Hi,
I'm currently building Trumpeter's Karl Gereat and I have a question on the drivers compartment. Trumpeter supply what looks like a hard cover which presumably was in place during transport. Does anyone know if this is meant to represent a canvas cover as I cannot find any photos of the covered compartment for reference?

Hi Andy, I believe it is a metal cover. Certainly the kit part looks like it is meant to be a piece of metal, with no special texturing or paint instructions, but if you take a look at this photo the object we're talking about is the cover sitting in place at the top of the ladder, the rim of the cover being exactly behind where the ball ends of the ladder are. You can see that it is slightly crookedly in place, resting on the right hand lip of the hatch.

The Panzer Tracts book has a more side on view of the same cover in place on Thor, and it is pretty clearly painted in the same camouflage paint work as the rest of the machine.

In the book Encyclopedia Of German Tanks WW 2 ( Chamberlain & Doyle ) there's a picture of a crewman standing on the cover ( page 254 revised ed. 1993 ) , so it must be metal not canvas.

Thanks. Great picture. I have the Big Bertha's Little Brother book on the Karl and that picture is not in it.

HI and many thanks for providing me with a definitive answer.

Andy, try page 26...

How did I miss that? Thanks!