James_B, your guess is as good as mine. PE is clearly NOT the way to go for spark plug wires. It's one reason I don't like PE chain: two-dimentional. Fortunately, there are many AM chains around, including those from Tiger. Sadly, no. I have left off the spare tire for that reason, but it's impossible to assemble the bike itself without the tires being glued on. The sidecar tire could be left off, though it would make lining up the mud guard a bit tricky in my estimation. And thanks, James_M, for the kind words. I'm having a ball building this little gem, and will likely order one or two for dios when it hits the market.

The Finished Bike The final assembly involves joining the sidecar to the motorcycle and adding the MG 34 and three map cases. The mystery parts shown above do, in fact, belong on the rear axle as confirmed by photos of the real bike. The fit is a little tricky, since the sidecar attaches to the body with a small pin on the frame and two delicate support rods that have to line up perfectly. I suggest putting the body on some kind of jig or support and then gradually lining up the sidecar. The MG 35 has some incredible detail, and is assembled from 4 parts: the barrel, lock and stock, the breach cover (which could be assembled open for loading, since the interior detailing is present), the collapsed front bipod, and the 50-round magazine. The barrel includes an opening, unlike most MG 34s included in almost all kits. The map cases are quite good, though I decided to fill in the backs, since the hollow construction would show. The cases include PE latches. The PE sheet has padlocks that presumably are for these latches, though the instructions are mute on this point. This was a fun build and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I am looking forward to adding some brake cables and better sparkplug leads, then painting it in a DAK camo to use in an sPA 501 Tiger/Pz. III diorama I’m planning. Bonus Round, Dude!!! I don’t know if Lion Roar plans on issuing the kit with the two trailers included in this review copy, but if so, then this kit is even a better value than I thought. Trailer #1: Trailer #2: PE Detailing: The two trailers have excellent detailing, though the tires are nowhere as nice as those on the bike. That’s a small price to pay for a bonus that gives diorama builders more tools for creating realism. These motorcycles were equipped with two kinds of trailer hitch to pull along the extra gear on campaign, and the kit includes bonus tires. The usual method of carrying the tires was to tie one or two atop the spare. That’s not a viable option in my opinion, since it shows the extra tires as inferior to the detailed tread of the spare (not to mention the gorgeous PE spokes). See below:

Conclusion Simply put, this is a major improvement over the existing bike kits in 1/35th. Certainly it beats the heck out of the old Tamiya kit, even with a $25+ Royal Model upgrade (the only thing better about the RM upgrade is that it includes inner spacers for the wheels which insure the PE is properly stretched). Although I have not handled the Master Box BMW R75 kit reviewed here by Martin Ciszewicz (https://armorama.kitmaker.net/review/3313), it does not appear to have PE wheel spokes and the other nice touches Lion Roar has included. Not knowing the price, though, of this kit once it comes to market, I can't comment on which is the better value. Some of the outstanding issues include the placement of the cylinder heads. As noted in the review of the Zündapp KS 750 w/o sidecar by my colleague Jimmy C. (https://armorama.kitmaker.net/forums/124855&page=1), there is some disagreement about the proper placement of the heads and the amount of “offset.” The kit either has the part placement wrong or the results are inconsistent with the real bike. There are also some PE parts unaccounted for, including padlocks (presumably for the map cases?). I have already addressed the absense in the assembly instructions for joining the sidecare to the rear axle of the bike, and Jason Cormier has pointed out that the PE spark plug cables are simply not doing the job. LR could easily address this problem by including a tiny strand of brass wire with the kit. But even if this kit were issued as is, I would definitely purchase others (perhaps a whole recce troop of bike supporting an Sd.Kfz. 222?). I applaud Lion Roar and thank Armorama for giving me the opportunity to review this kit.

Great build log, Bill, but I don't see any exhaust pipes.

a agree, the exhauste fits into the holes on the front of the cylinders, and attatches to the spall pipe on the left hand side.

%$&#ing $#@& all you guys know is how to harass a poor reviewer..... Seriously, I either missed A60 or it's not in the instructions (which are presently MIA in the stash after Hurricane Hannah blew through NJ and left my basement "moist." Here is the corrected part installed, though the fit ain't great (could be from a late application):

Sorry Bill, I was afraid LionRoar somehow omitted this!

You guys have got me running for cover, what with the controversy over the cylinder heads. I need to see if I can "gently" separate the bike from the sidecar without doing permanent damage, then swap the heads and fix the spark plug wires. My work is never done....

I apologize for the long time it's taken me to finish this project, but here are the finished photos of the Zuendapp 750 in DAK color scheme for the sPA 501 in early 1943: As you can see from the various photos, I toned down the weathering to make sure the crouching tiger logo was a hidden dragon. Thanks to the eds for letting me build this baby OOB. It's the best bike on the market in my opinion and one of the highlights of 2009 when it's finally shipped.