Post by afvfan on Aug 5, 2013 2:30:25 GMT -5
This build is the older Mk II J by Alan. In researching it, and talking to T about the Hobby Boss kit, I found out that it is not a true representation of the real vehicle. It seems when Alan designed it, all that was available at that time were some poor photos showing the vehicle from ground level, and always at an angle. Due to that, the tank's dimensions are off a bit in some areas, and other parts were done by pure guesswork (like the intakes). One of the nice things about the kit is that both escape hatch doors are operational. This would be a boon for those doing vignettes and dioramas.
That said, the kit still builds up to a pretty nice little vehicle, once you muddle through the running gear. Here is where the main faults of the kit are located.
(1) The axles are thin and long (some, as it turned out were too long and the hub covers had to be modified to fit). Care must be exercised so that none are snapped off.
(2) The wheels are molded pretty well, but about a third of them had their axle holes drilled off center. Fixing this was an interesting problem that I solved by over drilling the holes. Of course, by doing so, it opened up the problem of centering the wheels when I mounted them.
(3) The tracks did not fit the drive sprockets. I ended up shaving off the sprocket teeth and regluing the ends back in the track holes.
(4) Lastly, the tracks would not clear the shock absorbers when trying to mount them. I ended up notching the inside links to fit around them. Thankfully, those areas are mostly hidden by the fenders, but can still be seen from the right angles.
Sounds like loads of fun, huh? Once those areas are done though, the rest of the build is pretty straight forward. There is a fair amount of flash and mold seams on some of the parts that needs to be cleaned up - to be expected given the year and origins of the kit.
On this build, I added PE fenders and braces (I did leave off the front sections), tool clips, intake louvres, copula periscopes, rear spare track mount, and a few other small parts. It was the set by Eduard, and typically for their stuff, was problem free. I got metal barrels for the 20mm from both, RB and Accurate Armor. I liked the craftsmanship of the AA barrel better, though it was too long. I had to cut out a section to get it down to the proper length. I also drilled out the headlights (filling them with Crystal Clear) and added wiring, fabricated the retaining bar and hold down bolts for the 2 front spare track sections, and relocated the radio antenna (you can see the original location in front of the left intake, in the 2nd pic).
Enough of the dry, wordy stuff. Here are a few pictures:
In this shot I posed the escape hatch door partially open
That said, the kit still builds up to a pretty nice little vehicle, once you muddle through the running gear. Here is where the main faults of the kit are located.
(1) The axles are thin and long (some, as it turned out were too long and the hub covers had to be modified to fit). Care must be exercised so that none are snapped off.
(2) The wheels are molded pretty well, but about a third of them had their axle holes drilled off center. Fixing this was an interesting problem that I solved by over drilling the holes. Of course, by doing so, it opened up the problem of centering the wheels when I mounted them.
(3) The tracks did not fit the drive sprockets. I ended up shaving off the sprocket teeth and regluing the ends back in the track holes.
(4) Lastly, the tracks would not clear the shock absorbers when trying to mount them. I ended up notching the inside links to fit around them. Thankfully, those areas are mostly hidden by the fenders, but can still be seen from the right angles.
Sounds like loads of fun, huh? Once those areas are done though, the rest of the build is pretty straight forward. There is a fair amount of flash and mold seams on some of the parts that needs to be cleaned up - to be expected given the year and origins of the kit.
On this build, I added PE fenders and braces (I did leave off the front sections), tool clips, intake louvres, copula periscopes, rear spare track mount, and a few other small parts. It was the set by Eduard, and typically for their stuff, was problem free. I got metal barrels for the 20mm from both, RB and Accurate Armor. I liked the craftsmanship of the AA barrel better, though it was too long. I had to cut out a section to get it down to the proper length. I also drilled out the headlights (filling them with Crystal Clear) and added wiring, fabricated the retaining bar and hold down bolts for the 2 front spare track sections, and relocated the radio antenna (you can see the original location in front of the left intake, in the 2nd pic).
Enough of the dry, wordy stuff. Here are a few pictures:
In this shot I posed the escape hatch door partially open
Even with any "short-comings" buy the manufacturer this is a bang up job!!
I'm finally getting the hang of that Lifecolor Track set I bought a while back. So far, I am liking what can be done with it.
