Appreciate the comments!
Fingers,
I know the heavy weathering/dusty look is in vogue and I like/enjoy the aesthetic that various builders are able to produce, but since my finished items go into a display case as stand-alone items, that kind of weathering always looks out of place/context to me, so I lean towards the lighter/subtle side of things. They would never be what you would call “factory fresh” and the camera pics/lighting has a tendency to mute some of that, almost to the point of non-existence, but it’s there. The dust/dirt effects are there in varying degrees on the tires, underside, running gear, etc. along with the wash effects and slight scratching to the upper hull. I don’t tyipically apply the 20km road march dust effect unless it’s on a base to suggest that sort of activity. Just my preferred style. [:)]
Tigerman,
The few reference photos I’ve dug up on the 234/2 indicate that the straps holding the jerry cans were metal with the buckles and were painted hull color. While they look like leather straps, the photos of vehicle 1111 in GroundPower 7 (July 2000) clearly show they are strip metal type and match the hull color/camo pattern.
Schweinhund,
I’d considered that, along with some foliage around the superstructure and turret, especially since there are some great dio potential shots with the hatches open and the commander sticking out of what looks like a mobile hedge! [(-D] I went half-way though and put the scratching/chipping around the areas where the foliage loops are but minus the ropes that would’ve been used to secure it.
LemonJello,
There are only two areas of the kit that are problematic IMHO. The first being the lower hull to upper hull fit, depending on how well yours is molded, there may or may not be a gap at front, rear, or both, but it was easily fixed with a little putty/sanding work. The second is the gun barrel and muzzle brake. The muzzle brake is undersized, being the standard PaK 38 barrel and not the larger version used on the KwK mounted in the Puma. A third area to watch out for are the wheels/tires and suspension. The wheels/tires are molded in two halves and they don’t always mate up correctly. This is easily solved by sanding the interior circular portions that are supposed to mate up but it requires a lot of back and forth in sanding, test fit, sanding, test fit, etc. and each wheel pair behaved just a little differently from it’s neighbor. [:D] It was a fun build though, a nice break as 95% OOB kit that I originally started as an “exhibition how-to” while our IPMS club was doing a community outreach day/display at the local mall. Figured people should see what’s required to achieve the end product, so I had this kit, glue, knife, pair of nippers, pair of tweezers, tube of putty, one sanding twig, and some toothpicks and that’s it.
