Fortunately I was able to obtain a set of plans of DORA from the United States. These had been drawn up by a LT. COL. in the U.S. Artillery Corps from measurements he took from relics he found across Germany at the end of the war. Using these plans I aked Dave Tootill to make me a model in 1/35 which he did thus proving their accuracy.

It seemed only a natural step to go one bigger and build on in 1/16 scale. I built a plywood body and wheels which I then sent to Dave for final detailing.

I have looked at my 1/16 DORA for some years and wondered what it would look like in 1/6th. In the interim I have built many tanks, vehicles and Rail Locomotives in 1/6 including a K5 railgun and MORSER KARL so I was no stranger to the problems of plywood construction in large scale. So earlier this year I decided to attempt Dora in 1/6th. From my experience in building a half full size TIGER 1 I knew that the barrel would be the most difficult item to construct . I started on the DORA barrel knowing that if I was successful then the rest would follow and be within the limits of my technology. The build went off without too many problems considering its size. The front end of the barrel is made up of large diameter heavy duty plastic pipe but the rest is moulded in 1 1/2mm thick birch ply on circular diaphragms with a 35mm steel tube as a central core. To increase longitudinal strength I filled the interior with expanding foam. the result was a barrel that could stand up under its own weight.

The rest of the construction was relatively straight forward using 12mm and 6mm birch plwood, the only problem was the size of the individual components and the numbers involved. As I was working on my own I had to make sure that each item was capable of being lifted or dragged around by one person. The end result after 4 1/2 months work is to be seen in the photos taken by John Besant. Please enjoy them.

Click here to continue to the photo gallery of my build. . .

Click here to continue to the photo gallery of my build. . .