nice job so far, everytime you build something i know im in for a treat, its just amazing how you do it.

Nice work Bill. That is a lot for one day.

Thanks Calvin, appreciate the comments!

James, you're right...I didn't realize just how much I'd gotten done until I went to do the write-up! Time flew and a lot got accomplished...I had to shut down though because my wife and I are watching Season 1 of Battlestar Galactica on DVD and we had set a time...and I went over it by almost 30 minutes because of how long it took to get the post together...almost got me in some serious hot water!

Looking great so far, Bill, and hope the wife was understanding with the delay Looking forward to seeing this one progress.

Thanks James! I'm very fortunate to have a very understanding and supporting wife! She always says there's far worse things I could be doing with my time and money after all!

Work continued from yesterday with the interior parts airbrushed with a base coat of 80/20 Dunkelgelb/Light Gray. Rather than mask off the contact points for the glacis and the rear bulkhead, I used the actual parts to perform that task since they are a tight friction fit and no glue or poster blue tack was necessary.



The Kar98 rifles were hand painted with the details done using the magnifier and then carefully installed. The interior was weathered by first stippling Burnt Umber using a round 0 sable brush to create a scuffed/scraped look for the high traffic areas where the crew would stand and serve the gun. The actual vehicle had tread plate on the floor but DML provides only the smooth surface since the hull is a direct copy from the 38tG gun-tank which didn't have a tread plate floor. After the Burnt Umber had dried, I stippled in some of the base coat color to blend things back in and make it appear more random. Dirt/dust accumulation effects were added using Mig Europe Dust pigment applied dry and scrubbed into the corners and blended into the scuff/scraped areas using both a dry and wet end of a q-tip. A pin wash of Raw Umber was applied to the raised detail, such as it is, to complete the look. The driver's knee pad was also installed.





The rear bulkhead was removed and reattached to the drive shaft to create one big assembly for the brake housing/transmission/drive shaft and installed into the hull floor. The drive axles, parts D46, were then installed to join the brake housing to the drive ends already installed into the hull in Steps 1/2. This is not the way, in hindsight, I would recommend doing this as getting the axles into position was a wrestling match and much harder than if the ends had been attached to the axle ends and then installed as one unit with the brake housing.



With the interior complete, it was time to go back to Step 4 and get the fenders ready for installation. I added all of the supports as directed except the front ones because of how they interact with the glacis, I wanted to be sure they were positioned properly.



I'm glad I did that as I encountered a slight problem with the right side fender, more on that in just a bit. The fenders were attached to both sides and I didn't try to introduce any sort of "kink" for fear this would interfere with the attachment of the fighting compartment extensions in later steps. The fenders were glued directly to the hull using the provided molded-on guide using regular glue followed by liquid glue. Once the fenders had set up, I added the front supports and installed the glacis. Once again DML's tendency to copy parts from a previous kit without modification reared its head. The original 38tG glacis plate had a small step on the right side that's not present on the Grille H glacis plate...but the fender support for that side still has the notch to accommodate that step. The result is a noticeable gap which required some careful putty work to fill and correct. The glacis was glued into position and the 3 small parts added as the basis for the gun travel lock. The brake inspection hatch was installed in the closed position



Steps 8, 10, and 11 all deal with the engine and since I have no desire to display the engine hatches open on this build, these steps were skipped. Step 9 calls for the installation of the glacis and inspection hatch which I've already completed. The support for the rear fighting compartment which overhangs the engine bay bulkhead was added and the rear Notek light installed along with the reflectors that I forgot to install in Step 4. This step also calls for the installation of a round brake light on the right side but reference photos don't show this fitted to the Grille H, so I left it off.



Finishing up the day's activities was the installation of the engine deck and access hatches. Three small holes need to be opened up B12 just above the air intake, which I accomplished using a #74 drill bit and pin vise. The PE screen was added as well and it should be noted that later on in Step 20 this screen vanishes and is instead replaced by another PE part, MA34, which I have no idea why it's there...the part is indeed a screen but it's far too small to cover the provided area...I gave it a try just to see since I was curious as to why there were 2 different screens included on the PE fret. MA20 is the correct screen from what I can tell based on my references and it includes the option to have the sliding metal insert...the few shots I have of the rear of Grille H's don't show this insert as present, so I left it off. The PE screen was attached and the bolts K18 and K19 added by slicing them off the sprue and carefully gluing in position with liquid glue. The three small bolts on the top right hinge for the access hatch were removed per the instructions to allow the perforated shell prep tray to be installed in a later step. The hatches were assembled and added to the engine deck and the entire deck then installed into the hull to complete the step.



Total Session Time: 6.25 hours

Total Time to Date: 14.75 hours

Looking very nice Bill. Very well done. Keep going. Can't wait to see what's next.

Thanks James!

Thanks for the link Craig, Ive made lots of notes about what to look for when I start mine.

Thank you too Bill for sharing your work with us. You should see my instruction sheet with all the tips and pointers that you and Craig's link to the Mil Mod have provided. I can't wait until you get to the fighting compartment. I really like the Dragons 38t family of kits, instructions aside, I also have the "Gepard" in the stash too. Thanks again !! Tom

My pleasure Tom, glad it's helpful to you!

In yesterday's update, I mentioned about the too-small grill that is called for in Step 20, MA34. The primary references that I'm using for this build are MBI's "Marder III & Grille" as well as Panzer Tracts No. 18 but I also flipped through Spielberger's Panzers 35t & 38t and Variants and found the following top-down shot of a Grille H. This is posted for discussion only and to correct my earlier commentary about part MA34.



This photo does indeed show some sort of addition on top of the engine intake screen that is smaller than the intake itself but it looks like a sort of field-rigged tray judging by the fact that there's an object inside it. The DML part for this has it as a screen covered raised extension though, so not sure exactly what they were trying to replicate in the end. The scheme on this vehicle is the splinter-type camo and is included in the DML finishing guide so if you wanted to replicate that vehicle it would be accurate, sort of, to mount it. This view also shows this particular vehicle had the sliding tray adjuster for the regular screen...which intrigued me further. Pics of the initial production vehicle in MBI don't show this slide present but here it is on an actual vehicle, so again it is an acceptable option if you want to go that route.



The above pic shows the same vehicle from the rear and also highlights another difference...this one doesn't have the armored covers for the idler mounts or the transmission access. This may indicate that this is a rebuilt earlier 38t converted over to a Grille (after 1942 38t gun-tanks returned for repairs were often converted to either Grilles or Marders as the case required to fill orders) since it also has a vertical exhaust pipe instead of one positioned at an angle but it's hard to say 100% either way. At the very least it certainly provides more room for variety!

Some more progress to post about today, normally I also get some time in on Friday nights but since yesterday was my birthday, I was a little "distracted" shall we say. Picking up from last weekend's update, I did some more browsing of reference photos and decided that the prototype photo that didn't have the sliding portion of the air intake was in the minority, so I went ahead and added the slide along with the tiny locking wing nut. Looking at those same photos, I noticed that the reflectors weren't present so those were removed and the points where they were glued carefully sanded down to remove the marks left behind. The presence of the extra raised screen on the intake seems to be a 50-50 proposition though...so I still kept that one off.

I also noticed that back in Step 5 I had missed the installation of parts F50/51 which are additional side supports for the fighting compartment. These are shown already installed in place in that step and have number call-outs but I overlooked it since it's the step that installs the fenders and the rear hull plate.



Steps 13 and 14 deal with the assembly and installation of the various tools and gear on the fenders and includes overhead diagrams showing the layouts for both the left and right sides. I removed all the tools from the sprues and cleaned them up but will not install them until after I've painted the exterior and before the fighting compartment sides are installed. The tools all require PE straps to be added, that will be done after they are painted as well. The tools are all "standard" Pz38t tools but the layout for the pick and shovel in particular are where the biggest changes are. The shovel blade is too thick to fit where intended against the rear hull side, so it was sanded down considerably to thin it out and get it down to the right size. Curiously the fender layout on the left side overlooks the large crowbar, part K1, but in Step 15 it's shown as already installed, so you have to be watching or you'll miss it.

I also constructed all of the spare track runs using the provided Magic track links. One run of 7 for the hull nose, one run of 2 for the right rear fender, one run of 5 for the right front fender, and one run of 4 for the rear fighting compartment exterior. The end links were drilled out using a #74 bit in a pin vise to simulate the missing pins and open holes on those links. Some of the links had raised ejector marks that required clean-up while others didn't, so not too much work required there.



One of the biggest let-downs for me in the tools department was the jack block. This one comes off the B sprue and while the instruction diagram shows it as nicely detailed with raised bolt detail for the binding straps, the actual part looks nothing like that. With the exception of the small wing-nut in the center, the part is devoid of any detail. I added the missing bolt heads using the leftover K18 bolt heads and created some wood grain pattern using the tip of a #11 blade and a magnifier.



Rounding things out for these steps was the assembly and installation of the jack and the front Notek light. The jack assembled without any issues but I had a major problem with the kit-provided PE retaining straps. The bend lines are extremely fragile and once bent, don't tolerate much movement/handling before coming apart. I found this out the hard way with the first strap while attempting to fit/adjust it...it fragmented into 3 different pieces while test fitting, so I had to scrounge replacements from my PE spares bin. These were added to the PE bases using CA gel and then bent to shape to secure the jack in place.

The Notek light base was installed first to the fender bracket using Gator Grip glue. Then the base of the Notek was added with the same glue, carefully positioning it in the correct forward position. Once dry, the hood/lamp portion was added using liquid glue to complete the assembly.



I stopped work here because the next sections are the fighting compartment sides and I wanted plenty of time to work with them in individual sessions, so that will be on the agenda for tomorrow's efforts.

Total Session Time: 4.75 hours

Total Time to Date: 19.5 hours

Excellent progress, Bill, I'm following this one with great interest. I'm curious about that 'six-pack' holder on the intake myself. The photo, and DML's marking scheme, for that one is supposedly from a captured 2nd Pz. Div. in Normandy. I have no other walk-around images of the Grille besides that one and the factory shots, hopefully more photos will emerge soon.

hope ya bday was good!
looking great. i may scrape a lil neergy together to do some of my marer tinight!
keep it up ,
james

Thanks James and James!

The MBI book on the Marder & Grille has a factory shot of completed Grille H's being loaded onto railcars that also shows the holder in place...but the same photos showing the interior layouts of the final design (not the prototype) provides a glimpse of the rear that doesn't have it, so that's why I'd say you can pick and choose. Then 2nd PzDiv vehicle definitely shows it in place so if you chose that scheme, it would be correct to add it for it at a minimum.

NIce progress as always Bill and happy Birthday belated BTW. Jim

Thanks Jim, much appreciated!

I tried to make the most out of today's efforts since I know I won't be able to do any work on this next weekend due to a business trip to Fiji that requires me to leave on a Saturday in order to arrive on a Tuesday...got to love the International Date Line!

My goal was to get the interior of the fighting compartment completed and I met it but it took a lot longer than I had anticipated. I started in on Step 16 which is a monster of a step with lots of sub diagrams and parts to deal with for the left hand side. The first order of business was to remove several unnecessary molded on locator marks as directed in the instructions. The little box that highlights them in blue misses a couple though, so you have to check carefully to be sure you're getting them all. I did this for both sides and used a micro-chisel on some of the harder to reach ares while the rest were removed with a #11 blade. I should also note that you have to be very careful removing the sides from the sprues as the tops in particular are very thin and it's easy to gouge them if you aren't paying attention.



The first item of importance was dealing with all the various and sundry radio gear and power/transformer equipment. Since I intend to wire these up using 0.5mm solder, the appropriate holes were drilled out using a pin vise while the actual wiring will be added later after things are painted and installed. The instructions contain an error in the call-out for the intercom box, it's labelled RA48 when it really is just RA8. I was originally going to use part F85 (it's hidden on the F sprue but there if you look closely) but it tweezerpulted into oblivion, so I had to use the not-for-use part F1 which is designed for the Grille M. The wire has to be re-bent in the opposite direction but otherwise is the same. The radio rack is an exercise in patience to assemble...it's a two-part styrene assembly with a 3rd PE insert to hold the smaller transformer, but each of the styrene parts has 7-8 nodules or sprue attachment points that have to be cleaned up...and since they are very fragile, a new sharp blade will serve you best here. The frames were assembled and the PE insert added alone instead of attached to the transformer as the instructions would have you do it.



The rack was then installed into position and all of the various gear dry fit to insure it would all play nice together. The smaller transformer that sits on the PE insert had to be sanded down in order to fit into its allotted space. This is a direct result of these parts being reused parts (the RA and RB sprues are generic radio parts) instead of parts specifically designed for the rack they go into. Otherwise everything else fit tight but manageable. I added the solder wiring to the antenna junction box and the intercom box before installing them into the side and left plenty of wire to work with which will be cut down later after painting and the radios are installed. I opted for the PE rain guard for the radios but the instructions are a little vague on how exactly it's supposed to install. The PE part doesn't have a bend line etched into it, so I used pliers and carefully introduced the slight angle that it needs in order to sit properly and flush with the top edge of the side.



Next I installed all the various boxes and the gas mask container to the front areas as called for with their locator marks. The gas mask PE mount is more complex than it needs to be...it's 3 parts, one for the base, one for the curved holders, and a 3rd for the strap itself. You end up stacking the three parts together and then strapping the container in place and all the detail is hidden as a result...the only benefit from this approach is if you want to show the holder empty. The three shell holders and rack were assembled and I opted to show these empty since it would be extremely tough to paint the rounds once installed and in place. The kit only includes enough parts to show one side or the other empty, but not both, so the right side will have the full racks. Construction of the racks is a tricky exercise, the instructions just show the holders already attached to the racks and then the rack installed into place. I got around this by first gluing F24, the front rack bar, in position without attaching the round holders. The holders were then glued into F25, the rear rack bar, and then glued into place. I used liquid glue to position the "free" ends of the holders into the slots on F24...getting a level and properly angled rack in the process.

I deliberately left of the small seat cushion and the MP40 holder since they would get in the way of adding the radio equipment and completing the wiring, but they were cleaned up and set off to the side for later.



That finished up Step 16, so it was on to 17! This dealt with the right side and the first order of business was to assemble the 12 charge boxes. 10 required the molded on top and bottom ridges to be removed while 2 only required the bottom removed.



The boxes were then assembled into 2 stacks of 6 each and installed into position. The right stack ends up being taller than it's supposed to be judging by reference photos but by removing 2 rivets on the bracing panel I was able to get it to sit virtually flush with the top of the superstructure side. The left stack sits at the proper height, so not sure what the cause is other than the dimensions on the boxes are incorrect. They don't have to be off by much...just a fraction of a mm each to produce this kind of compound error...but it's there.

The 4 shell racks were added as well...and aside from the instruction diagram, no guidance is provided on their location. I added the first and then the fourth to set the distance and then spaced the second and third as evenly as possible to get them into position. Each shell has a prominent seam that runs top to bottom, so this had to be carefully sanded down with a sanding twig to remove it.

The PE glass block holder was bent to shape and installed in position along with the retaining strap but I decided not to add the block itself as I think it looks better empty. The gas mask container was also added with the MP40 and seat cushion also left off on this side for now.



While looking around on the floor for another part I found the missing F85...but since I'd already wired up F1 and glued it into place, I just snipped off the wire portion and swapped it out with the wire portion on F1...that way it had the right height and spacing and wouldn't require any further modification like F85 would've. I also added the rearmost braces, F34, to both sides and test fit them to the hull to be sure they were in the proper position and angle. So, the results of today's efforts...



Total Session Time: 7 hours

Total Time to Date: 26.5 hours

It looks very cool. Not only your build inspires me. You also got a nice way of making build logs.

Lars

Thanks Lars, appreciate the comments and support.

Making fast progress on this one Bill. Nice work. Very nice work as always.

Thanks as always James!

I managed to sneak in some rare non-weekend bench time this evening and put in some effort with Step 18. I thought this would proceed smoothly but hit a snag in relation to the large 6 round box that mounts to the engine deck. I followed the instructions guidance in attaching the PE frame to the underside but when I test fit it to the engine deck immediately realized that there was a size problem.



In checking the layout in the MBI book, the "feet" of the mount are placed with the rear foot just ahead of the rear engine hatch hinge and the front foot 2 rivets behind the front engine hatch hinge. In reality, the frame doesn't position there at all...it's too large...so I flipped ahead in the instructions to see what the diagrams showed.



In Step 19, the front of the box is shown virtually flush with open edge of the lower compartment right above the bulk head to the engine compartment.



Again in Step 20, looking from the rear, it shows one foot just ahead of the rear hinge but the front foot is on top of the front hinge.



This confirmed to me that the DML design of both the box and the support frame have it too large vs. the MBI photo. To accommodate this, DML moved the box forward in the installation to be flush with the bulk head...but it's not the right position. To address this, it's necessary to position the rear foot behind the rear hinge and not in front...and then the front foot can be positioned in the proper 2 rivets behind the front hinge position...after you remove the rivets of course. Rivets needed to be removed for both the front and rear feet to mount cleanly to the hatch and in the proper position. Once those were out of the way, I installed the box into position. The PE details for the side latches were then added along with the PE handles. The perforated side tray was also added along with the little triangular "wing" PE extensions for the hull sides.





It's also worth noting that DML got another small detail wrong...the small box that mounts on top of the ready round box is mounted on some small shims to make it sit level instead of slightly angled...I noticed this after I'd already glued it down and didn't want to pry it up and go through the sanding and cleanup from already being glued down to elevate it a fraction of a mm to replicate the look, but it's something for others to be aware of should they choose to add this little detail. I left the commander's seat off for now to better facilitate painting and detailing, it will get added later on. Same thing with the cleaning rods which are supposed to peak out from under the large ammo box and of course the compartment sides have been left separate to facilitate their painting as well.

Total Session Time: 1.75 hours

Total Time to Date: 28.25 hours

nice model.hope