International Scale Modeller

Hello everyone!
I found this in the bargain bin at the local hobby shop for 1/2 off what a new one retails for.
I was going to do Prip Prillers FW190A8 that buzzed Sword beach on D-Day but I don't think my modelling skills for aircraft are up to par yet.



These are the markings and camo pattern that I am going to do.
It is from the Panzer Lehr Division in Normandy during the D-Day invasion.


Box color reference.



Sprues, instructions, photo etch etc.

It will be my 1st attempt at a tricolor paint scheme.
I have yet to find any photos or history of this particular vehicle yet.
This is my 1st thread since joining so wish me luck.

Nice choice I will be interested in this build.

Looks a cool kit , I will follow with interest

Nice and grats on getting it half off.

Very nice - great value too

Nice stuff, looking forward to the build.

Always had a soft spot for German 8 wheelers, very modern looking.

Great find, looking forward to following.

The build.
I am going to do this model in 3 parts.
1. Build
2. Painting
3. Weathering



Step 1 completed.
No issues with the fit of the parts.
No flash on pieces, typical Dragon quality.



Step 2 completed.
Typical Dragon vague and convoluted Instructions are as always hard to follow.
So I cut all the parts off of the sprue and did a test fit before gluing to make sure everything lined up.





Step 3 completed
Had a good size gap on both sides of the 4 leaf springs.
I solved this by using Tamiya extra thin on one side 1st and then when that dried I glued and clamped down the other side.
No problem but again the instructions clearly show a spacer under the springs that doesn't exist in the kit.

NICE!

This looks like a colorful tank...will be nice to see how you shade and weather this.

Nice detail on that kit. Im looking forward to seeing the finished model.

Suspension Cont.
For some unknown reason at part 4 the instructions have you leave the suspension and move onto the interior build.
I decided to jump to part 8 thru 10 to finish the suspension.








Attaching the lower hull to the suspension.
I little bit if a gap that was removed by gluing one side 1st then working across.





The completed suspension.
I decided to leave the wheel hubs off so I could prime the lower hull/running gear easier.
I will attach them directly to the wheels later.

PS I screwed up during the build and was able to fix the problem with a Excel #13 saw blade.
Can any of you spot the mistake I corrected?

Lower hull interior build steps 4 thru 7 complete.



Front drivers seat.



Rear drivers seat.

Upper hull interior build steps 11 thru 14 complete.



Front drivers position, drivers upper hull escape hatch can be displayed open or closed.
The 2 lower hull escape hatches can only be displayed closed.



Rear drivers position, all visors are movable.
I have 5 small parts that mount onto the visors but I have yet to figure out how they go on.
I am looking for any reference photos of the 234.

I got bored so I jumped forward into the turret build.
Step 21 thru 24







The turret was a pretty straight forward build with no issues.
In the background you can see some of my unfinished misfit toys.
PS. I got a new Iphone 5S and this thing takes very nice photos!

I continued on to step 24 to finish the tires.








To seal the small open gap in the center tire tread I used Tamiya super thin glue to melt the pieces together.
The hull half's still haven't been glued yet because I'm debating what to do with the interior.

Nice interior detail. Can the hatch (is it an escape hatch) be modelled open?

p.s. I couldn't spot the fix up in the previous post.

Russ

Nice work!
This looks like a very nice kit

Nice progress so far
The dragon 234's are really good and loads of details and parts for the chassis
After seeing this i can't wait for the 6 or more wheels sig
I have the 234/1 for it
Should be yhe same as this for the moat of the build
Cheers Mark

I decided to prime the interior and paint it before continuing with the build.
I used my Badger Patriot 105 to apply Ammo of Mig Black primer with 25% thinner at 15 psi air pressure.







I allowed the primer to dry for 4 days.
I then painted it with AK Interactive RAL9001 Cremeweiss AK092 with 33% thinner at 13 psi air pressure.
I like the way the black primer gives the interior some subtle preshading.
I left the engine section black to hide it when looking in the open air intake grills.

The build continues...

I finally finished the assembly part of the kit.
Now begins the painting.
I primed with Ammo of Mig Black Primer A.MIG-2005 for a pre-shade on the undercarriage, turret, pioneer tools and wheels.
I then over sprayed with AK Interactive Dark Yellow Primer AK176.

















Update:
I installed and primed the antenna mount that I missed during the build.
I also primed the 9 wheel hubs AK Dark Yellow and painted the wheels with AK 720 Rubber/Tires to give them a worn look.
I used AK 712 Thinner and had no problems spraying the paint thru my Badger 105 Patriot.

I just caught up on your thread Luft.
She looks awesome so far. I'll be interested to know what camo you end up with.