This is the start of my M1A2 SEP build. Its the wonderful kit by Dragon. It is my fourth armor model ever and my first in eight years. Its a great kit but i probably shouldve started with something a bit easier due to my lack of experience. I had a lot of problems with this kit, all of my own making.
As i was building this kit i had a major disaster. I was sanding the barrel assembly after attaching it to the turret. I dipped a paper towel into some "water" i had sitting on the workbench in a bowl and used it to wipe off the sanding dust. Well, there was something in the water that reacted to the plastic and the plastic began to melt. No idea what i was but it ruined the entire barrel and where it attached to the turret. It looked as if i dipped it in liquid cement. It also had an odd burnt smell to it and it remained sticky for days. I had to purchase an after market barrel from Barrel Depot.
I had problems with the rear hull deck. Its made up of quite a few pieces that fit together like a puzzle. I should of dry fit them first because that wouldve shown me how it would line up, but i didnt. Once i got the the end a started to put the last piece on i realized it was misaligned a bit. This resulted in some gaps that i still need to fill.
I also had issues with the bustle rack on the rear of the turret. It was a little fiddly to put together and a bear to line up straight. Ive got it the best that i could but managed to break several rails in the process. These i replaced with some stretched sprue.
Im not going for a totally historically accurate build. I wanted to get a build under my belt. Here are some photos of my progress so far. Any thoughts, comments or ideas are most welcome. Thanks.
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