Posted By politisktinkorrektpappa on Nov 16, 2017 | 2 comments

Yes, I’ve gone and done it. I’ve bought the Hobby Boss Dora #82911 1/72 railway gun and it’s going to be built as the Schwerer Gustav.

I’ve been looking at this model, and the 1/35 scale version, since the beginning of the summer almost every day. The 1/35 scale version is just too big, and possibly also too expensive, to build and put somewhere, but in 1/72 scale it’s a whole different thing. It’s still massive in size and require a lot of space, but it’s manageable and should be the centre of a nice railway diorama!

I can add some more tracks and an armoured train with cars, and let’s not forget the support vehicles and all the engineers and troops running the show. It’s the type of project that’ll take a very long time to build, and let’s not even begin thinking how long it’ll time to paint and weather… But as it’s soon Christmas this is my gift to me! 😀

First I’m going to finish the Entwicklungsfahrzeug Sammlung, and perhaps a few other kits I’ve got on the table of shame, but this is a project I’m really looking forward to build.

Since I’m some kind of collector of the most bonkers German kits out there this Schwerer Gustav fits right in!

It’s going to require a lot of paint and the biggest diorama base I’ve done to date.

I expect to start this project in spring. “Expect” that is… I doubt I’ll see it until January anyway since it’s going to take more than a few weeks to arrive from China, but damn I’m keen to get started so watch this space! 😉

Facts

Specifications:

Weight 1,350 tonnes
Length 47.3 metres
Barrel length 32.5 metres
Width 7.1 metres
Height 11.6 metres

Crew:

250 to assemble the gun in 3 days (54 hours)
2,500 to lay track and dig embankments
2 Flak battalions to protect the gun from air attack
Caliber 800 millimetres
Elevation Max of 48°
Rate of fire 1 round every 30 to 45 minutes or typically 14 rounds a day
Muzzle velocity 820 m/s (HE) 720 m/s (AP)
Effective range about 39,000 metres
Maximum range 48,000 metres (HE) 38,000 metres (AP)

The kits

So far the lineup/stash consists of:

Schwerer Gustav:

• HobbyBoss 82911 – German 80cm K(E) Railway Gun “Dora”
• German Railway Track Set 82902 x 2
• German Railway Curved Track 82910 x 2
• German WR360 C12 Locomotive (to move the Schwerer Gustav)

I. Flakkorps:

• MACO 7214 – WWII German Flakpanzer III “Wirbelwind” (2 cm Flak-Vierling 38)
• MACO 7213 – WWII German Sd.Kfz.7/2 3.7cm Flak 43 Self-Propelled AA Gun
• Model Collect UA72094 – German 128mm Flak40 Heavy Anti-Aircraft Gun

Figures

• Zvezda???
• Caesar Miniatures???

Other

• HobbyBoss 82922 – German Panzerlok BR57 Armoured Locomotive I’ve put the second track & train on hold due to size of diorama getting too big… 😉

If you as a manufacturer, distributor, store or agent would like me to review any of your products, please contact me for details!