Nice build for this great kit.Your step by step is very excellent!!!!!

Cheers

Thank you!

Well, we have wrapped things up and here is the final installment of the build.

First, with the paint on we went to do some light weathering. This product from Vallejo is one I have been experimenting with. It can be brushed or sprayed on and has a very light effect. It was applied generally all over the model but emphasized on the wheels and mud flaps.





When it dries it leaves a very light coating. Multiple coats will enhance the effect but did leave some tide marks. We also added all the lenses to the lights. A light wash of oils was added, mixing ochre and raw umber. Then we mixed up some pastel pigments to get a sandy looking color which was dusted over the kit, again working the mud flaps to blend in the wash.






We placed the lenses in the spotlights on the bar armor and began to place the panels. Again, assembly was not as difficult as we had initially feared. It is very fragile, but things held together.






The forward braces are shown in assembled position but are never mentioned in the assembly process. We trimmed them to match the photo at warwheels.



The spotlight that sits on the front of the hood/bonnet needed a specific base with a hexagonal shape. The sprue gate connectors had this shape. Very handy.




We attached the digger arm, but the rubber strip included in the kit (which is somewhat elastic and converted to a toy by an easily distracted child) was damaged. As a result we did not have any to make the basic hydraulic lines for the arm assembly, so we are looking for a suitable replacement that is appropriate for scale. We used styrene stock for the antennas on the rear with the plan to replace them with something better. The bases are rigid so making our own spring would be needed. Overall, we are very happy with the final product, even without the added details. The digger arm is moveable but very fragile, so while it makes a nice gimmick I think it would be best fixed in place.














Thank you for watching and the comments along the way. Andrew earned his reward and last night I have him a Bandai TIE fighter so he can have some simple fun. If anyone sees anything to fix, let us know and we can give it a try.

Wow Russ

you guys did a great job together and it turned out Very well and realistic, And the arm is movable?

Congrats.

jay

This has turned out very well and resulted in an impressive looking model of which you can be proud. Well done

Very Nicely done !!!

Thank you for the comments! It took a while to get it done, but it was worth it.

Thanks for posting your build blog. I have this kit and have been debating starting it but I think I will need to build a few more kits to get my process down before tackling this beast.

Great build and the final product is amazing.