The first major problem I have to face in the building of this kit is having received a totally damaged package,
care of FED EX... Just by seeing the split top and massive retaping I knew there would be issues...
Just another view showing the top totally split and retaped... The major gouge appears to have been an impact
by something VERY heavy...
Photo showing the IMPACT of whatever tore the top having travelled through the sheets of plastic enclosed... 
Many pieces are shattered and others pretty much pulverized by whatever Fed Ex did to this piece... Here you
see one of the lower hull sides warped and broken...
Another shot showing the Upper hull top broken in two places on the rear... Unfortunately many pieces appear
to be missing having fallen out of the damaged box during the intial impact of whatever they hit it with... It's a rough start
but totally not Panzerjuan's doing, it's all on the good folks at FED EX... As far as the kit goes just from looking at what
isn't torn up it looks pretty nice and I can't wait to try to get to it...
The Build Begins...
First off I decided to start with the upper hull pieces as they were somewhat easier to distinguish from the
mess in the box... Here I repaired and somewhat re-enforced the top panel that had been broken in two areas (see photo directly
above)... These spots will later be filled and sanded smooth...
Here I have put together the front top section of the upper hull deck... It went together decently and will require
filling and sanding...
Another shot showing the front Driver/MG area of the hull front... As you can see Klaus is enjoying a drink while
he oversees my work...
Click the link above to get diagrams of what modifications are needed to correct the upper
& lower hull should you decide to do so...
Well I haven't been idle... Spent a couple of days working on a MuzzleBrake & Hull MG Ball... I should have
them done soon to move on to the construct again...
The AWESOME Panzerwerks Mk IV Running gear... I need to clean them up a bit but they are EXTREMELY nice... GREAT
detail throughout all the pieces... This is gonna make this tank look fantastic...
The Rear Hull deck sides have been attached and filled... Next step is an over all sanding then detailing...
Moving right along...
The Upper Hull assembly is done and sanded... In this photo you can see the re-enforcing braces I installed to
support the upper hull plate and prevent it from sagging with weight (primarily the turret to come)...
Another view of the finished and re-enforced upper hull assembly... The damaged lower hull pieces were replaced
today as well using 1/8 inch sheet styrene sheet cut to size... I plan to start lower hull construction soon...
Progress as of 11-29-05
Well the upper and lower main assemblies are pretty much basically done... These photos give you an example of
how the tank sits now... The alterations to the upper hull and lowering of the lower hull sides made a big difference and
when compared to a 1/35 scale model sit rather well in comparison... I started putting the turret together too to get a feel
of the whole vehicle...
Rear shot of the combined hulls...
Side on view of the combined hulls together...
|
