A box arrived from China today. Looks like I have a new project on my hands!
No, this isn't what I got, but maybe someday mine will look similar, I hope! The Kugelblitz (ball lightning) is a late war effort to defend against the overwhelming allied air assault. Only a few were ever built, and only two were found during combat. It mounted two 30mm anti-aircraft cannons.
What I got was this:
A seller in eBay offers build-ups of 3DP tanks and modules. He's in Toronto, but has the objects printed in China (of course). I've seen this product's files on Cults3D. I took a blind leap and went for it. All or parts of products can be assembled. In the case of the Kugelblitz, one can get just the turret up to a complete tank. In my case, I have a Heng Long Panzer IV chassis so I wanted the top hull with the turret assembled and mounted. This took some email back and forth to clarify my choice. From first contact to delivery took 20 days. No complaints!
I selected a yellow Heng Long hull. The seller enlarged the turret hole since the turret is larger than the original. A custom ring gear was fitted, which involved removing some interior sections. A turret motor was hot glued in place to run the new gear. The ball elevation is accomplished by a small geared motor. Yellow LED lights are installed in the gun barrels. Four turret hatches have metal hinges.
One never knows what quality the print will be, so I had my fingers crossed. Although there is some texturing, it is quite minor and will be readily sanded. I anticipate this being a fun project. Now, this NOT a fine scale replica. The originals had the front hatch area altered, with hull hatches relocated for one. But, since the originals were basically prototypes, who's to say following versions weren't like this?
By the way, the seller states the file author receives a commission for any print that's sold. I have no way to verify this, but the fact he even mentions it is encouraging.
No, this isn't what I got, but maybe someday mine will look similar, I hope! The Kugelblitz (ball lightning) is a late war effort to defend against the overwhelming allied air assault. Only a few were ever built, and only two were found during combat. It mounted two 30mm anti-aircraft cannons.
What I got was this:
A seller in eBay offers build-ups of 3DP tanks and modules. He's in Toronto, but has the objects printed in China (of course). I've seen this product's files on Cults3D. I took a blind leap and went for it. All or parts of products can be assembled. In the case of the Kugelblitz, one can get just the turret up to a complete tank. In my case, I have a Heng Long Panzer IV chassis so I wanted the top hull with the turret assembled and mounted. This took some email back and forth to clarify my choice. From first contact to delivery took 20 days. No complaints!
I selected a yellow Heng Long hull. The seller enlarged the turret hole since the turret is larger than the original. A custom ring gear was fitted, which involved removing some interior sections. A turret motor was hot glued in place to run the new gear. The ball elevation is accomplished by a small geared motor. Yellow LED lights are installed in the gun barrels. Four turret hatches have metal hinges.
One never knows what quality the print will be, so I had my fingers crossed. Although there is some texturing, it is quite minor and will be readily sanded. I anticipate this being a fun project. Now, this NOT a fine scale replica. The originals had the front hatch area altered, with hull hatches relocated for one. But, since the originals were basically prototypes, who's to say following versions weren't like this?
By the way, the seller states the file author receives a commission for any print that's sold. I have no way to verify this, but the fact he even mentions it is encouraging.
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