assembling lower hull on 2019 king tiger

[Andy Robinson]

good evening guys
I am looking for some advice on assembling my 2019 king tiger hull to get it to fit together before I take it apart again to etch prime her
my problem is this I have assembled hull floor side plates front plate and rear plate the problem is as I have come to try and fit the pannier sides they just don't seem to fit at all together the holes in the front armour don't line up with the pannier sides and don't want to get the dremmel out and start to take materiel of any parts that I don't need to as this is my first armourtek model I thought I would ask the more experienced model builders out there thanks in advance andy robinson

[Brian Ostlind]

Sometimes it needs some work to get it assembled. But...I would only paint it after it’s put together then I you only do it one time!

[Andy Robinson]

hi brian thank you for the advice on painting when together but when you say some work to fit what do you mean please do you mean to file down pannier sides to fit front plate will this help the holes line up to bolt into front armour plate

[Brian Ostlind]

it’s an art to put the hull together. You have to carefully dry fit all the pieces and loosely assemble the screws to allow for tiny play to try and get holes lined up. Once the screws are in place then you tighten everything.

[Adrian Harris]

Can you post a picture ?

Never built a KT myself but it might jog the memories of people who have.

Adrian.

[Phil Young]

Hi Andy
Having just wrestled my way through building the hull, I know what you mean. Because the hull sides and pannier sides are warped probably due to machining procedures, they’re never going to line up perfectly. These kits aren’t tamiya kits that snap together, they require a bit of engineering knowledge and experience.
Unless you have access to a good press to straighten the sides, you’ll have to fettle and fit the parts the best you can. Once you’ve done that, you’ll then find that it has a knock on effect when fitting the decking...they won’t fit either as the two pannier side form a banana shape when looked down from above!
I’ve now reached the stage where all parts now fit.
Best of luck, look on it as a “challenge”!
Phil.

[Andy Robinson]

hi phill thank you for your help and advice I will try things you've suggested and hopefully I can progress a little further thank you once again

[johnny johnson]

I have placed my order for a Stug 3, this is the first tank for me from Armortek, so I cant offer first hand advice but once I did build a wood jig and used a jack to straighten out the barrel of an RWS 24 air rifle which shoots straight on now, if the Stug comes with warped pieces I believe I will be trying to straighten them in the same manner.

[Andy Robinson]

Hi Johnny
just to let you know that I have managed to get king tiger hull together it is a bit of a nack as a member on here told me but once I loosened all fixings AGAIN lol I managed it now to take it apart to0 etch prime her now thanks for your imput good luck with the stug

[Phil Young]

Hi Andy
Well done, you’ve passed the initiation test! Should get easier now as you progress and gain experience through the build.
All the best Phil.