Assembling The Plastic Anti-tank Gun Platoon

Assembling The Plastic Anti-tank Gun Platoon We demonstrate how to assemble the plastic Anti-tank gun platoon included in Open Fire! Return to the Open Fire! Hub here...

Begin assembling the plastic Anti-tank gun platoon by cutting the pieces off the frame and remove any mould lines and excess plastic using a file or modelling knife. Lay each component of the Anti-tank Gun Platoon i.e. the gun, crew, bases etc in front of you using the assembly instructions included in Open Fire as a reference. Ensure that you have all the components required to fully assemble the Anti-tank Gun Platoon before beginning constructions. Make sure you use Poly Cement or Superglue to glue the pieces together.

Assembling the 7.5cm PaK40 Anti-tank Gun
Step 1. Begin assembly of the 7.5cm PaK40 anti-tank with the the gun trail. Start by attaching the wheels to either side of the gun trail. Tip: Always dry fit (Dry Fitting is assembling components of a model without any glue. This ensure that they go fit together correctly before a permanent bond is created and allows for any fine adjustments to be made.) components before final assembly. Below: The gun trail of the 7.5cm PaK40 anti-tank gun.	Below: Attaching a wheel to the right-hand side of the gun trail. Tip: When refer to left or right-hand side in regards to a Flames Of War miniature, the orientation is determined as if looking at the gun from the rear.

Below: Attaching the wheel to the left-hand side of the gun trail.	Step 2. Next, attach the front plate to the front of the gun trail. Tip: The front of the gun trail has two small pegs to assist in the correct alignment of the front plate.

Below: The front plate attached to the gun trail correctly. Note: The head of the shovel should point towards the left.	Step 3. Next, attach the gun to the gun trail.

Step 4. Attach the gun shield by sliding it into position over the gun barrel.	Below: With the gun shield in place, the 7.5cm PaK40 gun is ready for its crew.

Assembling The Gun Crew

Step 1. Begin the process of crewing the 7.5cm PaK40 anti-tank gun by first attaching it to one of the Large six-hole bases included in open fire.
Below: An example of a Large six-hole base.	Below: The 7.5cm PaK40 Anti-tank gun on the Large base.

The 7.5cm PaK40 Anti-tank gun is manned by a four-man crew. Below are examples of the crew figures that can be found on the plastic Infantry Frames. Figure A straddles the left side of the gun trail; Figure B should be out to one side of the gun providing direction for the rest of the crew; Figures C and D should be placed behind the gun ready to reload the gun. Tip: When arranging the crew figures, remember you're trying to tell a story. Position your figures accordingly.

Also included are four scenic plugs representing ammunition crate and spent shell casings. These are used to fill the remaining holes on the Large base.

Below: An example of the scenic plugs in use.	Also included on the plastic 7.5cm PaK40 frame is an ammunition crate with lid. This can also be used to dress-up your base. Below: The ammunition crate included on the plastic 7.5cm PaK40 frame.

Below: The ammunition crate in use.	Below: Another example of the 7.5cm PaK40 with crew.

Assembling The HQ Section

The anti-tank gun platoon in made up of two 7.5cm PaK40 anti-tank guns and the HQ section. The HQ section is made up of one NCO (Figure A), one Radio Operator (Figure B) and an Officier (Figure C). These figures are found on the plastic infantry frames.

The HQ section is modelled on a Small three-hole base provided. Again, arrange the figures on the small bases in a way that makes sense. For example, the Officier up front followed by the NCO and radio operator.
Below: An example of a Small three-hole base used to model the HQ section.	Below: An example of a fully assembled Anti-tank Gun Platoon HQ section.

The Fully Assembled Anti-tank Gun Platoon Learn how to paint the Sherman V with the Open Fire Painting Guide here...