Takom towers are revealed! Two 350th scale Flakturms incoming...
The Subject: The Flakturm (Flak Tower)
The Flakturm (Flak Tower) is a concrete bunker that is placed in a city. These large towers were built during the Second World War in the cities Berlin (Germany), Hamburg (Germany) and Vienna (Austria). The bunkers were equipped with Flak anti-aircraft guns (Flak is the acronym for Flugabwehrkanone, also called Fliegerabwehrkanone).
Berliner Zoo combat flak tower in use in April, 1942.
The complexes consisted of 3 generations:
Generation 1:
G-Tower - 70.5 x 70.5 x 39 meters - with eight 128 mm guns and several 20, 30 and 37 mm guns.
L-Tower - 50 x 23 x 39 meters - usually equipped with sixteen 20 mm guns.
Generation 2:
G-Tower - 57 x 57 x 41.6 meters - equipped with eight 128 mm guns and sixteen 20 mm guns.
L-Tower - 50 x 23 x 44 meters - equipped with forty 20 mm guns
Generation 3:
G-Tower - 43 x 43 x 54 meters - with eight 128 mm guns and 32 pieces of the 20 mm gun.
Flak Tower IV Heiligengeistfeld G Tower
Flak Tower I Berliner Zoo G Tower
The Zoo flak tower,(German: Flakturm Tiergarten, Tiergarten Flak Tower or commonly referred to as the “Zoo Tower”), was a fortified flak tower that existed in Berlin from 1941 to 1947. It was one of several flak towers that protected Berlin from Allied bomber raids. Its primary role was as a gun platform to protect the government building district of Berlin, in addition, the Hochbunker (blockhouse) was designed to be used as a civilian air-raid shelter. It also contained a hospital and a radio transmitter for use by the German leadership and provided secure storage facilities for art treasures.
Berliner Zoo combat flak tower after the war ended.
During the Battle of Berlin, it acted as a citadel and by depressing its large anti-aircraft artillery, its garrison was able to provide support for ground operations against the encroaching Soviet Red Army.
The Flak Tower IV Heiligengeistfeld G-Tower.
The other subject of these kits, the Flakturm IV G-Tower Heiligengeistfeld just after the war
The Flak Tower IV Heiligengeistfeld G-Tower was provided with a space where people (in the largest tower itself was room for 20,000 people) could shelter during bombings and there was space for storage of goods.
The kit from Takom:
Flakturm IV G-Tower Heiligengeistfeld & Flak Tower I Berliner Zoo G Tower are both in 1/350th scale, and both of them come with the one set of markings for their own Flakturm included in the box. Both have the particular details of each turm in their design.
Flak Tower IV Heiligengeistfeld G-Tower
From Takom
1/350th scale
Kit No 6005
1 marking included in the box
Flak Tower I Berliner Zoo G Tower
From Takom
1/350th scale
Kit No 6004
1 marking included in the box
That is all we know about these releases for now. You can see more about Takom's kits on their website or on their Facebook page
