I replicated the pigtail lifting hook for Bourrasque using a wire type item from my wife's misc. craft supply box that already had loops of about the right size in them. It worked perfectly. I just pulled the end of the loop out a bit, carefully filed the tip to a point and then gently bent it back in (but not all the way). I drilled a hole into the plastic to mount it above the 75mm gun on the top of the mantlet assembly and voila, the pigtail lifting hook is good to go! Looking at my reference photos, it was apparent to me that the lifting hooks were crafted individually, and mounted in all sorts of ways so that each tank was unique. Bourrasque's was installed parallel with the front of the tank, with the pigtail point on the front. Other Char's had them flipped the opposite way, or even perpendicular to the front, so check your reference photos if you're building one of these.
I am rapidly running out of time as I'm building this tank for the Blitzkrieg Group Build over at www.armorama.com which ends at the end of this month, so I think I'm going to skip rest of the corrections I had planned (the 6 bolts on the 75mm gun mantlet and the mud scrapers).
The seam corrections are complete as well. I used Mr. Surfacer 1000, Q-tips and 91% Isopropyl Alcohol to fill in the seam errors with this kit. This is a great technique for filling in seams, especially if there is delicate detail in the area or there are hard to reach places. This way you won't damage anything, unlike the fill and sand technique. Just apply the Mr. Surfacer with a toothpick or small brush. After it has dried simply dip the end of a Q-tip in the 91% Isopropyl Alcohol (squeeze a bit off so you don't flood the model) then just gently rub the area where the seam is. It may take a few moments for the alcohol to begin dissolving the Mr. Surfacer, longer if it has thoroughly dried and cured. You may need to apply more Mr. Surfacer and repeat the process a couple of times until the seams are filled to your satisfaction. I did one more application after these photos and carefully cleaned up any Mr. Surfacer residue using Q-tips and the alcohol.
I sprayed on a coat of Tamiya gray primer yesterday evening so now it's ready for the base coat.
