In step seventeen the build sequence shows fitment of both front body moulding part WA4 and the cab-assembly to the chassis. A bad alignment here and it will have a knock on effect to many other parts. As I like to keep sub-assemblies separate to allow good paint coverage, I have adopted an alternative build sequence which ensures the engine compartment and bulkhead assembly (yet to be built) aligns nice and square with both part WA4 and the cab-assembly. And just as importantly nice and squre onto the chassis. I will explain shortly.
It is at this stage of the build you must attach the steering shaft to the chassis if not already added. Both the lower cab-assembly and the cab bulkhead-assembly assembled in the next step effectively traps the steering shaft in place.
The reason I have adopted a new assembly sequence of these major parts is that there are no markers on the chassis to align the cab-assembly square! You will experience if you place it on the chassis the only spacing reference is that it butts up to the steering shaft if this has already been fitted!
If you must fix both parts down at this stage I would advise fitment of part WA4 first. This does have a positive and precise connection onto the chassis by way off tabs behind the bumper bar that will locate into the front of the chassis legs. Once added this will dictate the spacing of the cab assembly. Beware if the front of the chassis legs are not perfectly square it will off-centre part WA4 and all subsequent major assemblies thereafter!
Line up part WA4 onto the front of the chassis legs first and then add the cab-assembly. The angled track guard parts of both parts align at
the steps ad there should be no gaps. It’s not obvious in the instruction drawings and all too easy to
mis-align but parts WA1 & WA4 under the cab-assembly floor just butt up
against the rear fuel tank brackets. Only a tiny portion of these parts (viewed in the image above) sit on the chassis legs and give any decent contact area to fix it in place.
My alternative build sequence steps seventeen through twenty-two
Having built a few of these I now find it much easier to build the bodywork into sub-assemblies off the chassis. I have found that you can attach part WA4, the bulkhead assembly, radiator housing, and engine panels as one sub-assembly and the cab-assembly as another. You will then end up with assemblies as per the below pic
To construct this way, you must first attach the steering wheel shaft to the bulkhead assembly built in step eighteen. It is connected by way of photo-etch bracing to the inside of the bulkhead and it must be added before adding the instrument panel. With this method of construction first check the spacing of the shaft whilst test fitting the bulkhead assembly on the chassis. This will ensure the bottom of the shaft aligns with the curved cut out in the chassis leg! This is far more important if you are leaving the engine side panels off and displaying the engine. If not, as I intend, it is far easier to simply cut the shaft in two just above the steering box. This lower section can be attached onto the chassis leg so you can still attach all the steering linkages.
This alternative method of construction will also ensure the radiator housing, engine hood and panels, and bulkhead panel, remain tight and square. Assembling it in this manner also has the added bonus of allowing you to add a painted engine to a painted chassis before adding the painted bodywork, and still be sure everything will align perfectly.
Ignoring step seventeen's instruction to attach it to the chassis, this is what part WA4 looks like with the engine and bulkhead assemblies (built in step eighteen) added
Which method you suse is up to you but continuing where we left off in step seventeen, we also have the exhaust pipe fitment which comes in two parts. They thread through the various holes and apertures in the chassis frame. Fortunately, the join is neatly engineered to hide inside the exhaust silencer box. I would recommend adding the rear section first to get the correct spacing. Although not pointed out in the instructions, there is a small hole in the pipe (see image below) just behind the silencer and this aligns with a pip on the horizontal chassis tube underneath the winch.
The front pipe section fits up through a hole in part WA4 and attaches to the engine manifold. It is a tight fit next to all the steering linkages. In my alternative method of construction, it is then far easier to add the front section of the pipe after adding part WA4 to the chassis. If the engine bay is closed up, you can simply snip the angled manifold end off. Attachment of both parts is far more challenging if the engine is to be visible as you must successfully wiggle it into position and align it to short manifold pipe.
Front pipework route
Steps eighteen and nineteen are where we build up the bulkhead assembly and the front instrument assembly. This step also includes fitment of the engine air filters and pipework.
Bulkead assembly fitted to part WA4 and the engine panels. Note how my alternative build sequence has allowed fitment of the steering shaft to the bulkhead without adding it first to the chassis.
If you have at this point kept the engine separate for painting, bear in mind that it will not fit in the bay once both the bulkhead (part WD12) and radiator housing (part A27) are fixed in place.
Also in step nineteen, we add all manner of cab and engine parts. The front cab panel with the instrument panel is also added. Trumpeter have bestowed us with a full complement of instrument dial decals, but check your references as the positioning is at odds with period images.
Step twenty adds just the PE lower reinforcing braces underneath part WA4 which are provided on the photo-etch fret. They are not a great contoured fit and have to be manipulated to fit in place.
Step twenty-one builds up the radiator housing, engine side panels, and the bonnet/hood, which all align snugly together. Whilst test fitting the engine panels to part WA4 you will notice some angled marks either side of the radiator housing location. These are witness marks to place the armoured panel which protected the engine on all the Flak variant kits. These should be removed on this kit.
Steps twenty-two and twenty-three finish off cab construction adding all the small accessories like lights, width indicators, and tools. Trumpeter have provided a thin clear plastic windscreen to sit in the plastic frame so you can add it and mask it, or far simpler, just add it after paint. The whole screen will hinge with care, but it is only by way of photo-etch hinges, so it won’t stand up to continuous movement.
Although a folded screen was not required for my build, I found that the windscreen frame would not fold forward, flat onto the bonnet. This was due to the connection of photo etch parts that connect the screen to the body. Oddly, it would only fold backwards into the cab! The photo-etch pizza slice shaped parts are orientated in the correct way, so I am not sure why?
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