perfectly square on the base to ensure the rib sits evenly along the magazine spine (Pic 3).

The top “T” section of the smaller spine is then bent around to secure the join to the sides (Pic 4).

As mentioned soldering would be the preferred assembly method allowing any gaps to be filled and filed smooth easily and giving stronger joins (Pic 4).

The assembled magazines certainly look excellent with very well defined details but will require careful positioning and bending of the parts during assembly for best results and as the set does not include the 20mm rounds as do the later sets these will have to be sourced from other sets to finish off.

Parts for one magazine

Magazine Assembly
Note small gaps that can be eliminated with careful bending and filed smooth after soldering.

Assembled Magazine

Ammo Boxes:
The two boxes supplied are the larger square type and consist of two main parts, the ammo box and the box lip both of which are bent to form the box shape with additional inserts to form the indents around the top and side latches as well as additional fine parts for the carry handles and latches themselves.

There are small indentations on the insides of the larger sides for the smaller sides to sit into forming a very tight join resulting in virtually no gaps in the joins and again using solder to seal the joins will allow easy filing if any is needed.

Two small extensions on the box and lid are bent to form the hinges with 0.5mm wire (not included) used as the hinge pin. By bending the hinges around a suitably sized drill bit will allow you to form the right diameter curve without any problems also ensuring each segment to be bent the same making the hinges work perfectly.

The small grab handles on the lid and box side are provided with the handles and the small attachments as separate parts and you form these over the handles. I found it easier to form the attachment brackets to shape by bending over thin wire before adding to the boxes as this didn't apply any pressure to the boxes. This allows the handles to move easily after assembly to vary their position for a bit of animation.

The latch on the lip has two small parts with the separate clip fitting over the curved attachment on the box if showing the lid closed or left loose if the lid is open.

The assembled boxes are again excellent with very good fit of the joins and well defined detail with the working hinges making showing the boxes open or closed a breeze.

Ammo Box construction

Assembled Ammo Box


Instructions:
A single sided sheet has exploded view drawings of the assembly sequences which are easy to follow but as mentioned care is needed during assembly to get the best results.

Conclusion:
These magazines and ammo boxes from ABER are extremely well done with superb details but the assembly process will determine the end result especially with the magazines as small issues along the way will multiply in the fully assembled magazines.

The boxes again are superb with there being three different types of boxes I am aware of with these closely matching the details of the larger square box and both the boxes and magazines can be used with any of the available FlaK30 or 38 kits to add to the gun directly or used as diorama detailing.

These magazines and ammo boxes set the standard for the later sets to follow and those from Lion Roar and Voyager follow the same basic design and assembly principals as these from ABER.

Highly recommended 8/10

See a quick comparison of the 2cm magazines and ammon boxes from ABER, Griffon Model, Lion Roar and Voyager Model here.

Reference images of actual magazines and ammo box as in set

If you are the copyright owner of these images please contact me and I will add due credit, thanks
References:

German 20mm FlaK in WWII 1395-1945 By Werner Müller Schiffer Military History ISBN: 0-88740-758-7 Soft cover 47 pages

Tamiya Photo Album 4 Tamiya Plastic Model Co. Krupp Protze Flak30, Flak38

Thanks to ABER for the sample set.