Here's a close up, I haven't installed on the one box with the hinge the fold down plate yet.

Once again when installing the unit be shure the back edge goes under the handle on the firewall.

With 3 Rounds under the floor you would think there would be some way of securing them so they don't get bounced arround and damaged.

The top view.


Finished for now.
Donald

I've been assembling the side Ammo Racks , I'll try to explain how I did it if it makes any sense , Ok here goes.
I glued the side and bottom parts together and let it dry. There are 2 different assemblies , the bottoms with the big dents go to the rear and the ones with the small ones go to the front. They are just placed on the hull, a round is placed on the bottom parts and the next support is placed on top the round with the tab being glued to the back part.


Repeat with rounds and supports as you go working to the top.

Remember only glue the supports to the side piece not the rounds as this will be taken apart for painting.

Top with final round and glue the top suport in place.

Make sure everything is as straight as wou can get it and let the glue set up hard.

Here's how it looks now, thr racks will be taken apart and painted before final assembly.

It's a really tight fit for the racks, it looks like the Ammo will have to be slid into the racks first then the racks glued in and finally the rounds secured.

The Front cross piece has a lot of push pin marks to be filled, maby visable maby not?


Done for today.
Donald

I have some more ready, first you should install the 3 #H14 parts to the edge inside the lower hull before installing the Ammo Racks.
The mounting pins will need to be trimmed by about 1/2.


I pre painted the Ammo Racks & a few other parts.

Ok now we get to one of the critical parts, installing the ammo Racks with the Ammo.
First off I did the Left Rear Rack to see if it would work.
Here is how I did it.
I glued the racks to the Hull making shure the one with the larger openings on the bottom was to the rear.

I placed a little glue on the pads and installed the first Round.

Then I repeated it for 3 more Rounds.

You will have to glue the above rack to the top of the rounds, but do that from the outside so it won't be seen.

Like so.

Repeat for each layer being careful of the direction of the rounds.

Ending like this.

I did this corner first because of the Verticle rounds in the corner, I figured if I could get it to work here the rest wouldn't be a problem.


Here I glued the rest of the Ammo Rack parts to the hull, Just be shure the Racks with the large openings on the bottom are toward the rear.

This is how it turned out.

I have a question maby someone can answer?
What is this?


The Kit gives you 9 of them but only calls out for 3 of them to be installed along the edge of the inner part of the Hull.
They look like Canvas bags with a metal rim and a metal cover.

Thanks.
Donald

I am definitely enjoying your outstanding build!!

Your crystal clear step by step photographs with caption descriptions are very informative.

MG 34 ammo bag perhaps?

https://www.afvmodeller.com/product/116-open-gurtsack-ammunition-bags/

Correct - they are ammunition bags, called girtsacks, and the one pictured doesn't look much like the real thing. If you read David Parker's book "Super King" you'll find lots of good information on them.

Regards

Rob

Google "mg 34/42 gurtsack" and there are picts of real ones. Trumpeter's kit part looks nothing like the real thing.

I agree, I don't thing I'll use them.
Donald

Here are some more that I might or might not use.
There are 2 Photo Etch Mg. Ammo Boxes to assemble, I'm not really good at soldering. It would have been better if they had done them in plastic and not Photo Etch. The detailing on them is lousy, no hinge or locking mechanism .

There are 4 Ammo Rounds that go on the left side, these will be covered later.



I added some Electrical Wiring to the Boxes on the right side.



That's it for now.
Donald

I think you shuold wash the parts to highlight the detail before glue them together.

Aber ones are much better

I'm not quits shure which parts you mean.
If it's the Brass ammo boxes, there isn't any detail , they are just flat Pe bent and soldered together.
Donald

I'm not shure which parts you mean, I didn't know that ABER made much in 1/16th. scale.
I do know that they have a Brass Muzzle Break in 1/16th. scale for the Panther. Hobby Easy has it listed for about $48 U.S. Dollars with free airmail.
Regards.
Donald

Today we have the drivers controls , there's a minor fit problem where they mount on the hull but it's easily fixed.

Next to paint it.
Finished for now.
Donald