Well, I caught up on a few projects and can now get started on a bunch more. Here is the first. This is the Hobbyboss ZTZ-96 I reviewed earlier, along with the Voyager etch that I also reviewed. I'll do my best to get them together. First thing to do with this kit is assembly of the suspension parts. Everything went together well with no fit issues.



Next up were the drive sprokets, road wheels and idlers. The drive sprockets needed a small shim to make them the proper width to fit the tracks.


The road wheels have a raised pattern and trimming off the attachment points was a little tricky as the pattern had to be carved out of the plastic to be shown.


Here is the full set. There are two distinct road wheels that have slightly different bolt head details and don't have the small holes in the wheel face.



Next up was assembly of the track guards. One side has stowage boxes the full length, the other has different stowage boxes and exhaust/intakes for the engine.


Light lenses are molded solid. I don't expect there will be an aftermarket upgrade for this area.




I wanted to see if I could actually form the small etch handles before I started removing too much plastic on the kit so I started by testing on the turret. Once I was satisfied (destroyed one handle and lost two more to the carpet) I jumped in and removed the handles from the recesses on the stowage boxes.




I'll have some time this weekend to do more with the kit. So far, no major fit issues encountered. Hopefully I won't need the etch parts I lost. It appeared that there were a couple of extras from the instructions. Tips, suggestions and comments are most welcome.

Quick correction. The instructions indicate parts from a "Z" sprue for the stowage bin handles on the track guards. This is an error in the instructions as there is no "Z" sprue and therefore no extra handles. I fixed the one I had bent out of shape and spent half the night on my knees searching the carpet. I almost always find the parts I lost, but almost always long after the build. I'll have to try to scratch some or improvise something to hide the missing parts.

I wouldn't worry too much about it Russ, it happens to us all!
I think the etch sheets should always come with spares for the very delicate and very small pieces as they always seem to get lost !

As for the build its coming on well, bit of a shame about the light lenses being moulded solid though.

Hi Russ
ZTZ-96.98.99 Even in China are difficult to find detailed information for reference. (I mean the vehicle appearance information). I hate this blockade.

Good luck buddy

Blackwater

Small update. I spent a lot of time working on this but don't hae much to show. That's how the etch rolls, I guess. First, a small explanation of the error with the etch, from the instructions. I should have caught this as I just did the review of the items. Anyway, as I said, there is no "Z" fret.


There are also supposed to be six of these handles.

There are only five on the fret. Four are placed on the engine deck and two on the exhaust cover, leaving you one short.



The instructions also state to remove the molded on detail for the intakes on the rear deck, but the etch is very fine and I felt it too flimsy to stand up to my handling. I carefully thinned down the sides of the molded on detail and placed the etch over the top. It fit fine and is much more stable. Some of the rear details are also visible.



I'm also working on the support brackets for the extra fuel drums. Both sets of instructions show all four parts as having the two holes centered in the bracket, but both the plastic and etch parts have holes in two brackets and none in the other two.



The periscopes looked comlicated but folded up easily. The CA glue I used to set the front cover piece in ended up creating a lens over the opening. The kit wire is a little difficult to work with but I have plenty of beading wire on hand.



There are also some teeny brackets to place on the headlights. I was able to get them on, but the etch light guards shown on the box are not included in this kit. The plastic parts are big, ill fitting and clunky, and hide all the details of the etch brackets. As I've mentioned before, the kit really needs clear lenses for the lights.



All of the etch basics are now added to the hull, except for the fuel drum brackets, which I didn't want to knock off. Next up is the turret. On a side note, I've been clearing off a few track sections each night, hoping I'll have them done by the time the rest of the kit is ready. It makes you appreciate Magic Tracks. The tank uses Live tracks by the looks of things, so single run tracks in a DS styrene like material would have been great. I spent my modeling money on another kit, so aftermarket tracks are out for now.

Stellar work on those teeny fiddly bits Russ- its always the way with etch- you work for ages and you realise you've still only progressed a step or so in terms of the plastic!

If you have some bubble packaging, you should be able to cut some clear lenses for your light.