Pzkpfw. I Ausf. A, Orlik, 1:25

Added a lot of small details:

Towing and lifting hooks

Main light

Some kind of breathing tube

Horn

Front fender hinges and auxiliary lights

All on it's place

Errors:

None

Thanks mates

Continue with little details on a hull.

Axe

Shovel

Extinguisher

Crank lift

Attached to designated marks

Errors:

Minor - part 332 not pointed correctly on drawings, part 350doesnt have color inside

Made an antenna

Decided to go with moveable, so i rolled some 80 grams paper on an axle, so it will insert tight into antenna base. This will hold axle from the other side when it rotates

Glued to its place. Was some issue with antenna base. The slop wasn't calculated right and I was in need to cut and try until it was positioned with right angle on a hull

Antenna lies in its protection rail

Antenna raised

Errors:

Antenna base slop doesn't match angle of a hull

Next step was exhaust pipes and mufflers and some lifting hooks.

It had challenging part - muffler perforated cover.

I could not leave it like that, without punching holes, because this part top visible.

So, I decided to make all the holes...something like 1674. I've already had small hand drilling tools and the diameter I was in need to punch was 0.3 mm, the smallest drill I had.

I strengthen part with glue and started to drill. First row went ok... on a second-row drill broke in a half... on a third-row drill broke nearly near base.

Holes became very teared, and I gave up... This paper cannot hold so many dense punches.

Luckly, I remembered that I still have spare laser cut perforated part from Sherman model and luckly again it almost fitted perfectly by size.

So, I measured, cut and painted it and solved this problem.

Pipes were made from 2 mm solder and 0.5 mm solder wrapped on it to imitate insolation

Really pleased with this solution!

Errors:

Parts 370 don't have paint on inner side as it should be, Painted by miself

Thanks Zaphod. Yep, it was luck

After little vacation back to the model

Finished all rear details that included jack wooden base, signal light, rear hooks, engine compartment hatch cover and some more bits

Glued to place

Errors:

none

Last part on tank is smoke generator

Assembled all together and connected to hull with simple black thread

Next stage by the book and numbering is turret, but i decided to continue with bogies and tracks.

Stay tuned!

Errors:

None

Drive wheel

Nothing special.

I didn't glue base and wheels together, so i can align wheels on place

Just upgrade the look lightly. I got bonus with my order of rivets from Drafmodel - 2 sets of bolt heads, 0.8 and 1.2. They fitted perfectly on drive wheels.

Errors:

none

Continue with supporting rollers

Noting to tell here

Errors:

none

Hi

After summer vacation - back to the model.

Continue with suspension. In this tank it is unique and complex... I wonder what the reason behind this engineering idea was.

Nevertheless, front lever with amortization.

A lot of small parts.

Here is the comparisonto toothpick

Whole assembling broken to stages and after i built all of them, I didn't connect together for easy installation and adjustment in the future.

In addition, everywhere when possible i glued parts with superglue gel, for strength.

Pay attention to part 551. You need to glue inside circle 0.6 mm deep, so it could be positioned on a lever pin.

And this is dry fit for how it will be assembled together.

I will not attach this construction to hull yet, because I need an alignment relatively to other bogies and I don't want for now that all the weight will be put only on two wheels.

Errors:

Part 524 labeled 424 on diagrams.

I'm sure part 534 must be glued on 0.5 cardboard, but it isn't signed with asterisk.

Thanks you Zaphod!

First two front wheels.

I struggled with those and still don't understand if it is my mistake or design flaw.

I cut inner ring diameter precisely, but inner strip was half mm big and afterwards wheels spokes didn't match in it. So, I was in need to adjust one by one.

By default, spokes are hit and miss, because you cannot assemble 100% perfect. But here it was a real issue.

Later will be more wheels and I'll do an experiment with first one to understand what's wrong.

Errors:

Didn't decide yet

Hi all

Continue straggling with suspension.

Assembled front suspension lever mechanism, except wheels.

Front rocker levers - designed well, but there was a mistake with mirroring part. Luckly it won't be seen.

Rear springs - many small parts and very fragile construction, because connected only by one rod. Everywhere were i could, i glue with super glue gel for strength

Assembled together. Though connecting points are tiny (and that weird), supporting device (comes in the kit) with exact positioning holes was very helpful.

Final result a bit fragile, but on base rods and with wheels attached - I hoped it will strengthen the whole construction.

Now repeat almost the same with rear suspension :eek:

Errors:

Part 569lz and 570lz confused in design of gluing marks - eventually will not been seen.

So, continued with rear suspension levers and springs

Rocker lever and tension mechanism. There was some odd numbering in parts: part 602 belongs to tension mechanism that has later group of numbers, but was in a rocking lever group. It is a ring that glued on part 365z.

At least there was no error with mirroring parts.

Supporting device help a lot with positioning tension mechanism.

Springs

Assembled together. As with front one, here also final assembly was very fragile. Hope wheels will help to strengthen things

Errors:

Part 602 in wrong numbering group.

Part 604 not signed to glue on a bristol, like it should.

Thanks Zaphod!

Wheels struggling is finished.

As I was afraid - all six main wheels were designed with errors. This excludes the other two bigger rear tension wheels.

I assume there was a mistake in wheel diameter corresponding to scale, so it was reduced a little... but all other parts were not corrected, so inner strip was too big by half mm and as a result all spokes were too long.

I solved it by first assembling wheel ring and spokes drum, measuring inner ring diameter and drum diameter, subtracting one from another and dividing by 2. This gave my real spoke length, and it was short by third mm from original.

I cut all spokes corresponding to new calculation and it did the job.

Main wheel

Rear tension wheel

Erros:

Parts 619, 624 too long

Part 632 must by glued on bristol, but has no asterisk sign

Finaly finished with this disaster...

I have to admit this was the worst experience in building suspension the I had.

Apart from problems with wheels, rocking levers and springs had no strong points of joint and tended to break apart whole time of assembling.

Supporting rods base, despite that it was glued with super glue, fall apart to layers all the time.

Eventually I managed somehow to glue it all together and make the tank stand fairly straight, but wheels on spring now work only as decorative - the body stands on rocking levers wheels only.

Pay attention, to put dry fit front wheel first. Later it wheel be difficult, though you need to glue it last, to prevent putting all the weight on single wheel.

Also, fellow member on other forum pointed out that idler wheels must also be with rubber bandages, so I painted those in black.

You can see it here.

Wheels and connecting beams assembled.

Everything put together.

Next are trаcks. Wish me luck

Errors:

part 626 not painted as part 617, to imitate rubber bandage.

Happy New Year, everyone!

My progress for now: 170 link pieces cut, 350 link teeth cut, all parts retouched with color.

Started to assemble several links, to see how it goes...The process is slow, because they are small and fragile, but with lot of time and patience it can be done.

Already tried it on drive wheel - sits good.

Went to assemble and join another 167 links. See you next year!

Minor update.

One month - one strip of tracks.

Another one to go.

Stay tuned!

Finished second track. glued center guides (teeth)

and assembled two tracks on place.

Approx. 83 links to each side

1

One last step remains - turret.

Erros:

Front and rear drawing shows incorrect direction of tracks. Better look on the real one.

Thanks guys!

This page is the last in assembling - dedicated whole to the turret.

Started with basic structure. This was the easiest I've made, especially after Sherman's one

Added rivets from inside.

Errors:

Ring strip details 419, 419a are too long. In addition, there is some mess with the instructions.

Some progress on turret.

Made front mask, Main hatch door and visor covers.

In this stage only visor covers assembled on place. For easy access, hatch door will be attached only in the end. Front mask will be attached after rocking mechanism for two machine guns be assembled.

As I mentioned before - opening mechanism for visors isn't designed well, so after putting them on turret I shut them close.

Errors:

Some parts amount errors on templets page

Next step is machine guns bar.

Then weapon telescopic sight. Love this little assemblies.

Decided to attach it to bar, and later machine guns as well, and then put it on axis.

Errors:

None

Got to home stretch.

Machine guns - main weapon in this little one.

Machine guns receiver

Machine guns barrel

Assembled together and inserted into place

Glued to turret and finally hatch door installed and rivets glued

Errors:

One of three part 505-506 (lifting hooks) must be black, to match turret color. Instead, it's desert yellow.

Turret turning mechanism and commander's chair

Frame was tricky to bent, but somehow I succeeded

Installed in turret and model is done!

Final conclusion and photo session - later

Errors:

Some drawings numbering errors

Quote from Zaphod

Hello Igor,

very detailed MGs and you did them honor. I was astonish that they just had these tiny magazines, a burst and you have to change - within this very cramped turret.

It will turn out great, can´t wait to see the completed tank !

Kind regards

Zaphod

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Thanks Zaphod. This is the reason they had whole hall stashed with magazines in every corner possible

So, exactly two years of build. I can't change my slow pace

Model is small, but very detailed.

There were some little mistakes here and there, but all fixable.

Didn't really liked the paper quality. Also, design is odd and doesn't thoughtful with assembler. Parts sometimes scattered all over the place.

Overall, despite solid color with no weathering, the model looks nice and, in my opinion, this one is the only that make justice to Panzer I line.

Enjoy final session and see you next time

Part I