Flak 36 (15mm 3d print)

I printed this 1:100 scale (15mm) Flak 36 88mm AA gun to give my Blitzkrieg-era Germans some heavy anti-tank capability, to fend off those blasted Matildas.

The figures are 15mm German artillery crewmen from Peter Pig. They're not entirely suitable for this gun; they're intended more for something like the PaK 36 or PaK 38. However, they're what I've got so they'll just have to do.

The model is OK, but it's more an 88-lookalike than an accurate scale model. It will do for my wargaming purposes.


This is the model as it came straight off the printer. Those strings are proving to be my 3d printing nemesis; I can't seem to get rid of the bloody things.

Amazing stuff.

How hard is it to cut the gun out of the "sprue"?

Pretty easy. The supports aren't solidly attached to the body of the model; they're just there to give overhangs something to lay down their layers on, so in general they break away without too much trouble. They can interfere with the printer's rendition of surface detail where they meet the surface of the model though, so if possible it's best to attach them where the join points won't be seen.

Where they can be problematic is in detailed areas where they extend from one part of the model to another, rather than from the print bed to the model. Then it can be tricky to work out what's support and what's model. Slow and steady is the key when it comes to support removal.

Thanks Fitz.