German 88mm Gun Flak 36
"North African Campaign"
1:35 Scale - Kit No.35283
First Look Review by Terry Ashley
Tamiya first released their kit of the 88mm Gun Flak 36/37 (kit #35017) back
in 1972 and with the recent release of the current generation AFV
Club 88mm
Flak18 (kit #AF35088) and Dragon’s 88mm
Flak 36 (kit #6260) and Flak
37 (kit #6287) many may have thought this kit would quietly pass into modelling
history. But not so as Tamiya have re-released the kit as the German
88mm Gun Flak 36 “North African Campaign” with a few revised parts and a
new set of eight figures.
The “new” kit has sprue A and B from the original kit with new sprues Y (x2) with revised and new parts and sprue Z with 8 new figures but not included from the original kit are the transport bogies while the Zündapp KS750 Motorcycle is still there.
The parts this time around are moulded in light beige plastic with the older parts showing their age with a little more flash than one would expect on kits today while the new parts are cleanly moulded with very little in the way of flash or pin marks.
The cruciform outriggers can be assembled raised or lowered as before and included are new securing stakes which are nicely moulded in two parts with open holes in the stakes. There are alternate full stakes for when stowed on the outrigger sides and three quarter stakes for use when the gun is in firing order. Additional mounting brackets are included for when the stakes are in use for the outrigger sides.
The remainder of the cruciform base provides all the main structures and larger detail parts with scope to add the finer details yourself.
The gun has the main recoil assembly and upper recuperator in conventional two halves each along with new equilibrators that have alternate cylinders to use if the gun is elevated or at zero elevation and these are fixed in place depending on the attitude of the gun and are not movable.
The gun mountings again have all the basic details which for their age still scrub up fairly well and while the kit is labelled FlaK36 there is still included the FlaK37 square type data transmission “follow the pointer” indicators. The quadrant elevation pointer and lower half moon quadrant scale are fairly basic with no scale markings while the connecting rods and hand wheels are all there but are showing their age a little in the finer detail department.
The barrel itself is in the usual two halves with a separate breech block and central barrel collar but again this is quite basic in details and the whole barrel could be improved by using one of the aftermarket aluminium barrels such as that from Lionmarc which while designed for the Dragon 88 kit is very easy to fit and has nice details included muzzle rifling.
The large gun shield is quite thick with bevelled edges but has a few large pin marks on the inside and again you could do well to replace these with brass shields from the available update sets for the original Tamiya 88 or the newer sets for the Dragon FlaK36.
The Zündapp KS750 Motorcycle is again quite nice for its age but can of course be detailed up with a little extra work.
Most of the newer parts are for the accessories with four very nicely done wicker ammo boxes with all four sides separate to depict the weave very nicely with three ammo caps and the top flap that can be shown open in you wish although there isn’t any detail on the inside of the top flap.
There are several nicely done 88mm rounds and shell cases which are hollowed out for a nice appearance as well as a five part range finder that again is very nicely detailed. The gun commander’s tripod mounted binocular sight is in another five parts with fine moulding on the tripod legs and sight with a small jig included on the sprue to ensure the spread of the tripod legs is at the correct angle, a nice touch.
The figures:
There are eight new figures included in a variety of Afrika Korps uniforms
ranging from long sleeves and trousers to rolled up sleeves plus one in
short sleeves and trousers. They are in a variety of poses with a couple
of loaders, one wearing a heat glove with two gun operators plus the rangefinder.
I have to say that while the figures are new the uniform details are very basic by today’s standards especially compared to the latest Tristar and Dragon Gen2 figures in plastic. The tunic details are quite okay but some of the trousers and the fabric folds and seams are quite basic although the facial features are nicely done and will come up well with careful painting.
Decals:
The usual Tamiya decal sheet offers markings for three Africa 88s with a
range of typical markings seen in various period photos although no unit
of location information is given.
Sprue Images
Click on thumbnail for larger view
Close new window to return to review
Conclusion:
While the basic kit is over 30 years old the newer parts help to improve things
and the kit was a standout when first release and with some old fashioned modelling
skills will still build into a respectable model.
The deletion of the bogies limits the diorama possibilities and as mentioned you can use any of the available etched sets to dress up the kit.
Recommended.
References: |
WWII US War Department Easy 1 Productions #T001 This CD has 77 colour images a museum 88 plus 219 black and white images of the manual pages to provide plenty of details. |
 |
The German 88 Gun in Combat Schiffer Military History |
 |
88mm Flak 18/36/37/41 & Pak 43 1936-45 Osprey New Vanguard 46 ISBN 1 84176 341 1 |
 |
88mm FLAK 18/36/37 L/56 in Detail Soft cover, 50 pages illustrated with 118 color and b/w photographs |
 |
Dreaded Threat The 8.8cm Flak 18/36/37 In the Anti-Tank Role By Thomas L. Jentz Panzer Tracts |
 |
The 88 Flak Schiffer Military History |
 |
The
88mm Flak Schiffer Military History |
Kit courtesy of my Credit Card and the excellent service from Rainbow Ten.
Page created August 1, 2006