1/35 Das Werk 3cm Flakvierling 103/38

It was too hot in Serbia this summer, rarely one day was under 35c in shade, real hell on earth. My compressor couldn't normally operate, paints were drying on the needle of the airbrush... So it was very difficult to make some fun, even in scale modelling 🙂

I decided to make some very fast and easy project, so I took from shelf Das Werk's 1/35 3cm Flakvierling 103/38.

we all know almost everything about this new company. So I'll be brief. I have some other models from Das Werk (Faun, German Jack Stands...) and I know what I can expect. in fact I was trying to make peace with ridiculously complicate MiniArt's Kfz.70 & 7,62 cm F.K. 39 (r). Believe my word, MiniArt is beutiful in details but insanely overenginered. As a break from that model (pictures and many comments about build of Kfz.70 & 7,62 cm F.K. 39 (r) soon here on Imodeler) I decided to do this really easy model. Easy because it is very fast to be build. Beutiful details, not to complicated... whole built took few hours... But, I tried to make some modification on the muzzle brakes and I destroyed them, so I get those four muzzle brakes made from resin. They are a little bit smaller from original plastic ones, but during the search about Autokannone I found that they are in fact smaller than those in box. This is gun which was used few times during tests, and maybe some times in real combat. It had many problems, the body was constructed for 2cm Flak, but this is 3cm Flak and guns made a hell of a recoil, and that recoil made the crew almost imsibble to be accurate during shooting. My father, who was commanding officer in anti air unit (he was operating Strela 2M) said that this gun, enginered like this Flakvierling is almost imbossible to be operated on sucha a small base carriege.

The build is very straight forward. I must admit that Das Werk has maybe te best instructuions and design for booklet on all market. Many references, straight build...

plastic is maybe a little bit soft and it has something like rubber feeling under hands, it is sanding in very interesting yellow dust. This was my revelation for the first time because I had a little bit of surprise, during gluing and cementing plastic is turning into some yellowish substance. Very odd if You ask me...

I decided to have some fun with decals because this was only btest Flak and imagination can be unleashed. I marked this particular gun with many infantry, air and armor kills, I made some standard german camo... It would be nice to make this winter camo, but this gun never saw real combat and action, so it would be inacurate to make it like it was used in winter.

Very easy and fun model to be built, I can only reccomend it. But be aware of yellowish substance after cementig, the yellow dust can be odd, and be careful with muzzle brakes, better leave them intact OOB, I ruined them with drilling. In fact, this is the only one mistake in isntructions. Instructions suggest to drill holes in muzzle brakes with 1mm drill, but You CAN'T do it with so much big drill, ecellent hoice would be 0.7 mm... I took 1mm and it destroyed barrel. Also, barrels are from very soft plastic and don't mess with them until You are 110% sure what are You doing...

So, I would rate this model 10 out 10. I was delighted when I saw only plastic kit, i hate doing PE parts (again, MiniArt from whom I took the brake with this model has 3 frets of PEs with insanely small parts, real, real NIGHTMARE). Das Werk didn't include any Pe's, and they even make a model more great because they made this model to be built, if You follow instructons, in fully functional guns! You can elevate them and rotate always synchronized with gun site! It would be good detail if gunsight had some clear parts, but I menaged to make it clear and transparent with Micro Kristal Klear.

Special thanks goes for Das Werk team and ModelBau Koenig for providing spare parts 🙂

I hope that You will enjoy seeing those pics, please be free to comment 🙂

Happy modelling and cheers!

8 additional images. Click to enlarge.