Scale Drawings for German WWII 88mm Flak Cannon

[BigBoy1]

I would like to build a scale model of the infamous WWII 88mm Flak cannon artillery piece. Before I embark on the effort to make scale drawings myself, I thought I would ask to see if someone would know of existing scale drawings. I tired a Google Search and found many plastic model kits and books on the 88mm cannon but no scale drawings. I'm sure it has been done before but finding them is another story. Thanks.

[SteveF]

Try contacting the Army Ordnance Museum in Aberdeen. If you can't get all the dimensions online you could visit and measure the one they have on display.

Steve.

[loose nut]

Lots of luck.

I'm building a 1/6 scale WW1 18PDR artillery piece and getting any info is difficult task.

If you can get your hands on the real deal to take measurements then you can get a lot but the "hidden" parts are a no-go, most museums won't let you take there exhibits apart and many won't even let you take dimensions and make drawings or even take pictures. Just trying to get an answer on whether they have a piece in there collection can be an adventure with some museums, they aren't always very helpful.

I got lucky and found a book that had a lot of line drawings and general dimensional info about my project and a couple of years ago I ran into a guy who had one restored in a private collect so I was able to take a lot of pictures, which helps a lot.

At best you need to do a lot of guesstimating on sizes and bits that you can't see, there must be a book out there with info and drawings in it, the 88 is one of the more famous artillery pieces and receives more interest then most.

I always wondered how the companies that make the plastic model kits find out this kind of stuff because a lot of these kits are very detailed and appear accurate.

[Benta]

Big Boy, hope this helps:
http://www.ship-model-today.de/schiffsdetails.htm

Plan number sd125, 88 mm twin AA

The plans from Jürgen Eichardt are of excellent quality and worth every penny.

Benta.

[gmatov]

A good pic of such as a 105 MM Howitzer should give you a scale. The hole is 105 MM

Every other part would be scaled to that. Muzzle might be 200, 250 MM.

Seems to me that any other device can be reverse engineered if you have one dimension of it, and a schematic of the innards of it. I mean mechanicaly, as would be here, but they have taken hi-tech electronics and done the same.

Niothin's a secret.

Cheers,

George

[Cobbler]

If you can get your hands on the real deal to take measurements then you can get a lot but the "hidden" parts are a no-go, most museums won't let you take there exhibits apart and many won't even let you take dimensions and make drawings or even take pictures. Just trying to get an answer on whether they have a piece in there collection can be an adventure with some museums, they aren't always very helpful.

Am I wrong or is the core purpose of a museum to preserve these pieces in an effort to educate current and future generations? OK... I can understand not letting just anyone "behind the ropes" with a tool set to take things apart but banning photos, simple measurements, etc... ??? That's just contrary to their own purpose in life.

Best of luck with your project.

[MuellerNick]

The Eichardt link should help you. I have a few books from him. He is a nitpicker, focused on every detail and is building models for museums.

This is a book store that could help you too. They do have plans of guns etc. and worldwide connections. They ship everywhere.
http://www.christian-schmidt-fachbuchhandlung.de/
They do speak english, mail them.


HTH,
Nick

[BigBoy1]

The information provided so far is helpful. Some of the responses have started me thinking. Maybe getting a plastic model would be the way to obtain the outside dimensions and then start a search for books/sites on the internal workings of the cannon. The task would be to "marry" the two together so a moving/functioning scale model would result.

[JCHannum]

This site offers information packets on artillery and other militaria. I have not purshased anything from them, but have seen some of the drawings from other sources. Many have very detailed cuts of the internals, some are dimensioned. Those not dimensioned are usually good enough to interpolate dimensions from. I do not see the 88 flak cannon, but there are a quite a few other very interesting sets available from them.

http://www.military-info.com/research/r1.htm

[loose nut]

Am I wrong or is the core purpose of a museum to preserve these pieces in an effort to educate current and future generations? OK... I can understand not letting just anyone "behind the ropes" with a tool set to take things apart but banning photos, simple measurements, etc... ??? That's just contrary to their own purpose in life.

Best of luck with your project.

Unfortunately that is the reality of it, not all museums/archives are like that but many that I have tried to deal with won't show you the time of day unless they think you are a serious (by there definition) researcher. They are living within budget restraints just like the rest of us and they won't use any of their resources on the little guy trying to research a project, we just aren't important enough. It's all about making money, serious education and research is gone.

When you add to that the fact that most people who work in these institutions are not all that knowledgeable about what is in there exhibits/files it makes it even worse. For most it is a job with some interest in history but most don't have any passion for it.

The sad fact is that anymore the main reason for museums and similar institutes to exist is just to make money to keep on existing, dissemination of knowledge doesn't seem to matter, hence the "dumbing" down of exhibits that has happened over the last couple of decades.

As an example, The Henry Ford Museum, once one of the greatest museums on the planet, now reduced to less then mediocrity. Most of the exhibits of the past are gone, sold off I have been told, and the current biggest subject on display is a history of chocolate with a big store at the end where, wait for it, you can buy chocolate.

The only thing that matters now is money, serious educating and research is a thing of the past and the sad fact is that most people don't even care, they haven't even been into a museum since they left school.