Build Log of Hobby Boss “Dora” railway gun in 1/72 scale
PART 3
By: Richard Geraci
Now comes the fun part. The two carriage sides are connected by scissors type structures to allow them to move independently because the two runs of track are not always exactly parallel and level with one another. It also compensates for the different track centerline radii when going thru a curve. The kit parts are handed and have movable joints so be careful gluing and look closely at the instructions (fig 39) [1195]. There are also two box structures with lifting eyes. These sub-assemblies will be painted separately and have decals added before gluing them to the carriages. Here are the scissors and boxes. (fig 40) [1215]. Dry fit all these pieces to the carriages now as the holes are tight and may need some adjusting to make fitting easier.
Glue the box structures and scissors to the left carriage and double check that all misc parts and railings have been installed on the insides of both carriages. Be sure you have pre-painted and touched up everything inside (fig 41,42). Now attach the right carriage (fig 43) and set this assembly aside for awhile.
Next comes the upper and lower gas tubes (fig 44,45) [1300]. They are pretty simple. The breech contains 12 metal weights to balance the gun barrel later. You will need to shim the weights with a bit of tape and some CA glue to keep them from moving around as the fit is a little loose. Here are the finished gas tubes and breech assemblies (fig 46).
The barbette. gun barrel sections, breech, and gas tube assemblies all come together now (fig 47). You may want to paint the gas tubes separately before attaching to the barbette. Here are the assembled parts dry-fitted before painting (fig 48). I will leave the barrel, barbette, and breech block separate as shown until the very final assembly. The block fits loosely so it can be removed and the barrel is so long that it will hinder other assembly if it is glued to the barbette now. Here it is after painting (fig 49). The barrel itself was painted gray then masked to apply chrome spray paint to the sliding parts. More on this later when we attach the barrel.
Let's stop and think about how to proceed here. The right and left gun mount assemblies have a lot of small boxes, supports, piping, and small detail parts that can make painting complicated, if not impossible, if you follow the instruction steps. You need to study the rest of the instructions and decide how you are going to paint everything and when you need to actually glue parts together. These mounts sit on top of the carriages and must be installed before a bunch of other walkways, supports, platforms and railings are attached. However, there are some pieces that are more easily attached and painted now rather than later. Right or wrong, this is how I am going about it.
First though, some errors in the instructions. In Step 24 the large lifting hooks are reversed. Parts D3/D4 are the rear set and D11/D12 are the front set. Also, the hand wheel is part H45, not E15 on both sides. I opted to install the gun trunnions H33/H4 now rather than later as the barbette sleeves fit them easily and the H4 cover will shield it from paint. The H19 front platform supports will need to have their corresponding hole in the gun mount body enlarged slightly and trimmed so the support sits level. And speaking of trimming, the gun mount halves do not fit together very well and require a good amount of sanding, trimming, and filling. Most of the seams won't be seen but parts won't sit flat if the edges are not even.
Glue the box structures and scissors to the left carriage and double check that all misc parts and railings have been installed on the insides of both carriages. Be sure you have pre-painted and touched up everything inside (fig 41,42). Now attach the right carriage (fig 43) and set this assembly aside for awhile.
Next comes the upper and lower gas tubes (fig 44,45) [1300]. They are pretty simple. The breech contains 12 metal weights to balance the gun barrel later. You will need to shim the weights with a bit of tape and some CA glue to keep them from moving around as the fit is a little loose. Here are the finished gas tubes and breech assemblies (fig 46).
The barbette. gun barrel sections, breech, and gas tube assemblies all come together now (fig 47). You may want to paint the gas tubes separately before attaching to the barbette. Here are the assembled parts dry-fitted before painting (fig 48). I will leave the barrel, barbette, and breech block separate as shown until the very final assembly. The block fits loosely so it can be removed and the barrel is so long that it will hinder other assembly if it is glued to the barbette now. Here it is after painting (fig 49). The barrel itself was painted gray then masked to apply chrome spray paint to the sliding parts. More on this later when we attach the barrel.
Let's stop and think about how to proceed here. The right and left gun mount assemblies have a lot of small boxes, supports, piping, and small detail parts that can make painting complicated, if not impossible, if you follow the instruction steps. You need to study the rest of the instructions and decide how you are going to paint everything and when you need to actually glue parts together. These mounts sit on top of the carriages and must be installed before a bunch of other walkways, supports, platforms and railings are attached. However, there are some pieces that are more easily attached and painted now rather than later. Right or wrong, this is how I am going about it.
First though, some errors in the instructions. In Step 24 the large lifting hooks are reversed. Parts D3/D4 are the rear set and D11/D12 are the front set. Also, the hand wheel is part H45, not E15 on both sides. I opted to install the gun trunnions H33/H4 now rather than later as the barbette sleeves fit them easily and the H4 cover will shield it from paint. The H19 front platform supports will need to have their corresponding hole in the gun mount body enlarged slightly and trimmed so the support sits level. And speaking of trimming, the gun mount halves do not fit together very well and require a good amount of sanding, trimming, and filling. Most of the seams won't be seen but parts won't sit flat if the edges are not even.
