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M48 - Loaded For Bear!

The upper body is next. Its construction is very straightforward to include addition of fender supports, toolboxes, lights and pad eyes. The only hitch here is that the fender supports at the very front of the vehicle require a hold be drilled in the fender for them to fit correctly (this is annotated in the instructions). A careful inspection will reveal marks where the holes go so this takes away some of the guesswork. I made a small pilot hole with my x-acto knife and drilled the holes out with a pen vice and drill bit. I also drilled out the end of a pipe that exits the upper body near the drivers hatch and directs a discharge over the right fender.

The gun-barrel and infrared projector is next on the list. Both went together nicely but the barrel takes a lot of work to remove the seam. This is also the step where you install the transparent glass for the projector. Care needs to be taken not to get a fingerprint on the film because you only get one with the kit. I suppose if you mess it up you can make another one with clear acetate. The light inside will need to be painted before closing up the projector.