Couldn't resist starting this one

Construction begins with the road wheels - 30 all up...



Sprue attachment points are a bit bigger than I would have liked but careful cutting should negate and issues.

Each wheel has two parts which easily glue together. They'll need to be left to allow the cement to fully cure before putting them on the axles if you want them to rotate...



Think I'll stop using my modelling bench cutting surface as the background as it doesn't make for great images

Gary

Will be following this with interest.

Welcome along Soren

Idler and drive wheels....



Disappointing that there are so many prominent seams to have to deal with

Gary

Nice,will be following along.

Hi Anthony

The wheels are 'trapped' between the two side plates and are then attached to the main suspension carrier....



1 of the 3 required units completed....





Gary

Lots of little wheels!
Dan

love it. I will be following along.

I got mine in the mail today, looks really nice, but I need to finish the three other kits I have started before I dive into this one.

Unfortunately, my willpower isn't as strong as yours Steve

All 3 now complete....



Gary

Onto the floorpan next and the final drive unit....



Vinyl collars for the drive sprockets.

Next up, the floor side plates....



Gary

With the floorpan sides on, the return roller support brackets are next up....



Fit between the halves isn't great but won't be seen on completed model

One side's worth of return rollers....



All in place....



Main suspension units fixed in place...





Tracks are up next....

Gary

Tracks. Nowhere near as good as the Tamiya offerings, but do the job nonetheless. 2 parts per link and 48 links per side. Clean up of each link is a paint but they go together fine...



... and wrap around the wheels as they should....



Other=s ide tomorrow.

Gary

Could the track tension be varied by the seperate idlers?

Hi Hans-Hermann

The kit idler is not adjustable, but you could easily make it so with some minor work.

Gary

Second set of tracks now and the cabin floor sections are next....



2 HUGE radiators each end of the engine compartment...



Forgot to take some WIP shots, but driver's section is nicely detailed and looks the part. The two leather chairs wouldn't look out of place in a CEOs office







Now, I'm afraid to say, it's not all been plain sailing

The soft plastic makes cleaning up of seams etc a real chore - and there are lots of them. Even minor flash in places. The biggest headache though was the radiator/driver's section assemblies due to poor fitment. I'm going to have this vehicle buttoned up so am not too fussed this time round about everything looking perfect, but I needed to do a fair bit of modifying to get things to fit.
The two locating blocks on the hull floor for the radiators stop the bottom of the rad sitting flush with the floor. I ended up removing these blocks completely. I also found that the driver's section floor sits slightly too low. So, if I do another build I would cut off the two centre support sections which are moulded as one piece on the lower sides (Parts B1 & B18) and assemble the upper section as one before attaching it to the floor.
I also had to make some slight adjustments to the bottom corners of parts A10 and A9 to ensure they fitted between the floor plates. Basically, the message here is dry fit all the way before committing to cement.

While I'm enjoying the build and it is making into a nice kit, things like this are a real let down and surely not something you should expect from a modern day designed kit?

Gary

thanks for all the tips,keep em coming as I now have one on order.

Got this kit on the bench. Looking forward to your build and starting mine.

5.7-cm Maxim-Nordenfelt gun. Soft detail and fit is poor in places but makes into a nice little cannon overall....





With its shield and ammo box in place....



MG operators get their own little seats with ammo box storage racks....





Rear section has a rack for 4 Mauser Gewehr 98 infantry rifles. You also get a extras with bayonets fitted, 8 hand grenades and a pair of MP18 SMGs with ammo drums. Nice touch.



6 rather nice Maschinengewehr 08 7.9mm MGs provided. Disappointing that you have to drill out your own muzzles though. Ammo belts need to be bent to shape which will need care to prevent snapping them....





Previous experience over the years has taught me to not always follow the instructions and I'll be deviating from them here.

The 4 side panels....



Not an issue for me on this build, but there are some pin marks and other raised lines on the inside which will need to be dealt with....





I've sometimes found that attaching large panels like this directly to the hull floor doesn't always guaranteed proper alignment of the corners so I've glued all 4 panels together separately from the chassis...



A few of the cut outs in the floor plates (G34, G35, G36 & G37) need to be opened up slightly otherwise the internal vertical ribs won't fit properly. There are some slight gaps at each end. I would strongly recommend fitting the triangular gussets (J16) after the upper hull is in place ..





... so I feel vindicated in my process. If following this method, then remember to remove the raised locating strips at the base of the side panels.

Overall, fit from the outside is fine though each corner will need a little tidy up once the cement has fully cured. And beginning to look like a real behemoth now....



Gary

MGs are fitted in place without any hassle along with separate shields on either side of the main casing...



Roof goes on next and fitment is pretty good overall. You also get separate intake vent covers - these need careful clean up around the edges to remove a seam line so as not to damage the rivet detail....



Wouldn't have been much fun at the best of times being inside one of these but given that the vents on the top are open, imagine it raining or shrapnel from airbursts

Gary

Don't know which would be worse, be one of the guys getting rained on at either end, or getting slow roasted over the engine in the center.

Bob - they could at least take a shower if they got too hot

Further updates inc doors, visors, exhaust etc....





Hands up those who knew Krupp did a cabriolet version

Gary

You can plate over the gun opening and install two more MG08. This will give you Wagen 501 "Gretchen", the only female A7V.
So anyone does AM MG08?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mO3ibZbMkdM

looks great; but your updates and progress are steadily dissolving my resolve to not buy any more kits until I finish a shelf queen. Or two.

I expect to give in any day now.

Kylie

turret panels could be folded down