hallo all
i am confused on which traioler was used to tranport thr 88-mm flak 37 was it the
SD/AH 201 or the SD/AH 202 ?
what is the difference between the two?
In which direction was the flak 37 transported ?
1-barrel pointing at tractor
2-barrel pointing away opposite the tractor
thanks for helping me!
regards
stefano

getting the book "The Eighty-Eight"', by David Doyle, through Ampersand Publishing.

On page 60 it says:

"The Sd.Ah.202 limber permitted the weapon to be towed with the muzzle to the rear. The earlier Flak 18 had to be towed muzzle forward."

I haven't found it, but I believe the 201 has to be towed gun forward.

Hope this helps.

Willie

hallo willy
thanks for your replay
i have tamiya kit 1/35 german 88-mm flak 36/37
the trailer use in the kit is the
SD/AH 202?
if it is doest it meat the instructions are wrong?
thanks for helping me!
regards
stefano

To be fair to Tamiya, a lot more info on the 88 is known now than 30 years ago when their kit came out, and model kits are much more accurate and thorough too. While not a dinosaur, Tamiya's 88 has many errors in the instructions and the plastic to some extent. Their description and definition of what makes the 36 and 37 gun are just wrong. Much of the detail on the kit is simplified of a mish-mash of types. The kit purports to build two types of gun.

You can make a nice generic 88 from the Tamiya kit without much fuss.

For an accurate gun and trailer combo, Dragon's newer FlaK 36, 37 and AFV Club's FlaK 18 are excellent.

I think there is an 88 tech manual book available?

hallo david
thanks again for your expert advice
I take your suggestion about a generic tamiya 88-flak i have chosen flak 37 one more question is
How i display it ?
barrel towards tractor?
or barrell away from tractor?
thanks again for your help!
regards
stefano

At least in this pic of an SdKfz 7 and FlaK 18 in Africa.

The 8.8cm Flak 37 could be transported with the barrel facing either forward or to the rear. I've seen both ways in wartime photos.

Roy Chow
AMPS 1st Vice President
http://www.amps-armor.org

hallo chris and roy
thanks very much for your help
do you think that the tamiya flak 37 item n.35017
is totally inaccurate kit?
if yes which parts disappoints you most?
thanks!
ciao stefano

Being pretty old. Its one of their older models still available, dating back to the early 1970s. The standard of molding back then was not the same as it is today.

The 88 was complex and by early 70s standards, Tamiya did an excellent job. Plus there were much fewer references available both for Tamiya to model from, and from modellers to look at to build the kit.

Tamiya tried to make two rather distinct guns, the FlaK 36 and the FlaK 37 from one kit. This means there are many compromises. The kit is sort of a hodge podge of details. Much detail is simplified, like the little chains just "drawn" on the sides of the gun cradle.

The kit barrels do not fit well and take a lot of puttying and sanding to get half way smooth. The toy-like hinges for the braces on the gun shield leave holes on the outside of the shield. The kit's vinyl tires are simplistic and don't fit well on the wheels, etc. It is just how kits were back 30 years ago... If you compare the old Tamiya kit to the new(er) Dragon kits or the AFV Club kit its like night and day.

I have a built but not painted Tamiya kit that I have not finished... I can take some photos of it.

hallo david
thanks again for the expert informations and the valid pints you made.
This type of guidance is very important for me because i am not an experienced modeler so i have to rely on some kind of objective and constructive criticism.
I agree with you that at the moment the very high quality of DRAGON is undisputable as the really producing top accurate models .
I like to ask you what is your general opinion of tamiya quality today? if kits are not improved in 30 years can they expect to be competitive in the model market?
thank you regards!
ciao stefano

Most companies that have been around a while now have a large inventory of kits. Models made in the 70s (Tamiya) or 80s (Dragon) are not as good as the kits they make today, generally.

Tamiya's 88 was state of the art 30 years ago... and it is still "okay" today, until you compare it to kits researched, designed and molded in the 21st Century.

New Tamiya kits are generally excellent. Anything from the mid 90s onward is a good, safe bet. Now their kits are often somewhat simple, but what you get is a good, sound, model that builds well, has accurate instructions, reasonable painting guide, decals etc. Their Leopard 2A5/6, Char B1 Bis... those are some of the best model tank kits ever made...

Dragon offers a lot of detail and fancy things like photo-etch, metal barrels, etc. However their instructions are almost always contradictory with parts missing, shown backwards, mis-numbered, etc. Also they do make more fundamental errors than Tamiya... lots of detail and small parts... but then they will make a chassis too big, include the wrong kind of wheel, make a body too narrow, etc. And they have some awful kits still on the market (or leased out to other companies). Their old Modern Soviet stuff (T-72, T-80, BMP) are pretty poor.

Sometimes you almost have to go kit by kit to see which are best. Often there are not a lot of choices... if you want a kit of X maybe only Italeri makes it... or only Tamiya... so it is that or nothing...

hallo david
yes some times there is not much choises about specific kis
thanks for your replay
ciao stefano