The kit (Takom)is built mostly straight out of the box. The only 'add-ons' I used were:
First step I took was to build the tracks. They are nice but some of the end connectors had flash, etc. Since they're made of a soft vinyl it's a bit tricky to clean them. Takom's Gepard kit contains the very same type of tracks ~ but the end connectors look much better. Less flash and they seem a bit sharper.
Anyway, they go together well and are robust. Look good too. I had no issues building the kit. Everything fits well and the instructions are straightforward. Since the superstructure has a lot of very small and delicate parts, I choose to fit these later in the process. The only really tricky part was building the crane. Take your time, dry fit parts and check pictures of the real thing. I chose to fit the crane in a slightly raised position ~ and no it's not moveable.
Painting: I gave the vehicle a base coat of Tamiya LP-29 Olive Drab 2. Why? These new Tamiya paints are very nice. You get a very smooth and durable satin finish. I like them a lot! For the rest of the camouflage, I used Tamiya XF-paints (Nato Black, Green & Brown). The tracks had a base coat of Tamiya LP-60 Nato Black. Like I said, these LP-paints are very robust and take weathering very well. Some post-shading of grey/tan was airbrushed very lightly on the tracks. Later in the process, the tracks were dusted with pigment powder (European Earth). Weathering is, in my world, a 'make-or-break-moment' and I like to give the vehicles a look of 'well used but maintained'. For the weathering I used pigment powders and oil paints (Abt. 502 and Winsor & Newton). I also like to use soft graphite pencils to create a 'metal finish' on some details. The whole process is a bit hard to explain, but I start with the pigments and use the oils, in different ways to enhance the surface. I thin the oils with appropriate thinners (Abt. 502, Ammo by Mig, etc).
The driver is a resin figure from SOL Resin Factory. Not bad, but to be honest the MiniArt figures are nicer. If you are looking for some really nice Bundeswehr Tank Crew figures ~ look no further. The figures were painted with Tamiya XF-paints but highlighted with oil paints. Brush paint Tamiya XF-paints? Yes, I use Liquitex Airbrush Medium #5908 as a retarder and it transforms the paint totally. Put a small amount of Tamiya XF-paint in a beer bottle cap, add 1-2 drops of the Liquitex medium and magic happens.
What else? Very nice kit of an interesting vehicle.
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