Greetings all.
I've always wanted to document the construction of one of my vehicles from start to finish, and it seems that this project would be a good one to do. I purchased the AFV Club Stryker from my local hobby shop and then dropped subtle hints to my wife about what I would ideally like for my birthday. "What the hell is slat armor?" she asked. As it turns out, it was my evil sister who actually procured the Eduard "Big Ed" set of photoetched parts for me, so if this project eventually puts me into one of those funny canvas jackets with the pretty metal buckles and extraordinarily long sleeves that tie in the back, well, I can blame her instead of my wife.
I'll spare you all the details about what comes in the AFV Club kit, as others here (most notably Redleg) have posted detailed commentaries on what you get when you open the box. (And may I add that there are few joys in the world greater than the first look inside the box of a new tank kit.) Suffice to say, theres a s***load of parts.
The biggest problem was trying to figure out a good gameplan on where to start. There are about nine sets of instructions between all the Eduard parts and the plastic kit parts. You really have to refer to a couple of the sheets simultaneously to figure out what goes where.
If you think the plastic part of the kit is impressive, you oughtta see the parts included with the Big Ed set.
This is the basic set of parts that comes with the Eduard M-1126 Stryker set.
This is the set of additional armor for the sides of the vehicle, and new stowage racks and belts.
This is the exhaust cover and tiedowns for the front of the vehicle, and a whole bunch more of storage nets and tiedown belts.
Last but not least, the two HUMONGUS frets of slat armor.
The side armor plates seemed like a good place to start. The plastic parts that come with the kit are molded with all the little bolt heads in place, plus some other mounting hardware. They all had to come off. I had considered sanding them off, but then came up with a better idea. I put a router bit into my Dremel tool, rigged the Dremel to my small Craftsman drill press rig, and simply milled the offending parts off. A little sanding was needed, but nowhere near as much as I thought I'd have to.
Side plates sanded flat on both sides. The side plate for the left side of the vehicle had a very narrow section near the side escape hatch, so to save myself later grief, I simply cut the part and turned it into two pieces.
I have more to post, but since my crappy internet connection out here on the Amish Frontier is kinda iffy tonight, I'll pause here. By all means, let me know if I'm doing this the right way. This isnt the first kit I've done with photoetch, but it certainly is the most elaborate. I know not what I have gotten myself into.
Ranger Joe, Defender of Bunnies