Sibo’s Auto Build1

The 2^nd of January and I’m already typing up progress on my group build. I do love the beginning of a new project when imaginations are fired and the initial hunt for info starts but the setbacks of badly fitting parts and lots of sanding have yet to be a pain. If only I finished as many models as I started!

Continued research has led to 2 things. The marking up of some photos so I can keep a check on the required changes I will be carrying out and pin down exactly what my finished model will look like as there are variations featured amongst the different vehicle pictures I have seen.

The second thing is a disclaimer. Cars built in the 30’s and 40’s and even up to the 60’s were hand built and often returned to be reworked or altered. The Mercedes 540K as a range of vehicle was tweaked many times and individual cars also modified. Other Mercedes cars of the time were used by Axis dignitaries and also were modified and at times take on features that are similar to different cars from the same family. As an example the Mercedes 770 looks very different to the 540 and was used by many including Hitler himself, but some 770s were to become Series II W150 which the cabriolet version’s front end looks very much like the 540K. I have tried to ensure all my references are only 540s but even then differences are more than cosmetic as some were lengthened to allow for extra seats, some had major engine changes to improve performance as an owner’s whim rather than to support the war effort. The biggest war modification was to fit armour plating as partisan activity increased in many controlled countries.

Therefore my disclaimer is – do your own research if you want to be 100% sure on any particular Merc’ you might want to build. I am however confident that I’m pretty much on target.

The Italeri kit (number (3) 701) comes on 7 sprues, one of which is clear and one chromed. Surprisingly the tyres are also styrene; most Italeri 1/24 kits I’ve built so far have vinyl tyres supplied. Options are only top up or top down with the side windows also able to be up or down.

The kit would be built pretty much out of the box with the following changes to match the notes I’ve made on the photographs.

Need to add this, not sure at present what this is. It looks like the spotlight at item 2 but I’ll need to have a look around to get more info.
Additional mounted spotlight
Pennant mounts.
Front NOTEK light
ID board and relocated Military style horns.
Jerry can holder and rear NOTEK convoy light.

NOTEK is an abbreviation for NOva-TEchniK GmbH who developed the German convoy light.
The front light is shrouded from above to prevent aircraft from seeing the light and projects a beam approx 35m. At the rear is the convoy light box. When night driving the flap was dropped down so that four green lights were visible, spaced in two paired groups. This allows a following driver to gauge and maintain their distance to the vehicle in front. If they saw one solid bar of green light they knew they were 35m or further away, if they saw 2 distinct bars of light (ideal spacing) they were between 25 and 35m away, and if they saw all 4 lights clearly they were too close at less than 25m.

Right now that’s covered let’s get building, but not at step 1. Some pre painting is in order and while it’s drying I’ll type up part 2.