Roden Kit 725 Opel Bus Strassenzepp Essen

Roden Kit 725 Opel Blitzbus Strassenzepp Essen

About the bus This vehicle was quite an interesting choice for a model from Roden, and I could not go past it when I visited my local hobby store. For a 1930s vehicle this bus had very futuristic styling. The bus chassis is the same as the 3.6 Opel chassis used on conventional buses. The instructions advise the name was meant to conjure up the idea of a 'zeppelin for the autobahns'. Not many were made by the Ludewig Brothers workshops in Essen and the small construction run were used for inter city transport as well as for propaganda purposes at the 1936 Olympics and as crew transport for Luftwaffe units. There is one black and white period photo of one of these buses being used as a troop transport, not an unusual event in a wartime economy where most motorised transport was put to military use.

The kit. The box contains 7 sprues, the largest being common to Roden's other bus kits, however the other 6 sprues are specific to the Strassenzep bus. A set of instructions, decals, and a clear sheet of acetate for the window glass rounds out the contents.

The build. I assessed that the body was the most critical part of the build to get right, so assembled those pieces first. I noted light flash on all the body components which needed a careful scrape with a fresh exacto blade, and a light sanding in some places. All 5 major body panels were only a so-so fit. Some careful trimming and then some filler and sanding were required to get smooth joins and seams.

Below pic shows how the 'nose' of the bus assembles.

Below picture shows the unusual styling of the vehicle. Sanding & filler was needed along some joins

Side view of body. The chassis is the same as the conventional Opel bus, though new wheels are provided.

Update 02 September 2012. Test fit of the chassis and body

Below is a test fit of the body and chassis. The fit is quite good, though the chassis frame is a little short, so I have added some evergreen to the front. with the additional room, the kit instructions advise to leave out the fan and radiator, as appears not enough room, but they could probably be squeezed in if anyone is keen enough to try. I decided as they are not seen, these parts can go to the spares box. The dashboard and firewall also fit quite well. Still need to mount the mudguards and front bumper. The front wheels are movable as per Rodens blitz trucks, the front axle is the same.

Update 09 September 2012. I have now fitted the dashboard, front fenders and bumper bar. A problem with fitting the mudguards, is there are no pins of lugs of any description to aid with locating them precisely, as to angle and width. I studied the front, side, and top down views on the box to decide exactly where these should go. Some filler also needed as a slight gap exists along the joins. I really like the appearance of this vehicle - the front looks a bit like a VW Kafer to me.

Update 26 September 2012.  No updates for the last couple of weeks as I wasn't feeling very well. I have now fitted all the internal seats. I have checked some reference pictures of the real bus (from the link kindly provided by FBMinis under Comments section for this post). It can be seen there that the headlights were recessed, and the recess is lined, not open space under the hood. This kit has open holes and the headlights are to be mounted a few millimeters behind the openings. This should look OK, but I decided that lining the space would look better, pictures below.


First picture (below) shows how I aligned the mudguards with the body and the front bumper (as mentioned in last update there are no pins, marks or lines to assist with precisely loacting these at the correct width and angle.

Below picture shows that the headlight recess on the real vehicle is lined and painted a very dark colour (or is maybe just deep in shade). This bus is a slightly different variant with a few cosmetic changes, but this part of the bus looks the same on all the Strassenzeps.

 Below picture shows what I used for the lining, being a paint brush bristle sleeve, cut to the right angle and affixed with a little white wood working glue.

Below picture shows the recess linings painted dark grey to check for fit. Next job will be to mount the headlights.

Update 30 September 2012. Time to get some paint on the body shell. This has to be done before affixing to the chassis as the clear window acetate has to be fixed inside the window frames before affixing the body to the chassis.

The painting guide advises to use Model Master 1104 'Kandy Scarlett' for the deep red colour. This must be a popular colour, as my hobbyshop had none in the rack. The closest I could find was Humbrol Gloss Enamel 20, called 'Crimson'. First I applied a coat of Lifecolor UA 211 'Rotbraun' as an undercoat, then 2 coats of the 'Crimson'

The painting guide suggests 'Silver' for the sides, and 'Chrome Silver' for the line details. I have various shades of silver and all look exactly the same when test painted on a piece of white plastic card. In the end I did a base coat with Revell 91 'Metallic Steel'. This looked OK, but not as fine as I wished, so then gave another coat of Citadel acrylic 'Chainmail'. As all the shades of silver are very similar (and I know from eye tests that I have full colour perception), I painted the details with the same silver paint.

The interior. The seating arrangement is quite crazy looking, but plans and photos of the inside of these buses show it is about right. As the photos are black and white I used shades of brown that I hope are typical.

I still need to tidy the paint job, & affix the clear window acetate, & maybe put a driver and passengers on some seats before joining the body and chassis. I also need to put in the headlights. Then I need to affix  window wipers, rear view mirror, and decals, so this one is not over yet.

Update Tuesday 09 October. This bus has many windows, giving some views of the interior. I decided to fill it with people in civilian dress rather than in military clothing. The figures used were Preiser 72 scale Seated Workmen, and Atlas HO scale Pedestrian figures, many in this set are seated and includes females.

The window glazing was also added which is clear acetate sheet. The rear and side windows being flat were easy to affix. The roof windows and front windows were a little harder due to the window aperture being curved (on the roof windows) and slightly curved for the front windows. The rear vision mirror was also attached, as were the decals around the front windows. The decals to frame the bottom of the front windows are straight, but really need to be curved to properly fit the frame. I used Citadel Chainmail acrylic paint to touch up where the decals didn't quite fit properly as it matches the silver of the decals and is indistinguishable from the decal. The window wipers were the work of Ilian Filpov who makes excellently detailed etch pieces.  I still need to fit numberplates, the driving light, and headlights.

Update 14 October 2012. The bus is now completed. I gave it a very light spray on some lower surfaces of very diluted light brown enamel paint, to make the bus look like it had dirty water splashed on it. The intention was not to make the bus look like it was a 4 x 4 that had been on a military campaign, which is why its mostly clean, except for the splashes from puddles.

The bus will sit on an already completed diorama, pictures of the bus on this diorama are below.

MACO Kit 7208 Flakpanzer IV "Kugelblitz"

MACO kit 7208 Flakpanzer IV "Kugelblitz" (2 x 3cm M.K.103 Pz)

I was so interested in this kit, that as soon as I saw it was released, I ordered one, which took about 8 weeks to arrive at my home. I had some spare time on the day it arrived, so decided to start it immediately. This is one of those models that I thought would never be made in 72 scale, and I am pleased that the release of this kit proves me wrong

About the actual tank. This was a late war build, according to 'The Encyclopaedia of German Tanks of WW2' (by Chamberlain, Doyle, Jentz) and was  instigated by General Guderian who demanded better defence against fighter bombers. The 3cm Doppelflak 303 (Dual AA mount) was the same as was planned for U-Boat defence, but was not actually used. The book advises two Flakpanzer IV Kugelblitz were made, delivered in February 1945, and no known combat history for these. Other sources on the web advise that 5 were built and delivered December 1944, and at least one was destroyed in combat against american armour in April 1945.

The kit. This kit comes with 4 sprues, set of instructions and painting guide, and a set of decals. 3 of the sprues are Revell's Panzer IV, and one sprue is MACOs, containing the parts to make the Flakpanzer. The box is perhaps the strongest I've seen, which is a good thing, as though my box was a bit flattened from its trip across the world, no parts were damaged.

The Build. I have never built the Revell Panzer IV, so was pleasantly surprised that everything went together so well. I have not built any Revell kit for many years, so was not sure what to expect, though I had heard good things about their Panzer IV.

The Maco parts have been engineered to a very high degree, and fit in nicely with the Revell parts.

The Instructions - these are quite clear & include a page with a cloured painting guide,  but there is one thing to be aware of  - the diagrams show to attach the tracks in what is normally considered the wrong direction. Those familiar with Panzer IVs will pick this up straight away, however I followed the instructions and as a result the tracks are on in what is usually considered the reverse direction.

Though period photos exist of Panzer IVs with tracks attached in the reverse direction, the vast majority of Panzer IVs were photographed with their tracks on in the forward direction. Its up to the modeller to assemble it any way they wish, but be aware that the instructions direct the modeller to attach the tracks in reverse direction. Below are scans from the Maco and Revell instructions which illustrate the difference. Click the below to get a larger view;

Below are sprue shots, the MACO replacements being in pale yellow

Below is a close up of the MACO spue, all other parts are standard Revell

Chassis and road wheels constructed with no problems, no flash or cast lines to remove

Perhaps the hardest part of the construction, removing the track pieces and affixing them. I glue the individual links to make runs of 7-8 lengths BEFORE attempting to affix them, and let them semi dry before bending them around the front sprocket or rear idler for a neat and clean result. I don't recommend anyone try gluing the links around the sprocket one at a time.

Tracks affixed. I use Humbrol Precision Poly to attach the lengths to each other, and liquid CA glue, applied with a small brush, to actually stick the tracks to the sprockets and wheels. The CA glue will not melt polystyrene and is so thin that when it dries it is invisible.

Another view of the tracks. I endeavoured to put a slight sag along the top of the tracks. If Revell made the top row of track longer, it would be easy to bend in some sags, as it is, not enough track to get more than a slight sag.

Front view , glues on display used to affix the track links and lengths to each other, and to the wheels

Rear view of completed chassis and hull, test fit in progress & exhaust not fitted yet

Front view of completed chassis and hull, these have not been joined yet

Main parts of the turret, cleaned and ready to construct

Update 30 August 2012.  Below is the 'ball turret' assembled, minus its hatches.


 I have not decided whether to leave the hatches open or not. As there is no interior detail I may just leave the top hatch open, and put a figure in it. There is a line where the two halves of the ball turret join that needs a very light sanding. This line would not be seen when gun is in the travel position, but if guns are elevated the line becomes visible.

Another view of the ball turret, before guns were attached.

Turret in place and elevated. I damaged one of the lifting hooks when cutting another piece from the sprue, so used same diameter wire to make the rear hook, and attached with liquid CA glue. The hooks don't need replacing, they are nicely cast, if I hadn't damaged the hook I would have used the kit supplied one. Last job to do is attach hatches and exhaust system, then undercoat the model. Still unsure what kind of paint scheme to do.

Update 02 September 2012. In the below picture the hatches have all been added, (just one left open), as well as the barrel travel lock & the exhaust unit. I was thinking of adding late 'J' style exhausts, but this vehicle has 4 return rollers, and the 'J' model seems to have been made with 3, so thought it best to stick with this being a 'H' model.

Below are the two parts, complete and waiting for a base coat. Only parts still to add are spare road wheels and track links.

I still haven't decided what paint scheme to go with. So far have sprayed the vehicle matt black all over , then a light overspray with Revell Semi Matt Yellow 314, which produces a light and dark effect. The top is still not secured to the chassis, pending further painting. I may yet do a yellow/red/green scheme

Update 09 September 2012. Today I got the basic paint job on the flakpanzer. There are no know photos of this tank in existence, so how they were painted is anybody's guess. I went for a scheme that I hope looks late war, it still needs a little tidying up, washes, detailing, etc. The Yellow is Revell Semi Matt 314, the Green is Revell Matt 68, the Red is Humbrol Matt 113.

Update 16 September 2012. I quite liked the soft edged sprayed camouflage on the 09 September update, but decided a more geometric and a more sharply defined pattern might be more 'late war' looking. As no photos exist its pure speculation how these were painted, but below are two in progress pictures of how the paint job looks at present, still more work to do.

Update 06 October 2012. As this was a very late war vehicle, which operated within the limited confines of the Reich in the last days of the war, , there was no intention to heavily weather, chip, of muddy up this vehicle. Light grime only was the objective. The road wheel hubs were given a very light wash of Citadel Badab black, to highlight some detail, and the rubber on the roadwheels was painted Lifecolor Panzergray, as light dust sticks very well to rubber and lightens its colour. The vehicle was given a light overall spray of very thinned Model Master Italian Sand (ratio of about 1 part paint to 7 parts thinner) as diluted this colour looks quite like light brown grime to me. The barrels were painted Citadel Chainmail, the brushed with Badab Black. All edges of the tank were highlighted with a fine line of Lifecolor Gelbraun to highlight the edge. Pictures below

Figures on the tank are Caesar and Orion. I should also add the spare track lengths to the front, the rear lifting hook on the turret and the spare track links. Last photo is poor quality as the camera batteries were too flat to fire a flash, I will add a better photo or two in coming days.



TO BE CONTINUED