Hey everyone
Judging by the overwhelming response to my intial post, I can tell that a lot of you guys have been sitting on the edge of your seats waiting for another update on this project 
...
Seriously though, I hope some of you take an interest in this project. I'd love to hear your feedback.
As I said in my opening post, my goal is to add some detail to this kit, but to do it only with what I have available - I'm not going to dump any money into it, I'm just going to see what I can do with little bits and pieces that I have lying around, and with some imagination...
I started with the rear troop entrance. The kit part, which is workable, lacks any detail:
Compare that to the real deal:
So the first order of business was to add some thickness to the kit part, and draw on the detail that I wanted to include. Enter sheet styrene:
After scribing the lines for the access doors, I made some door latches from thin brass wire:
Next, I needed six hinges, and two plates for the shackles that secure the ramp when it is closed. Again, enter styrene sheet:
Some stretche sprue approximates the actual hinge:
And some cut up aluminum from a soda can was bent to replicate the shackles:
And, voila - a semi-close approximation of the interior of the door:
I still have to add the pulley and cable that close the ramp (on the right side of the vehicle/ramp as you exit) and hope to get to that tonight.
I also may go back and replace the shackles. I am not getting wrapped too tight about precise measurements with this - I'm kinda giving things the eye-test: if they look OK, then that is good enough, but when I looked at the shackles this morning, I thought they looked kinda small, but we'll see.
There is one thing I can say abou tthis project so far - it has been a LOT of fun. It is great to sit at my bench, see the photo and think, 'Alright, what stuff have I accumulated over the years that I can use to make a close approximation of XXXXX...' This is the most fun I've had on a kit in a long time - both because of the challenge of it, but also because, as I said, I'm determined not to get bogged down in details - I just want it to look 'close' to what it really is. Perfection is not the goal.
Well, I hope you all enjoy and, as always, I'd appreciate any feedback...