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Finished up the RFM and Dragon kits. Both are excellent and were very enjoyable builds. I'll give the RFM a slight edge because fit was perfect and it has an engine and positionable wheels, but the Dragon is no slouch. My hat tip to the 70s Matchbox kit with the RFM Puma: And the Dragon offering: A link to some in-progress comparison shots is in this post: I just picked up Miniart's non-interior version from a Lightning Deal (very cheap!), so it looks like I'll be going from squared to cubed...

This is my last Hasegawa model. The kit includes a set of the most awful tracks I have ever seen. Here they are in all their glory............. The "guide teeth" are an almost continuous ridge along the centre line. The destructions look like standard Hasegawa, not bad and reasonably easy to follow. There's a paragraph at the foot of the paint scheme that points out that, as an early Jagdpanzer IV this should have Zimmerit. I've seen after market zimmerit for this kit but I'm not minded to spend any more on it. I'm going to attempt a mod to a later version, post September 1944 when Zimmerit was stopped. JP IVs continued in production until November 1944 when somebody dropped a lot of HE onto the Vomag factory where JP IVs were being built so this will be representing a JP IV from almost the end of production of the L/48 version. On examination of the parts there appears to be a bit of an issue with the rear panel. The cylinders on the back panel behind the idlers on both sides do not line up with the rear of the idler axles, they're offset above them. I don't want to sabotage the strength of the running gear, particularly as the tracks might prove to be a bit tight, so I think this will be left as it is. The early versions had two ports for an MG42, one each side of the main gun. The left hand MG was difficult to use. (Probably gave the driver a headache.) So it was deleted in later models. So I've filled the left hand port and will sand it smooth when dry. Thanks for looking in.

This 1/35 diorama depicts the Dutch town of Eindhoven on 20 September 1944. The town was the first to be liberated by the US 101st Airborne and lead elements of British XXX Corps, as part of Operation Market Garden on 18 September '44. Thousands of people flocked onto the streets and a huge party ensued, lasting well into the 19th. This unfortunately had the effect of backing up the allied convoy which was unable to move forwards. On the evening of the 19th, the streets were packed with vehicles including petrol tankers and ammunition wagons, and this is when the Luftwaffe decided to bomb the town with 76 aircraft. Despite the large amount of Allied materiel present there was no anti aircraft cover. Huge damage was done to the historic city and over 200 people killed with 1000 injured. I think it was the last major bombing raid by the Luftwaffe of the war. This diorama depicts US soldiers of the 101st Airborne ready to grab a lift on a British Sherman tank on the morning of the 20th September as they make their way through the destroyed city. Meanwhile German prisoners are escorted into custody by US Airborne troops. The Sherman Firefly kit by Dragon was good until it came to building the tracks, which were a nightmare. I gave up and bought AFV Club rubber band tracks instead as I was losing the will to live! They may not be correct although listed for the Firefly, but I was beyond caring by that point. Figures are from Masterbox and Gecko (The Cushman scooter is pretty much a kit in itself!), the German prisoners have Hornet heads. Building and cobbled street is a Miniart vac form item and all painted with a range of acrylics and pigments from various manufacturers. Comments always welcome

Starting with a new one - this time it is Panzer III by Dragon. The kit I'm using is artillery observer tank Panzerbeobachtungswagen III but I'll build it into a regular Panzer III Ausf.G, as all the bits are supposedly in there. The turret shell is the only exception, but it'll be not too hard to convert. I have Voyager PE set and fenders to add as well as Aber barrels for the main gun an for MG's and a set of MasterClub metal tracks. I like Dragon's Pz.III based kits for their accuracy and crisp details and this one is up to that too. It's going together really fast at this stage and no hardships to report thus far. Cheers! Kristjan

Below some images of my recently finished 1:72 Dragon M4A3 105mm. The 105 mm barrel from the kit is rather small, so that was replaced with a turned metal one. The towing cable was created by twisting some thin copper wire, and the stowage is from Black Dog. I thought the kit's decal were a bit dull, so used some from Braille Strike (well worth to check out Clem Dupuis' website for interesting armour markings!). Otherwise pretty much OOB. Peter

I have lot of project of Commonwealth vehicles used in Italy to build so as a start and testing build, I pulled this Sherman III out of the stash. Scored on auction for few quids with Royal Model stowage set. I'm using AK Real colors for this build. Base colour of olive drab, covered with chipping fluid and painted with Light mud and blue black. Unfortunatelly masking putty didn't worked out so well so there's some deviations in camouflage scheme.

I've had this Dragon kit for quite a few years in the stash. The box art and description label it as an Ardennes 1944 KT with new pattern tracks, These new pattern tracks did not get fitted to any KT's before 1945 and I cannot see any photos of the Ardennes offensive KT's with them or the 18 tooth sprockets that they required. The kit tracks require removing from sprues and each link has 3 ejector pin marks that need filling, they are rather clunky in appearance compared to photos of the real track links so I have obtained a set of T-Rex 3D printed tracks to replace them and my build will have some of the other features of these late production tanks that left the assembly plant in March 1945. First the kit, originally released in 2006 with some new parts, single link tracks and some Ardennes Panzer Grenadier figures and weapons. As can be seen, the kit parts are still all bagged up, retaining that 2006 freshness. Although the kit features a turned aluminium barrel the muzzle brake has to be cut off the plastic barrel halves and attached so I have replaced it with a RB one with turned brass muzzle brake. Other bits and pieces to improve the kit are some p/e by ET Models and Voyager, and some 3D printed tools and clamps by Eduard. The tracks were a major part of this build so I ordered a set from T-Rex, they are beautifully printed and easy to assemble with two resin pins attaching each link to the other. T-Rex also make 18 tooth sprockets and a rear idlers, both 3D printed for this version along with a late turret cupola but the cost was above what I could afford as well as buying the set of tracks, so on their arrival I checked they fitted the kit parts by assembling a couple of track lengths, thankfully they they fit very well and they can wrap around the kit sprocket, I've had kit supplied tracks that do not fit as well as these do. I'll show the other bits as the build progresses. All is ready now for the STGB to start at the end of the month. Any questions or comments are welcome.

I apply Rule #3. In the year one I began to make this model. The old model of Dragon requires realization of repair.

There are 4 model kits on my table, 3x Dragon/Testors and one from Tamiya in 1:48 scale. There is a lot of literature as a source, but be careful, who copied from whom, who copied from whom - it is impossible to find out. The fact is, only one drawing is correct and also matches the very good model from Tamiya. This new construction item will take longer, there are many things to discuss and show in order to conjure up a true-to-original model. So - patience, things are moving forward. A single Dragon component is the benchmark for this construction report. Since I can't throw old models in the trash, it's better to figure out how to fix the Dragon models. I have decided to build all four He-162 kits and give them unusual liveries and markings - without resorting to "what if". I can recommend the following titles as useful sources: Engl./Czech, with many picture (SW/ Color)

I had one Dragon JagdTiger kit remaining, it's a shame to leave it in the stash, it's been there since 2005. This boxing was released in the 39-45 series and along with the standard kit plastic it contained an aluminium barrel, some p/e for the engine grill mesh covers and tool holders but the best addition back then was the addition of individual 'magic track' links. Not workable but the next best thing, each link is a friction fit with the next one, so assemble to shape and then run some thin glue into the joints and then they can be painted. I will be building it as this end of war JagdTiger with all the last updates that these machines received, ribbed front mudguards, extra track hooks and hoist 'pilze' welded centrally to to each edge of the roof.

I bought this kit of the Porsche suspensioned JagdTiger (Hunting Tiger) in 2009. The model is a version of the JagdTiger that was an attempt to make a simpler and cheaper version of this huge tank killing machine (78 tons) that was armed with a 12.8cm PaK 44 gun. This suspension system used eight pivoting rocking arm suspension units attached to the sides of the hull, much like the system utilised on the Ferdinand/Elephant tank hunters. There were problems with the system handling the weight off road and, during tight turning manoeuvres the suspension units were liable to break off. In the end, the tank hunter variant was made using the same internal, torsion bar suspension system as the King Tiger, this version was popularly known as the Henschel variant. The number of JagdTigers built with the Porsche suspension system was quite low, depending on the reference material, different numbers are given, the book that I have (Ryton Publications) cites only 4 were built using the Porsche system (Wikipedia cites 11) and 77 with the Henschel suspension system. Most of these Porsche type JagdTigers were built when zimmerit anti-magnetic mine coating was being applied so I obtained a set of Atak zimmerit to add to my kit, most photos only show this version in training units painted in overall grey, however, there is one photo showing a camouflaged, non-zimmerit covered JagdTiger so that's how I will build my kit. The kit contents are still bagged up, the 6 sprues of tracks would be hard work to clean up and assemble so I have got a set of T-Rex 3D printed tracks to replace them with. There is a small fret of p/e for tool clamps and an aluminium turned barrel. I've assembled a short length of track to ensure it fits the drive sprockets. Having 5 parts to each paired link it's a slow, fiddley assembly but it looks a lot better than the kit parts. Everything is all ready for the start of the STGB, roll on the 30th of March. Any questions or comments are always welcome.

Having recently finished building RFM’s Pz.IV Ausf J and currently still having lots of fun with their Pz.IV Ausf J interior kit, I really fancied tackling another of their 1/35 armour kits. This year I’ve not started another softskin, which is what I mainly build, as these kits have just been such a pleasurable experience. The engineering is so good, and the plastic such a similar colour match, that I keep thinking I’m building a Tamya kit😉 As the end of last year was all about Pz.IV. J’s for me, this year I’m maxing out on StuG’s. Over the last few months, I’ve almost finished Dragon’s lovely StuG III Ausf F8 kit which will be based on an Italian campaign vehicle. I have a few decent period images which capture some nice features. I also ‘blitzed’ through Takom’s StuG III Ausf G (Early). This was built straight out of the box with no intention of losing any sleep over it's many inaccuracies. So, as I’m slowly getting to know my way around a Pz.III chassis and some of the later StuG variants, I figured why not check out one of RFM’s StuG's. This is their Ausf G late kit and it’s a belter. I’ve read there are a few issues with some small features (what kit doesn’t) but they are minimal and nothing that cannot be easily remedied. According to those in the know on ML, it is the perfect base kit that requires very little extra work to portray a decent Alkett built last production Ausf G. This kit is the non interior 2022 released kit 5086 and you can build a StuG III or a StuH42. RFM 5086 info It includes both Alkett and MIAG track guards as it incorporates sprues from their Pz.III as well as from previous StuG kits. The tracks are RFM’s own individual links which incorporates a jig to complete small runs, speeding up construction. There is no turned metal barrel, but the one-piece slide moulded one is easy to clean up. There are two frets of photoetch. The largest covers the Schurzen plates. The wheels incorporate poly caps which I personally like and fit nice and snug just like on many a Tamiya kit. The lower hull is of flatpack design and fits together perfectly. The torsion bars can be made workable or you can simply glue the ends onto the lower hull. There is even an option to build adjustable shock absorbers (dampers). Your choice. When it comes to the bow armour the StuG went through quite a few production design changes in this area. Unlike another certain Chinese manufacturer I could mention, the correct parts are called out, even though there are several other variant parts available on the sprues. The running gear lines up really nicely as does all the features on the rear plate. The interlocking bow plate portion which would be partly visible just forward of each sprocket plate on each lower hull side plate stranglely isn't moulded on. I chiselled out the feature and added the welding marks. The transmission plate is just dry fitted in the image below. One of the oddities in the kit is RFM’s choice of tracks. The open guide horn type was seen on StuG’s III's, just not many have been photographed on these late production vehicles. A period image that captured my attention had the more common type seen on these variants and as I had a 3D set of T-Rex links, I figured these were the ones to go for. That decision wasn’t one of my best! Unlike two previous sets which I had a blast with, these were a right PITA. They definitely were not from the same batch as my previous sets as the material was far more brittle. I even had some links break which hasn't happened before! On top of that the pins did not appear to exhibit any taper and a large percentage were already damaged in their small bags! TBH I though of contacting the seller but figured I should as least see if I can build up two complete runs first. I did, but only just and the pins were falling out as quick as I popped them back in🤬 In the end after a few choice words and a few strong shandies, I brush painted over the pin ends on the links with Vallejo grey primer. This seemed to solve the issue but I then found the links were a tight fit over the sprocket and I don't trust them to take much more handling! After all this track building agro I have decided to give the kit tracks a go. Also, as RFM only offer the earlier style round tow cable clamps, I ordered the correct square aftermarket Alkett factory produced ones from Panzerwerk Design Alkett late tow cable brackets. Whilst postage is way in excess of their cost, I also plumped for some of their Type 6B tracks Pz.III & IV type 6B links at the same time. Their tracks look good and have favourable reviews, so I will build them up when they come and choose whether they trump the kit tracks later in the build. As it would give the option to display the vehicle on uneven ground I opted to utilise the kit's adjustable torsion bar set up which will work with the optional moveable damper units. Due to the kit's engineering in this area the adjusable torsion bars naturaly allow the wheels to lift over obstacles, and the moveable damper units equally compress, but they do not naturally rebound. This effect is visible in the first image below. The first and last front bogie wheels are slightly effected by the track tension and are pulled a little higher than they would normally sit on level ground. If positioned on uneven ground they can always be fixed, so it’s nice to have this option. The T-Rex tracks do look the business but this set was far from perfect. The track tension on the other side is a touch loser on the image below so all the bogie wheels sit nice and level. One construction fix which was pointed out to me by a fellow modeller is to do with two strengthening ribs (parts D13 & D14) which you are instructed to add to the undersides of the gun box in step 13. What they do in essence is create a channel which allows the gun box to align squarely onto both of the thin lower hull side plates. The problem is, that they only need the fixing to be off a fraction and the channel will become too narrow and will interfere with what should be a simple slot down on to the lower hull sides. To remedy this potential fit issue, you just need attach the parts directly to the lower hull instead. There are slots in the lower hull side plates too, so it’s a really simple fix. The lower hull interior includes a fighting compartment floor to which the gun cradle fixing mount is attached. Only the inner two of the four spars that fit between the lower hull back plate to the extension over the exhausts featured on these late production vehicles. It is not an issue to fit them as instructed as they are not visible (unless you are an IPMS/USA judge) 🫣 and the extension rear plate you fit has the correct bolt head detail for just the two inner ones that remained. In step 15 you get to choose your gun type and unlike any previous manufacturer's releases, each gets its own breech and cradle parts and construction steps. It is worth mentioning that in step 19 it is not at all clear in which order you attach your breech sub-assembly, gun box, lower hull and mantlet all together! I’m sure there are a few ways that folks have managed to do this successfully, but it is not at all obvious and quite a conundrum to figure out. Breech assembly with added weld detail on the recuperator and an aftermarket barrel. I incorporated the kit's spring so I can leave it adjustable to ensure I end up with the correct length of visible barrel outside of the mantlet. The full breech sub-assembly with the mantlet and muzzle brake dry fitted. I’m currently building up the engine deck which comes as a separate moulding but I’m not going to attach all the parts permanently until I pick some aftermarket stowage. Can anybody confirm whether aftermarket resin StuG engine deck stowage parts fix over the armoured hatches or directly to an unpopulated deck? Engine deck, armoured engine hatches and gun box roof still dry fitted. Progress so far The loaders front armour plate provided in the kit is of the earlier production design which incorporated two (50 & 30mm) plates. Late Ausf G had a single 80mm plate. It would be quite easy to hide the join if it were not for the fact that the kit’s outer 30mm plate part does not feature the extra portion that curves down to match the contours of the inner plate. I shaped a similar thickness piece of grey styrene to mimic the outer plate then scribed torch marks over both to hide the join. I understand the correct single 80mm plate can be found spare on the sprues of many a Dragon StuG kit.

A model I began to do, but 25% did not walk over. There is small time and it is needed to hurry.

I bought this a few months ago on a whim, (basically the price was really good), so I thought I'd crack on with it, because it is a big, complex kit. Due to a lack of photographic evidence I can play around with it without getting too concerned about overall accuracy and just have fun with it, colouring, detailing and weathering wise. It comes in a big box with some great cover art. This is the version Night Shift did and his videos on it are great. Full of great ideas and top tips. I won't do the obligatory sprue shot, but needless to say there are plenty of them. It's a lot of kit. But everything is in there so I won't need any aftermarket. Plus I have some spare stuff from my Sturmtiger builds just in case. I bought some decals ages ago. I think F05 will be my choice. Cheers all.👍

Below some images of my 1:72 Heller M4 conversion into a Sherman Ic Hybrid, to depict one from the 1st Coldstream Guards in Northern Germany in the spring of 1945. The cast front end came from a Dragon M4A1 (large hatch), left over after I used the turret and suspension on a Wee Friends M4A1 Duplex Drive, RB metal 17 pounder barrel on an extended Heller gun shield, radio box from a Dragon Sherman Vc, turret box from Dan Taylor Modelworks and the 'Tulip' launch rails and rockets from the Dragon 'Sherman V Tulip' kit. The tracks with extended end connectors are from OKB Grigorov. Stowage is from Black Dog, Dan Taylor and some 3D printed stuff. Decals are from an old Bison Decals sheet. Peter

All hello! I will build the British heavy tank.

This was a kit I finished last year for a GB. I have been learning how to paint figures so I decided to add a base, some extra stowage and a couple of men. The figures were from a Miniart set, which although not well moulded, they have decent enough poses and paint reasonably well. The base is from Reality In Scale and is well made. Very porous so needs a lot of primer. It would have been better if I had followed their instructions and given it a good coating of PVA. I also got a new camera phone so have been playing around with that. Apologies for some blurring etc.👍 Thanks for viewing and all the best.

"End Of The Road". I finally finished off this beast. A more ambitious project and also a fun one with a lot of learning new things, zimmerit, base and a figure for starters. I added the FoG base and a Wolf figure, with other bits and pieces, to make more of a vignette out of it. Cheers for viewing and for any that followed along with the WIP. Have a great rest of your weekend.👍

Hi! Got over the finish line with this one. Build log is here: https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235131913-kettenkrad/ Here are the photos: Cheers! Kristjan

This is the new old one on my bench - Dragon 6128 Kettenkrad. I started the thing actually more than 10 years ago and it seemed a great kit at the time. It found its way to shelf of doom though because I found out Dragon got the sprocket totally wrong and I hadn't any means to fix the issue then. Well, T-Rex Studio released a correct sprocket lately, so I decided to get it going again. Tamiya of course has released a much better Kettenkrad a few years back, but oh well, as I've already put some effort in this one, I'll be a gentleman and get it to the decent end. Much of the work has been done with the engine and the transmission so far. Also the handrails has been replaced. To add to the kit I also have the Eduard PE set and the T-Rex Studio 3D-printed front fork, and some decals too by Passion Models. Here's the little bugger: Cheers! Kristjan

I read on twitter a few days ago that its a tradition to start a new model build on New Years Day, which brings good luck for the year. Who am I to argue? Just received this past week, Dragon's new M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, known as HIMARS. The HIMARS has become quite famous over the past year and a half, with the US donating several to Ukraine after russias illegal invasion. Operating in the summer of '22, their precision strikes have been successful at taking out key targets. Ukraine has continued to receive more units, with a total of 39 HIMARS delivered/pledged as of now. Dragon's kit looks to be a bit basic, but detailed. Windows are molded in, so theres no interior. Makes it easier for me. Axles are brass, which is nice. Parts are now getting washed, with building to start this evening.

Dragon Models is working on a new tool 1/48th Messerschmitt Bf.109E kit - ref. DR5550 Sources: http://platz-media.com/blog/2019/09/22/2019-ahs-dragon/ http://www.platz-hobby.com/products/9386.html V.P.

Here's my latest completion, the Dragon 1/32 Bf110D-3 (or D-0 as listed in the gruppe paperwork), it is marked as one of the aircraft used by Erprobungsgruppe 210 in the summer of 1940. ... and a whitewall tyred tailwheel. I'm not sure if it was prototypical, there aren't many pictures of the original aircraft but it does look like there might be one and it was reasonably common: I used the same aftermarket as for my recent Bf110c-6 (apart from the AIMS conversion set obviously). Paints were Colourcoats ACLW12 - RLM Grau (RLM 02) for the interiors, ACLW03 - Hellblau (RLM 65) for the undersides and the top surface camo was ACLW11 - Dunkelgrun (RLM71) and ACLW12 - RLM Grau (RLM 02) - again it's hard to be sure from photographs but the D-0's of Epr.Gr.210 look to have quite a soft demarcation so may have been repainted at unit level. The blue on the prop spinners was a mix of Citadel acrylic blues mixed as close as I could to the blue on the aircraft code letter. Markings were a mixture of decals from the Revell re-pop of the kit and the squadron markings were from the Kagero Battle of Britain decal set kindly donated by our late forum-buddy Silver Fox. Thanks for dropping by Cheers, Stew

This is the dragon kit in the markings of green 3 + -- flown by obfw. Josof Keil. Who was the only ta 152 ace. Dragon kit ( lower wing rescribed for ta 152 h-0 panels, and also below cockpit starboard side panel) Fine moulds brass pitot tube. Brass tube for mg 151 gun barrels. Fusion propeller and radiator. Aires cockpit, Barracuda studios wheels. Eagle cals 48134. Thank you for looking.

I have always been a sucker for WWII halftracks and soft skins ever since I returned to the hobby, with Axis vehicles being a particular favourite. Over the last couple of years I have built a fair few Sd.Kfz.7 8 ton variants. Dragon (D) and Trumpeter (T) are the only manufacturers to offer the vehicle in 1/35 scale and currently offer eleven different versions between them. At last count both manufacturers offer twenty-six kits with both producing early and late towing vehicles as well as Flak variants. Both offer the same models with the odd variant being produced by just one. Dragon also offers combo packs including artillery pieces. Gun crew vehicles are available in initial (D), early (D & T) and late (D & T) Wooden bodied (Holzpritsche) versions are offered by D & T Self-propelled Flak versions carried four main weapons. The early and later armoured cab model 7/1 version Flakvierling 38, (D & T), and the three 7/2 versions; early and late Flak 37 (D & T), early Flak 41 (T), and late Flak 43 (D & T) Two kits that only one manufacturer offer is Trumpeter‘s 7/3 Feuerleitpanzer version which was used specifically at Rocket sites and Dragon offer the specific 1943 HL m11 version of the gun crew vehicle. Cyber Hobby released an early Flakvierling 38 variant in 2011 but I have no idea if that differs from the Dragon boxed kit #6525 of the same name that was released in 2009. An early gun crew Sd.Kfz 7 in North Africa As regards to builders, both the main ones were Borgward (designated HL) and Krauss Maffei (designated KM). The radiator housings received their emblems on earlier vehicles. An early model Sd.Kfz 7/1 version Flakvierling 38 One variant that is missing from range in offer is the earliest incarnation of the wooden cargo bodied (Holzpritsche) These were first attached to the 1943 Typ HL m11 which retained the old-style metal driver’s compartment. The Holzpritche bodied vehicles were a solution to save on limited and dwindling Nazi supplies of raw materials. The first Holzpritsche vehicles built of the final m11 design were installed by the manufacturer Saurer as early as November 1943 and this is the vehicle I am planning to build at the end of this build log. Early Holzpritsche fitted to the Typ HL m11 With both Trumpeter and Dragon only offering the final versions of the Holzpritsche which included the revised and larger wooden cab I will likely have to combine elements of different kits. It would be made far simpler if just one manufacturer got things right, but alas, both do suffer from their own inaccuracies and issues. To this end I am going to first begin by building both the final Holzpritche versions to see what will work best. Once completed I will attempt to create the early version with the best of what both manufacturers can offer. First up is Trumpeters 2009 released kit # 01507 which they simply brand as a KM m11 ‘late version. Having built this kit quite a long time ago not long after I returned to the hobby, I recall a few concerns that made it a less than pleasurable build in places, so let’s do a quick recap before I start the build. The main spoiler concerns the sprockets. First up, they look a little odd. That is because they have bevelled groves on the main face which were never present. Trumpeter don’t even show them in their own painting guide or box art, so something was at odds! The biggest problem however is that building them up as per the instructions means the tracks will not fit over the sprocket without leaving a nasty gap. The kit’s engineering lacks the important drive sprocket teeth offset (seen on many German running gear designs) which prevents the track from sitting evenly around the sprocket. In addition, the part containing the outer roller detail once fitted is hidden on the reverse side! Trumpeter never designed the teeth offset of the rollers against each track pad as per the real thing, so the track links do not sit flush against each track pad. Each sprocket is also ‘handed’ so any surgery will require removing the same part from each sprocket then a test fitment of a small track run will then determine how you re-assemble each sprocket. The recommended surgery is not complex and TBH re-fitting the small tabs that require removal for the modification to work are not completely necessary. The sprocket modification explanation with pics can be found here: https://www.perthmilitarymodelling.com/reviews/vehicles/trumpeter/tr01523d04.htm If you want the sprocket to resemble the real thing aesthetically the groves will still need to be filled in, which will not be an easy task. Even then the track pad inner fitting plates and bolts are missing so for the ultimate authenticity an aftermarket photo etch set will still be required. Even better still, try and locate a 3D printed pair. The second biggest kit failing is the omission of the wooden equipment rack in the load area. Although the equipment rack was designed to be removeable to easily convert into a flatbed the rack is an important element of this variant so why it is missing is a mystery. Trumpeter do offer some additional internal planking, but it is totally inaccurate. They do however offer a nice tarp for both the cab and load area, so there is a ‘cover up’ alternative. Another distinct anomaly is the inclusion of a Flak variant cab bench. The bench did not have an angled cut out on the passenger side and the driver’s seat cushions were much deeper with a cut out in the horizontal framework to accommodate. The Panzer Tracts book quite clearly illustrates the correct layout which also shows a battery box instead of the two exposed batteries that the kit offers. Comparing the kit dimensionally with the Panzer Tracts book 22-4, the overall length is a smidgen long compared to the drawings and the profile of the front fenders is slightly out. Neither warrants the amount of work which would be required to correct IMO. So, with the major fitment issue, the missing part exposed and a dodgy cab seating arrangement, what else can we expect? The kit offers these licence plate decals Even if accuracy is not a major concern, then some ‘interesting’ engineering and odd step sequencing is still worth highlighting. The chassis engineering is overly complex so rather than a nice strong one piece moulding that all the Dragon 8t kits offer, a multipiece affair will need to be cleaned up and carefully aligned together. Personally, I believe this is the main issue with all the Trumpeter 8t kits. Too many parts when one or two would have been perfectly fine. I guess Trumpeter never embraced slide moulding technology like Dragon did! To complicate matters, the instructions have you add some of the smallest and most fragile parts in the very first steps! Considering the amount of handling still required this is a recipe for disaster. These are kit’s where the builder needs to plan ahead. Kit content and sprue shots. To save myself a whole bunch of work they are all conveniently available to view here: http://www.trumpeter-china.com/index.php?g=home&m=product&a=show&id=1250&l=en Compared to the Dragon versions the detail is a little ‘chunky’ in places and although there was no flash present there are a few pin holes, many of which will remain visible. There is also a fair bit of mould offset on many parts so seam clean-up will obliterate some detail. Along with the main problems already mentioned I will try and point out any further issues as I go along. The multi-part affair for the chassis is the same across all the Trumpeter kits with only minor differences across the variants. Whilst far more detailed than the Dragon equivalent it is a bit fiddly to assemble. Dragon kits sacrificed detail in this area but much of it is unseen once assembled and it is a much stronger sub assembly and saves at least a couple of hours of work. Following the instructions, we commence in step 1 with the gearbox. This is instructed to be fitted between the chassis legs. It is a heavy part and dangles between just one contact point on each side and does not actually provide any real structural rigidity. To make life easier it us far easier to construct the chassis components in step 2 with it left off. The flex in the chassis legs will accommodate it once the chassis frame is built up so let the assembly fully cure first. It is also recommended NOT to add the photo etch and plastic cab levers (parts D13, D38 and D54) until it is ready to receive the cab floor as they are easily damaged. The front leaf spring assembly connect the two chassis legs at the front and the flat rear tray (part WA15) connects them together at the rear. Part A41 shown in step 3 can be used in-between to aid alignment. The gearbox fits in-between, and it must sit perpendicular to the frame. It’s connection points to both chassis’ legs rely on just the tiny and imprecise ends of part A7. The weight of the gearbox tends to make it droop rearwards making both chassis legs in the middle bend inwards at the top! Not the best engineering as the gearbox needs to align in one direction to accept both winch and engine shaft in later steps! The only reference for lining up the gearbox straight is to sight it up using the two holes in the legs behind the sprocket housings. TBH the upper middle parts of both legs have way too much flex and don’t get any rigidity until the fuel tank in step 7 is attached. There’s plenty of manhandling beforehand so handle with care! Step 3 connects the myriad of parts that connects the suspension pick up points. Plenty of clean-up is needed especially on parts D23 and D24 so dry fitting everything before committing placement is recommended. There are also two small pieces of photoetch to add in this step and they need to be assembled correctly as the holes in them accept the winch housing. Progress to step 3 so far.