Thor Hobby

Ammo Set - WWII German 80cm Ammo for Dora
Kit #: A7205 Preview by - Al Magnus

This set is made from turned aluminum. Inside the package are 3 copies of some very large shells for use with the Dora railroad gun. At the writing of this preview the Hobby Boss Dora is the only kit available in 1/72 scale.

As to the accuracy of the shells, I have no clear data on the real items for comparison. I can assume that the shells will be in the order of 80cm in diameter, but for the length I have no firm data.

Reference [1] has the dimensions listed as thus => Ammunition length without cap: 2.4m, Ammunition length of cap: 1.53m. As the diagram below shows, the cap (Haube) overlaps a portion of the other part of the round. What that implies for the total length is unknown.

Reference [2] has the dimensions listed as thus => Length of shell: 3.6m

Measurements using Reference [1] data

Shell Length (inches) Shell Diameter (inches) Shell Length (1/72) Shell Diameter (1/72)
93.60 31.20 1.30 0.43

Measurements using Reference [2] data

Shell Length (inches) Shell Diameter (inches) Shell Length (1/72) Shell Diameter (1/72)
140.40 31.20 1.95 0.43

Thor Hobby measurments

  Kit Shell Length (inches) Kit Shell Diameter (inches)
  1.79 0.44

I have no idea from what source Thor Hobby used for these shells, for as you can see, the shells in this set fall between the values listed in the two references. It may be that they used the Hobby Boss shells as thr basis of their mesurements. Regarding the diameter, these shells are pretty much right on scale.

Shell diagram from reference [1]		  
Photograph of actual shell from reference [1]

So I'm not sure what to conclude regarding this set. The shells are expertly machined and flawless, and will save the modeller some time compared to gluing and finishing the kit's plastic versions, but as to their accuracy I can not make a definitve statement.


Review sample provided by Bryan Hsu of Thor Hobby.

References:
[1] 500 Jahre Deutsche Riesenkanonen, Waffen Arsenal Band 130, Gerhard Taube, Podzun-Pallas Verlag, Friedberg, 1991 ISBN: 3-7909-0420-1
[2] www.ww2incolor.com
Back to Thor Hobby Accessory List Back to Home Page

Article Last Updated: 23 December 2011