Wiesel A1 TOW Build

I had to pause for a bit while waiting on some Evergreen tube profiles, as I had decided to replace the non-movable pistons on the first pair of roadwheels with a moveable one I scratch-build. 

Swing arms are now done. 

Wheels are assembled and the detailing of the hull's sides has begun. 

With the lower hull detailing done (look at those lugs—I wonder what I could put there), work on the upper hull has started. 

The big part on the hull's end, C13, was a bit fiddly to install. Still not 100% sure if the fit is completely correct. I'll have to check in that ridge needs some putty and/or sanding. Also, does anyone happen to know what this thing in front of the driver's periscope mounting holes is? 

Sadly, the tools on the front plate have to be fixed in place, as the axe is too high to be placed beneath the handrail if the latter is glued in first. This will making painting them a bit of a hassle, I guess. We'll see. 

Some more details added. 

The mostly completed upper hull. Take note of the periscopes—they are done completely as clear parts. Had I thought about this a bit more deeply, I would have masked off the inset part (the only part that is supposed to stay clear) before pushing them into their final positions from below the hull. 

The MG3 on vehicle mounting. This is one of my favorite parts of this kit, as the machine gun offers some really nice details. I do wish, though, that the instructions would have been a bit more clear on the exact positioning of the grip jutting out towards the camera—I had to find and consult a walkaround to determine its correct position. 

Mated the upper and lower hull. There are some small openings left in the back that I'll have to seal up using putty later on, but the parts mostly fit quite well. The MG is a bit skewed as it is not yet glued in, as I want to paint it separately. 

I installed the fenders and their toolboxes as well as...well, we'll get to that in the picture after the next one. For the moment, let's enjoy what we have. 

Backside view, you can see the small gaps along the mating line of upper and lower hull. 

Together with the fenders, I also installed the PE cover for the exhaust—what, upon completion, I immediately realised was a mistake, as it would make the exhaust completely inaccessible during painting. Now, realistically, the exhaust will barely be visible anyway, but I actually like painting rusty, heat-coloured exhausts, so I decided to try and remove this big PE part made up from 4 PE parts in total. Surely, NOTHING can go wrong! 

Well, this went better than expected. Yes, the tiny part of the cover that is bend over came off, but otherwise, it is barely deformed and nothing else broke off. Success! Thank goodness for debonder! 

Next up: The Wiesel's primary weapon system, the TOW anti-tank rocket launcher. This is almost a little kit in itself, what with how many parts go into this thing. Putting in the rocket container (the slightly smaller tube on the left side of the cradle) is optional.
This is another place were I wished for the instructions to be a bit more clear. See that handle with a ball sticking out from the box on top of the cradle? This is another piece were I had to consult a walkaround to see which position it should be in when the weapon is ready to fire. I THINK I got it right. 

The completed system. Here, the instructions once again failed me: They always show the TWO launcher in its unloaded configuration, in which a strap is put around the front of the launcher tube to tie it to its travel lock. When in firing configuration, this strap has to be left off. 

The TOW next to the Wiesel, showing off how big it is in comparison to the vehicle carrying it. The especially eagle-eyed among you might even spot a difference in the hull: There is a new thing on it, placed next to the saw's handle on the front plate. This is the travel lock for the TOW launch tube—and it is too long. Again, the instructions always show the TOW launcher in its unloaded travel position. They also show this bar standing up, with the top being high enough to reach the tube.
In practice, it is actually too long: The curved part that is supposed to fit snugly under the tube is almost above the tube.
As I wanted to show the system in combat-ready state, I simply decided to lay the travel lock down, as is done on the real vehicle. I though about shortening it, but decided against it for the simple reason of this being but a small detail not worth the trouble.
In the background, you can also see a round shape—this is the cap that, according to the instructions, should be placed above the biggest lens on top of the targeting system. I left it off for obvious reasons. 

Next up: Tracks! Don't we all love them?
The Wiesel comes with a workable track and their assembly is mostly straightforward and simply. My one tip: When glueing the top part (F4) onto the bottom part (F3), do NOT put the glue into the recesses in F4, but just a small amount onto the pins protruding from F3. Otherwise, the glue tends to find a way out of the track link and beneath your finger when applying pressure to mate the parts together, leaving ugly fingerprints in the plastic. 

Test fitting the track. The wheels aren't glued to the vehicle to make painting them easier, my preferred method. 

The visible seam on the track link's sides is a bit annoying, but filling it up with putty seems almost impossible to me, as I fear it would end up fixing the end connectors into place, making the whole track very much non-workable again. 

Some "glamour shots" of the completely assembled model. Next up: Masking, then painting. Not looking forward to masking those seven periscopes...