Trumpeter 1:35 B1 Centauro AFV 2nd series w/upgraded armour

[Andy the Sheep]

After more than 1 year here is the final result of my efforts :tired::relieved:.
I did a lot mistakes, the most of them related to the large intervals between the building session, large enough to forget all I did/did not during the previous one and what I planned for the next. :flushed:
E.G., I forgot I didn't mask the front lights transparencies and realized it only after the first three painting sessions. :rolling:
The camo net (painted cotton bandage) is there because the aftermarket weighted resin tyres are wider than the vinyl ones provided by Trumpeter; as a consequence the side skirts are not perfectly aligned and on the left side the defect needed to be hidden somehow.
The tarpaulin in the turret rear basket was made with PVA and Tamiya acrylics (a mix of NATO green and RAF Dark green) let to dry on a flat oiled surface then cut to the desired dimension and folded; as someone will notice, the basket has a very bad joint in the centre as it was too large to fill properly the gap it was supposed to, so I decided to cut a portion out but then the two parts didn't aligned properly...:surprised: probably my fault:thinking:.
Anyway, here are the pictures, followed by some tips for those who might build this kit in the future.
No aerials as I usually loose/break them in less than 5 minutes...:disappointed2:





and in its place on the shelf


Some tips:
1. Build the transmission and suspensions by block and not following the instruction sequence (stages 2 to 4): the small parts you are supposed to add in stage 4 (yellow arrow) are very fiddly to place correctly if the other suspension parts (circled in red) are already in place and glued.



2 Handles: glue them in place at least after phase 9 or even after phase 16: they are a lot, thin (which, per se, is not a defect at all) and evenly distributed on hull and turret, limiting the free handling of the model (unless you like to re-glue them many times and/or replace them with brass wire ones)
3. PE:

• the front lights covers are to be bended in a complex shape and their fitting to the hull requires some reference photos because the instructions are not very detailed and mistakes are very easy (ask me how I know):disappointed2:;
• the grilles covering the front round lights are very very small, require a complex bending and offer a minimal gluing surface. I gave up, but I know many among you have a PhD in PEology...:rolling:

4. Decals:

• support film thick and glossy; required a lot of Decalfix and some stippling with a stiff brush to sit them properly on non flat surfaces. Matt coats are then paramount to blend them decently into the painted surface;
• the decals for the 2 front hull lifting handles are in spanish while the others are in italian...:rolling:

5. The towing eyes are very fragile, they broke, almost all, during the weathering phase with oils; add them at the very end.

All in all an enjoyable and rather detailed model.

Andrea

[JayCee]

A very nice build of a rarely seen model, Andrea. Well done.
John.

[Guest]

You’ve still managed to make a good-looking model out of it, so you’re still ahead, IMHO

Some years ago I was thinking of buying one and building it as one of the ones the Americans had on loan while the Stryker MGS was still under development. If I ever get round to doing that, I’ll have to remember to come back here to look at your building tips.

[scottie3158]

Andrea,
That's a great looking build mate.