Dave Shick reviews the Bronco Telemeter KDO Mod. 40 with Trailer.



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Thanks!

Dave,

Thanks for this review. What an amazing subject! I remember the days of old when we sat around hoping for a common truck or tank, never dreaming of such exotic subjects as represented by this. What a great time to be a modeler!

Nice review Dave of an item that I expect most have never heard of and those that have never expected to see in model form.

Thanks for the nice review there Dave.

This is something I took minimal interest in when it was released, but thanks to your report on the kit and what to expect I think I'll get it and hopefully add it to a future dio that I need to build!

I'm looking for one right now!








~ Jeff

Hello in addition of this interesting kit you can find all operator figures plus a Nice kit generator with antenna at DESkit (french manufacturer of resin kit)
Figures are done for telemeter they sell but are ok for this kit and quite cheap to buy
Generator and antenna are avery helpfull ancillary to built on an unusual dio
In addition you can find on their site all small "trilegs" tools visors etc etc..
http://deskit.online.fr/01_systeme/pages_systeme/home_page.htm

Michel, DES doesn't have any photos of the figures. Does anyone know what they look like?

And no engles, or whatever, French class was 50 years ago.

The folks at DES can communicate in English via email. The four figures are 35234-7 and go for 40 Euros.

Sorry, but the transport of the Kommandogerät 40 wasn't impracticle. The 4m-range finder was not transported on his base (and the base on the Sd.Anh.). There was a special truck for this role: the "Flaktruppmesskraftwagen I + II) or Kfz.74 for short; a Henschel D33, Krupp or later an MB L4500 with a large box in the middle of the loading area to store the range finder. So this area had to be lengthened up to 4m.
Google for Kfz. 74 and you will find some nice pics of this nice Luftwaffe truck, a must-have for every Flak-Abteilung!


Michael

The reference simply said the optics were so delicate they might be damaged in transport.

Apparently this was transported in a variety of ways. Toward the end of the site I provided at the end of the review there'a picture of a pair of these mounted to a rail flat car.

Sorry for the late reply but I just took delivery of my copy of this fine Bronco kit. In fact until just recently I did not know such an item was offered to the model builder.

One detail I wish to point out which can be more that a bit confusing on the model and which the instructions do not properly explane:

Given the construction design scheme used in the Bronco model of the telemeter is easy for the modeler to presume that the round screen mesh platform is intended to turn on the tri-form base and that the computer enclosure is to be perminently affixed on the square, to this circular platform. However online research shows the round platform to be solidly afixed to the tri-form base and the computer console is what rotates, being pivoted on a "lazy-susan" style turntable immediately above the screen mesh platform. (See photos)





For whatever reason Bronco has chosen to provide a captive pivot to allow the screen wire platforn to turn on the tri-form base but has provided no such captive mechanism to allow the computer console to turn above the mesh platform, save for a rather large center pin where the console is held on to this pin only by balance and gravity.

Another error perhaps a bit less glaring:

When in transport mode the long rangefinder tube should be removed from the console entirely. The rangefinder itself was very delicate and should then be stored in it's own large custom container. (Container NOT included.)

It surprises me that some well motivated resin manufacture has not as yet offered this container as an after-market adtion to this kit. (Hint, hint!)



Steven Van Halen photo - Royal Army Museum; Brussels

...as I have posted. And this large box was stowed in the middle of the loading area of the Kfz. 74

http://maquette-garden.forumactif.com/t21665p40-batterie-88


Michael

Michael, earlier I saw your written remarks about a photo of the long box down the center of the truck but never found the link you were referring to that would take me to the photograph. I am sure it is in there somewhere and that I am just overlooking it but I could not find it.

Thanks for posting the additional reference.

165th Signal Photo Co.

Similar truck on a Mercedes chassis :

http://www.kfzderwehrmacht.de/Hauptseite_deutsch/Kraftfahrzeuge/Deutschland/Daimler-Benz_AG/Mercedes_Benz_LG_3000/Kfz_74_Fl_Messtr_Kw/kfz_74_fl_messtr_kw.html

H.P.

Insert here "Commander Models".

Problem solved!

Sorry but I did not feel that I had to be very neat on this construction that will never be seen again. Suffice it to say this pin retainer does it's job and works smoothly as intended.

Somewhere along the way in this blog a reader commented that they thought the trailer was a waste to include in this kit and was there simply to jusify the price.

I must say I disagree.
#1 - This is probabley one of the most highly detailed Sd. Anh. 52 trailers I have ever seen and well worth the inclusion in the kit.
#2 - Unless you are mounting the telemeter on a flak barge or modeling the top of one of the massive Berlin flak towers the transport trailer is an absolute necessity to include in the setting. As much a necessity as showing the transport wheel sets for the towed 88 flak gun in any display or dio.

Question: Can anyone offer a suggestion as to where parts Db 7 and Db 9 are to be installed on the telemeter kit? They are not grayed out on the parts sheet but I can find no indication on the instruction sheet as to their usage.

Also several pieces of fine thread are included in the kit but no instructions are given as to their use. I presume they are to fill out the communication cable reels on the trailer if you are building the model in it's transport configuration. Clearly the cable reels would be empty if the telemeter is in the combat configuration as they would be in use.

Illustration No. 1:
B9 has to be glued under the lower part of the telemeter tube B14

Illustration No. 13:
Here you can find B6 and B7 to represent some cables or wiring

Illustration No. 15:
Add cables arround the cable drums (similar to the drums on a Sd.Anh. of an 8.8 FlaK.

There were a lot of cables neccessary to connect KDO 40, guns and other equipment:




Michael

Thanks GoTeck for the info - much appreciated.

SHOULD anyone wish to add additional detail to the telemeter (and I know that might be a big "IF") here are a few things I have noticed that could be added:

The two fairly obivious counterweights to offset the weight of all those optics attached to the rangefinder tube.







Also there is some sort of chart case either leather or metal with a metal cover attached next to the counterweight on the right side rear of the rangefinder tube.

Also there is a medium sized crank knob/handle on the top of the rangefinder assembly that has also been overlooked by the model manufacture.

And this is how those details turned out: