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Building the Panzer 1

assembly

Construction begins with the running gear onto the lower hull. The running gear itself presents no problems; just ensure it’s the correct way up! Step #1 is building the bogies, two each side, and the first problem with the build presented itself in step # 2. The idler housings drawn on the instructions are actually different to the ones supplied in the kit. There is a small hole missing on each one, and to mount the assembly correctly, it is necessary to drill out the hole on each one that part # A10 fits into. It IS possible to fit this part without doing this, but in so doing it will present problems later on, so take great care with this part! Step #2 also requires that the photo etched strips that represent the lips on the fenders are added, and as these are fitted ‘edge-on’ as it were they could create problems. I found the best way to fit them was to bend them to the exact shape, hold them in place, and then, from underneath run a little ‘runny’ superglue into the join. Capillary action should draw the glue along the join, and then if necessary, some accelerator can be touched to the join to instantly cure it.

steps 3&4

These 2 steps concern actually attaching the running gear to the lower hull. There is a choice of early or late idler wheels, so check the references! I didn’t encounter any problems whatsoever with these steps.... which set me up nicely for the individual links of the tracks next!