DKM 37mm Flak Cannon on M42 Mount 1:5 Scale

[abufletcher]

A friend is planning to build a 1/5 scale Schnellboot S200 (22 feet)...and he needs someone to build the deck guns (i.e. cannons).  A month or so ago, I volunteered to make a 1/3.3 scale Russian ShKas machine gun for a Polikarpov Po2 biplane model he's building.  He was so pleased with it, that he asked me to build the guns for his S200.  He may have found a source for 3D printed 20mm cannons at 1/5 scale, so my task (thankfully) has been "reduced" to the one 37mm cannon. The cannon itself shouldn't be too much work.  But, man, that mount will be a serious scale mountain to climb!

 

I've started to collect information, photos, etc. and enlarged some sketches to 1/5 scale to get my mind around the project.  With these limited resources in hand, I can start brainstorming about how to divide the build and what materials might be used.  I'm strictly a "low tech" builder.  No CAD, no CNC, no 3D printing (though I have just recently started playing around with Fusion 360).  Just my hands and some pretty ordinary workshop tools.  My modeling interests thus far have been restricted to WWI RC aircraft and I've never built a ship model.  But then this isn't a boat either...just another "machine" which I've done before, like the dummy Benz BzIII engine (over 300 hand-made parts) for my 1/6 scale Albatros CI. 

[turangi]

Beautiful work on the gun and particularly the engine! The engine deserves a build log, I would be interested to see how it was created.

[abufletcher]

18 hours ago, turangi said:

Beautiful work on the gun and particularly the engine! The engine deserves a build log, I would be interested to see how it was created.

The build of the engine is part of a very long running build (over 400 pages) on RCSB (Radio Control Scale Builder) of a 1:6 scale Albatros CI.  It started with constructing a master cylinder, then making a 2-part silicone mold in order to resin cast six of them.  After that it was just "hanging on all the decorations." 

 

Edited November 18, 2019 by abufletcher

[turangi]

Thank you! Terrific and painstaking work.

[abufletcher]

Thanks.  Every project I do gives me a bit more confidence that I can tackle the next project, which initially always seems like something impossible.  When I was initially approached about doing the 37mm deck gun that seemed impossible.  It's so large (the cannon itself is over 24") and the mount has so many highly detailed components.  For about two weeks now I've been collecting information and mentally trying to translate drawings and photos into an image of the actual object, as well as how to break the build into stages.  It's frustrating when you realize that even what appears to be an outstanding drawing inevitably misses or hides almost as much information as it contains.

 

So many unanswered questions!

 

 

[mtaylor]

Too bad you can't find a maintenance manual for one of the those.  It would have exploded views and probably more info than you would want.

[abufletcher]

That would be perfect.  I'll pursue that lead.  (I read German at quite a high level.). The other thing I'm looking for is a spur gear with a 5" pitch diameter.

[Ian B]

very much looking forward to seeing 'how' you go about this...:)

[abufletcher]

I found what appears to be the title of the German manual for this cannon and mount ("Vorläufige Beschreibung der 3,7 cm Flak M 42, Band I" = "Provisional Description of the 3,7cm Flak M 42, Volume 1") on a German-language forum about the Wehrmacht, but haven't yet located the manual itself.

 

Ian, you and me both! 🤔

Edited November 20, 2019 by abufletcher

[abufletcher]

Thanks to the German-language "Wehrmacht" forum, I was given the link to a man, Jürgen Eichardt, who sells a set of drawings of the 3,7cm Flak M42, as well as other ship-related drawings.  In fact, he's the guy who drew the excellent side view that I posted above (offered as a sample on his website).  The drawings themselves are a very reasonable 15 Euros, total including shipping to Japan will be 18,70 Euros.  But he only accepts bank transfers, which will probably cost me another 50 Euros.  So that good news and bad news.

 

http://www.ship-model-today.de/schiffsdetails.htm

 

And just for fun, I thought you might like to see how my scratch-built ShKas machine gun shown unfinished above turned out.

Edited November 21, 2019 by abufletcher

[popeye the sailor]

looks really good!   

[ccoyle]

2 hours ago, popeye the sailor said:

looks really good! 

Popeye, you are a master of understatement! 😉

[abufletcher]

Jürgen says he can do the enlargements to 1:5 scale (cost goes up to 38,70 Euros which is still reasonable) which is great news, so I just need to arrange the bank transfer.

[mtaylor]

Beautiful work on the ShKas.  

[Baker]

Beautiful work

 

Also an interesting site about all units and material of the German Whermacht, the Lufwaffe and the Kriegsmarine

(In german)

http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/inhaltsverzeichnis1.htm

 

37mm ammo

http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Downloads/Downloads.htm

 

 

For the moment I haven't found anything useful about the cannon itself

Edited November 22, 2019 by Backer