Tamiya 35101 - 1:35 German Flakpanzer IV Mobelwagen w/ figures

Plastic model kit of the German Flakpanzer IV Möbelwagen in 1:35 scale

Growing Allied air superiority forced the Wehrmacht to field a vehicle able to protect armoured columns from air attack while moving with them. The answer was the Flakpanzer IV, nicknamed Möbelwagen - furniture van - after the rectangular box of folding armour plates that shielded the gun.

Tamiya 35101 comes from a 1977 mould and depicts the prototype version of the vehicle, armed with the quadruple 2 cm Flakvierling 38 - unlike the production machines, which carried a single 3.7 cm Flak 43. The four side plates can be fitted in three positions: raised, partly lowered and fully lowered, exposing the gun mount. Four figures are included.

What is in the box:

• Plastic parts for the hull, platform, gun and running gear
• Quadruple 2 cm Flakvierling 38 gun
• Side plates that can be fitted in three positions
• Vinyl band tracks
• Four figures
• Illustrated assembly instructions

Model specifications:

• Scale: 1:35
• Item number: 35101
• Manufacturer: Tamiya
• Length when built: approx. 169 mm
• Skill level: beginner

Please note: glue, paints and modelling tools are not included. This is a kit for self-assembly.

Building the model:

The build is accessible, and the most interesting decision is how to set the side plates - lowered, they reveal the gun and its crew and make for a lively display. It is worth painting the inside of the platform and the gun itself before the plates go on, as access is limited afterwards. The four Flakvierling barrels deserve care so that they sit parallel. The vinyl band tracks are joined with cyanoacrylate glue.

Dark yellow (e.g. Tamiya XF-60 Dark Yellow) is the usual base, over which patches of green and red brown can be applied. The crew figures are best painted separately before being placed on the platform. A wash will bring out the detail of the gun mount and the plates, and a matt varnish gives the right finish. The kit is a rewarding starting point for a diorama built around an anti-aircraft position.

Tools you will need:

• Modelling side cutters for removing parts from the sprues
• Hobby knife or scalpel
• Files and sanding paper for cleaning up gate marks
• Plastic cement (e.g. Tamiya Extra Thin Cement)
• Cyanoacrylate glue for the vinyl band tracks
• Precision modelling tweezers
• Brushes in various sizes, including fine ones for the figures
• Model paints (acrylic or enamel)
• Wash to bring out details and recesses
• Optional: pigments for dust and mud effects

About the vehicle - Flakpanzer IV Möbelwagen:

From 1943 German armoured columns increasingly fell victim to ground attack aircraft. Towed anti-aircraft guns could not keep pace with the tanks and could not open fire immediately, so the obvious solution was adopted: mounting the gun on a Panzer IV chassis.

The resulting Flakpanzer IV carried a platform shielded by four folding armour plates. In the travelling position the plates stood upright, protecting the crew; before firing they were lowered to give a clear field of fire. It was this boxy shape that earned the vehicle its Möbelwagen nickname.

The prototype was armed with the quadruple 2 cm Flakvierling 38, but production vehicles received a single 3.7 cm Flak 43 with greater range and hitting power. Möbelwagen vehicles accompanied panzer divisions on the Western and Eastern Fronts in the final months of the war.

Original vehicle specifications (Flakpanzer IV Möbelwagen - prototype version):

• Armament: quadruple 2 cm Flakvierling 38
• Chassis: Panzer IV medium tank
• Engine: Maybach HL 120 TRM petrol, approx. 300 hp
• Protection: four folding armour plates around the platform
• Role: anti-aircraft defence of armoured columns
• Note: production vehicles carried a single 3.7 cm Flak 43

About the manufacturer - Tamiya:

Tamiya Corporation is a Japanese model company founded in 1946 in Shizuoka, a city regarded as the heart of the Japanese model industry. It began as a timber business and released its first plastic model kit in 1960. Two years later came the 1:35 scale tank that established this scale as the worldwide standard for military modelling. The brand is known for precise injection moulds, well thought out kit engineering and excellent parts fit, which is why its kits are chosen by beginners and experienced modellers alike. The Military Miniature Series, to which this kit belongs, runs to hundreds of items covering vehicles, guns and figures from the Second World War and the modern era. Alongside kits, Tamiya offers a full range of modelling accessories: paints, glues, tools and brushes. The company is present in dozens of countries and remains one of the most recognisable names in the hobby.