Got a little more time this evening to work at the bench and continued with the assembly of the interior components. Steps 3 and 4 call for assembly of the Maybach engine and transmission. The engine itself is comprised of 15 parts and builds into a nice in-line 6 cylinder powerhouse. Use caution in removing the radiator fan from the sprue; there are numerous attachment points. I liked the exploded side view that is included in the instructions as it shows nicely the placement of parts D47/52 abd D55.
The assembled engine...
Step 4 is a simple 4 part assembly but the fit of B26 to B29 wasn't great and required some filling and sanding.
Step 5 assembles the winch. Straightforward and without any problems. The drive sprockets were also put together here.
Step 6 adds a few components to the frame assembly, but part B54 (see photo above) was no where to be found in my kit. It wasn't attached to the sprue and wasn't loose in the box. Gone. At least it's a part that will not be visible when fully assembled.
It was interesting that the tires were molded in the softer Dragon styrene. Nice tread detail and a good fit to the hubs. But they were mounted on a ring of the harder plastic. Cost cutting measure? Or does the Dragon styrene need the extra support? We'll see what kind of a seam shows on the inside of the tire surface when a coat of paint is applied. This will be important if one wishes to mount the front wheels in a turned postion.
Lastly, a word of caution that dry fitting is essential for proper placement of the transmission, fuel tank and winch to the frame. The instructions simple show arrows indicating attachment points, but these are not obvious without some trial and error. Take care to note how the transmission is positioned relative to the cross support in the frame assembly. It is shown best in step 7, not in step 6 which directs you to add the sub-assembly. An error here will mean that the fuel tank will not mount properly which in subsequent steps will make for an improper fit of the floor panels in step 13.
Same is true for the winch assembly. Dry fit and make sure that you understand how it attaches to the frame before gluing. It's not immediately obvious from step 7 of the instructions, unless the arrow shown above is clear to you....
That's all for now. Next step is to assemble the rear towing pintle assembly and glue it on. Then, it's time to give the chassis, engine and other components some paint before moving on. I assume that the chassis was oversprayed with panzer gray (or body color) rather than left in primer? At least that is what I had planned. Let me know otherwise if this was not the case. Thanks.
Don