I started working on the armament mount by fitting the two lower parts together. The part that will later be visible from below, through the spent brass chute, was painted white:
I put the spent brass funnels on the center of the armament mount:
Then I went on to assemble the 40mm guns:
Diverting from the kit's instructions, the guns were assembled, filled and sanded separately, and just then combined into a subassembly:
I used copper wire to build some of the details:
Working on the oil gear:
The kit's parts needed a rework - first they were hollow from one side, second - the electrical connectors on them were wrong (shown by the arrows on the photo below):
After filling the hollow spaces:
After filler and sanding I rebuilt the details and the wiring:
The armament mount with dry-fitted guns and oil gear:
Gun sight's mechanical computer:
Upper armor of the main armament mount:
Grenade boxes:
Wiring - the wires are made of soldering wire (lead), the connectors out of thin brass pipe:
The bases of the ammo loaders' seats made of copper sheet instead of the kit parts:
The base of the mount initially painted. Base colour was Humbrol 113 (oxide red) with centers of the panels picked up with Humbrol 66 (Olive Drab) wit an airbrush:
Wiring details:
Scratschbuilt locking levers - one for traverse, one for elevation:
Beginning to equip the mount base:
Armoured "wings" of the mount. In order to make the parts fit, cut off about 1mm of material in the place indicated by the arrow:
Machine gun ammo can holders - scratchbuilt (top) to replace the kit's parts (bottom):
The belt of armor to make the mount's top, glued together, seams filled and sanded:
Mount's components before dry-fitting:
Partly fitted main armament mount:
Armoured "wings" of the mount with lifting rings and scratchbuilt square antenna bases:
Again: dry-fitting of the mount: This time the complete armour:
Gunners' seats that I scratchbuilt, re-used from my old model:
Computing sight with photoetched speed rings:
Rear of the mount base with spent brass chutes, grenade boxes and gunner's seats:
Machine gun ammo can holders - kit's parts (foreground) and scratchbuilt with flashlight holders and the flashlights themselves (background):
After painting - fire extinguisher, 7,62mm machne gun ammo cans, their holders and the flashlights:
Parts from above photo after their installation in the mount:
Tools for servicing the 40mm guns installed in their holders on the top rear armour plate of the mount:
