• Front-side

Completely wrong shape at the front-side. It’s angular, but it should be rounded. The details are incorrect too and incomplete.

• Recoil-spade

The recoil-spade itself is good of shape and dimension but it has no details at all. The recoil-spade liftingarms are entirely wrong and should be scratch-built.

• Tracks, suspension and road/spocket wheels

The tracks can be thrown in the dust-bin right away. I’ve used the fine M48/60 tracks from AFV-Club. These are made to measure. A blessing in disguise. The road-wheels and the support-rollers are “open” (U-shape) at the rear. They’re closed with sawed out wheelparts from the Testors M47 Patton Tank. The spocket-wheels and the guard-wheels had to be scratchbuilt entirely.

• Fenders and dust-shield

The fenders are much too thick and had to be thinned. The fender dust-shields had to be replaced entirey and had to be provided with details and attachments for the fenders.

• Exhaust grills and airducts

The exhaust grills are replaced by photo-etched grills, the missing airducts have to be applied.

• Lights

Complete scratchbuilding of the headlighthousings with lamps and horn. Detailing of the tail lights.

• Powerplant and louvers/covers

I wanted to make an opened powerplant. Because of this, all present louvers/covers had to be moved and scratchbuilt (a hell of a job). Except for the muffer and exhaust outlet, I’ve built the entire powerplant, including batteries, cables, air-lines, air cleaners, oil coolers etc.

The Renwal howitzer/tube is totally wrong. That’s why I’ve scratchbuilt it entirely. I have no turn-lathe so I had to build and sand the whole tube to get it round and conical (grrrr.) . The following parts are added: Cradle group, recoil mechanism, recoil cylinders, gun shields, gun coverholders, telescope cover, breechelock counterbalance-operating, lever-carrier assembly, firing lock, hydraulic pump unit, all the adjusting cylinders and hydraulic cables, equilibrator balncing level, projectile rammer, etc.

I will only mention the parts I changed and reconstructed: Detailing .50 machine gun with ammorack and ammobox, drivers hatch and door with all handles, gunners door with all handles, commanders coppola, turret ventilating fan outlet, all periscopes, turret doors with all the torsion bar links, spare track holders, jerry can holders, stowage holders and straps, handles and grips, etc.

Instrument panels, periscopes, traversing console, ammunition hoist and track controls, projectile rack and powder container rack, seats, fire extinguisher cylinders, etc.

Once all of the construction work was finished, I airbrushed the base coat of paint to the model. Using (always) Testors Olive Drab. I applied three thin coats. The first thinned with 40% thinner, followed by a layer with 50% thinner and finally one with 75% thinner. The second color coat was applied with the same Olive Drab, but with 15 to 20% Matt White and 75% thinner added. This applied in a “cloudy” pattern across the model. The dust coat was applied sparingly to the bottom of the model using Matt Dark Earth. Inside the turret I used Matt White with some Matt Grey. The Howitzer Tube has a coat of Olive Drab plus 10% Humbrol Gun Metal. Than Gloss paint in the aras where the decals were to go, set the decals and allow to dry at least 24 hours, cover with Testors Matt Paint (only Testors Matt Paint is 100% matt), and allow the whole model to dry at least a week. Apply a heavy wash of brown and black oil paints and some drops Humbrol Matt Black. Then drybrushing with a mixture of: white oil paint, Humbrol 63, 74 and 179.