David;

That pic answers the question! Yes, those Germans DID indeed change their minds and redo the mounts - as I had alluded to above:

[quote] There IS, however, some possible "right", here. It MAY be that The Germans did re-arrange and add those mounts to the rails... but they would then also have modified the chain-fall hoists to have the operating wheels further out-board to clear those mounts during deployment... This MAY be what happened. But it WON'T work as the styrene and PE kits show it assembled... [quote]

BOTH versions - that shown in Tony's pic showing the original fender-mounts for those frames (presumably on the earlier version prototype...), and your pic (and the APG example) "later version" - that being kitted - are correct, historically-speaking. The current kits of course using the APG animal as their guide... So, they ARE correct - just that we need to bear in mind the details...

The mechanical clearance issue of the chain-fall hoist operating wheels MUST then have been resolved - and the easy and likely way to have done this, I think, was to put the hand-wheel further out on its (extended) axle so that it would clear those two mounts bolted to the rail-sides (in kit and APG specimen).

Whenever I build my Heuschrecke kit, I MIGHT buy that snazzy-looking PE set - and move the suspect wheels out-board as needed.

Cheers!

Bob

David,

The Bandai kit captured my imagination. Glad this new model is out. May buy it. Your's is coming along great.



I always wanted that model but always bought something else. So it was a stinker, huh? Glad I missed it. Still have any of your 1/48 bandais to show us?

Hey David, in this case, yes, I believe the kit is wrong. As others have pointed out, there's no way for the lift system to work properly with those mounts sticking out like they do. It'd be different if they were hinged to fold flat against the lift rails when not in use.

I also believe that old picture you posted is the Aberdeen tank, which probably is, unfortunately, the basis of the models. Doing a picture search brings up a fair number of photos of the pallet sections on the fenders.

No No Dave i'm not saying you're wrong just that if anyone wanting to build it with the PE hoist set will have to modify something for it to work.

You're building the APG example and you're correct. I'm building the one that pictures show the pallet components on the fenders and i'm correct.
My problem is where did they carry that contraption when not in use

Carry on troop
Tony lee