German anti-aircraft gun 8.8 cm Flak 18 COBI 3141 - World War II 1:35

Did you know:

• The 88 mm anti-aircraft gun was developed by the Krupp company as early as 1928.
• The design was based on a gun from the Swedish company Bofors, which German representatives secretly visited in violation of the Versailles Peace Treaty.
• The FlaK 8.8 was a highly respected weapon of World War II. Initially, it was the only weapon capable of threatening the armor of heavy Soviet tanks such as the KV-1 and KV-2.
• A whole range of related weapons was developed using the 88 mm barrel, whether mounted on a chassis or not, equipped with the portable Würzburg radar, or used as a main tank gun.
• The gun was simple, reliable, and accurate. The crew needed only two minutes to bring the gun into firing readiness.
• The average barrel life was 8,000–10,000 rounds.
• At the end of World War II, in the pursuit of a “miracle weapon,” Germany even considered installing an 88 mm barrel on a heavy bomber. However, this idea was never realized.
• The first version was the FlaK 18, followed by the FlaK 36, 37, and the rapid-fire version FlaK 41.
• Across all versions, more than 21,310 units were produced in the Krupp and Rheinmetall factories.

Technical specifications:

• dimensions: length in firing position 7.62 m, width 2.30 m, height 2.41 m
• barrel length 4.93 m
• caliber 88 mm
• weight 7,407 kg
• maximum range 14,860 m
• ceiling (maximum altitude) 10,600 m
• rate of fire 15–20 rounds per minute
• muzzle velocity 840 m/s
• accuracy at 1,000 m – dispersion 100 mm; at 2,000 m – dispersion 1–2 m
• probability of hitting a flying target per single shot 2%

From the memoirs of B-17 pilot John “Lucky” Luckadoo (100th Bomb Group, USAAF):

“During a mission over Bremen, the flak fire was so intense that the clouds of explosions looked like a continuous lawn that I could ride a bicycle across. I thought this must be what hell looks like, but hell cannot be worse than this. One shell exploded near the cockpit. One window shattered onto me and shrapnel sliced my glove and sleeve, but I was fine.”

About the construction set :

• COBI construction set 3141 FlaK 18 is made of 232 high-quality ABS parts
• scale 1:35
  
• collection World War II
• number of figures 1
• pad printed – no stickers
• faithful detailing
• made in the EU