Thanks Gary. Got enlisted now. Got to finish the reviews I'm working on. finish painting the 1/1 scale living room because of a 1/1 scale fire and I'll be off getting my gun truck ready for rush hour traffic.

I'm going to build Rye Field Model's Bergepanzer Tiger I

Looking forward to see that build, Irvin, I've been wanting one of those!

The Hippo waddles on....







I finally have the basic structure of all the boxes involved with the rear deck, minus the crew cab. They all will be detailed before being glued in place later. Some will need to have holes cut for screens and louvers, and one needs a fan unit dropped in the top.

Now for the engine deck, box support structures, etc. Then to the crew cabin....

Bob

Looking good and intricate, Bob...

Thanks for the comment.... it isn't to bad so far, having the drawings and a lot of photos helps a lot. On the last one, Bulldog BARV, I had over 5 or 6 crew cabs at least partially built before the one I finally used....


Just a few of them. Ended up with a bag full....

They tell me that was a learning experience. We will see if I learned anything when I get to the crew cabin on this one.

Bob

Hi

Bob that Hippo looks like a real challenge, but if you have made so many sub assemblies to get one right, you certainly have the patience and skill to do it justice.



Would a PzKpfw IV Ausf D/E Fargestell fit the bill? This is the Panzer IV kitted out as an ammunition carrier for the Morser and rail guns the Germans used in WW2

That definitely fits the bill. I would love to see this build!

Peter,

Patience? I once tossed a model over my shoulder when the track wouldn't fit right... The thing is that I picked it up later and it only had a couple dings and I finished it off... Hetzers bounce nicely....

I like the looks of your ammo carrier, and I am with Clayton... I want to see it go together. The crane assembly looks like it could be a lot of fun to rig.

Actually, I think we have some really interesting builds going...

Bob

Bob, Progress looking good on that Hippo.

Well, It's finally time to get started on my build for this campaign. Here is what I intend the final version to look like:



I plan to build it with the drive sprocket removed from both sides, as the picture is unclear if this was fact. So, it will be my option. The FAMO and trailer is already completed and waiting.



So, here is my start of the kit.

That's going to be a real head-turner when you're done with that, Mark!

Okay. I'm in then.

Ambitious project Mark. Are you building Out of the Box or correcting the faults in that kit? I have one started, but have not gone back to finish the scratch building I strated of the support rails and the bridge ends fixes.

The kit is designed that the support rails converge toward each other at the rear and bridge is dragged over the rails, when in fact, it was drawn over gears using the bolts in the parallel rails as 'teeth' for the gearing

Peter,
I plan to build it "out of box". I'm not much into scratchbuilding. I will need to get some Kaizen or Fruilmodel tracks to more easily replicate the tracks with the drive sprockets removed (as in the pic). I absolutely hate gluing individual track links and then trying to get a good fit. Of course, the vinyl tracks won't work for this situation either.

Progress has started. The drivetrain is ready to be painted. Suspension is attached, and rest of the tub is finished. I won't bother putting in the interior, as it won't be visible when finished.

Good start on the Bruckenleger, Mark.

Mark, coming together nicely, and a lot faster than mine...

Speaking of that... a small update...



More boxes, and the sides of the rear deck are filled in. The holes in the rear deck have had plastic glued across them inside the hull for strength.



I was going to have a full length rear deck, but every time I would trim one side to fit the other side was off... so I decided to cut it off where the existing engine deck angles. Some sanding and it is flat all the way across. As for the holes in the original engine deck... they don't matter...



This is a paper pattern of the raised engine access hatch that still has to be made and installed.

After that, I move on to the crew cabin....

Later, Bob

Building OOB is probably best Mark... or you end up like me, with a shelf queen awaiting a spark of interest to go back and finish it

Looking good so far.

...and speaking of OOB (and not), some amazing work there Bob. progress is progress, no matter how "little". I know the time it takes to get one scratch built part made and fitted, and you feel like progress is at a snails pace. Going to be a great build in the end though.

Yes, that BRV is going to be a unique model.

You have a few parts there, Peter...

You only see half of the PE and you can barely see the track links - no 'Magic Tracks' here, just a whole mess of sprue attachment points to clean up....



Not that I usually use them, but after 10 years in the box, the vinyl ones are a bit distorted



The sprues are dated 2006, and I bought this new back then..... hard to credit it was that long ago.

Started this last night. Managed to lose 2 of the damper rubbers already.... and can't blame the carpet monster, it was a tiled floor. I expanded the 15 second rule to 15 minutes, and still no luck finding them. I blame Gremlins...

Steaming those band tracks might help...if that's what you prefered to use...

I avoid the vinyl tracks in kits if possible. I have an old Dragon Ausf E (one of the dodgy first releases) that I picked up cheap at a swap for spare parts (which I now have an abundance of, with all the Dragon Panzer IV based kits I have accumulated over the years). It has the magic tracks and I might go with them. Probably the later wider 40cm size, but shh

Alternate is to spring for Fruil... or just suck it up and see how the Trumpeter ones go.

I have just realised the kit, whilst calling out an Ausf D/E can only really be build OOB as a D as the wheel bump stops are the early kind, as are the hinges on the brake housing inspection hatches.

A couple of call out errors here. The two access hatches on the upper hull have the triangular panel pointing rearward. The Panzer IV radio operator hatches had this fitting pointing forward. Even though one hatch is behind the other in this vehicle, as the fitting is on opposite sides of the hatches in the kit, it is not depicting that the same hatch was used for both openings on this vehicle.

Also the Brake access hatch details are very flat. The hinge mount accross the face of the hatch should be tapered from the hinge down to the hatch face, but the kit ones are a flat 'bar'. The raised edge of the hatch is too smooth as well. I am going to try and cast the Tristar hatches for the hull and Brake inspection openings to correct the errors (but the hull access hatches have round ports in them, so I will have to remove that from the casting....

Well, post those bands on the Track Exchange, you never know who might want them