Today was busy with a lot of time at the workbench.
So the hull and the suspension of the Doher are complete. I had a bad surprise with the fit of the front engine cover. It would not fit in front of the driver station. So I had to sand the edge. I guess this is because this part is brand new while all the other hull parts come from previous kits.
Olivier
looking very nice
More progress on the Doher. It’s not an easy build because of many tiny parts and confusing instructions. AFV Club instructions refer to parts which are not in the box. I mean many parts in the box come from previous kits while the instructions show “newer” parts with positioning marks absent from the real parts.
Olivier
I’ve had to put the Mule on the shelf. I had it about ready for primer
But in the process of masking the canopy I broke it
I’ve ordered a vacuum formed replacement and will have to wait. Very frustrating!
too bad! Good luck with the replacement, mate!
The rear of the Doher is almost complete. In fact I decided not to glue yet the hooks (in the blue circles) which secure the spades in the raised position so I could paint the details behind the spades, i.e. the registration plate.
Olivier
More progress on the Doher. As AFV Club did not mold marks to drill the vehicle sides I had to position the rails by guessing their locations from reference pictures. I did the same for the tow cable brackets. I think I’m not far from the truth.
Other goof from AFV Club, they give you a 10 cm rope to figure the cable while you need (as stated in the instructions) a 15 cm one.
Olivier
I would also like to join in with my build. These are models of the vehicles Toyota FJ43 from AK interactive. I built the model based on photos of several vehicles used by the Israeli army in Lebanon in the 1980s.
Best regards, Richard.
The hull is nearly complete with most of the accessories fitted to the side rails. The cable has been made from naval modeling thread as the one provided by AFV Club was too short by 5 cm.
The gun is assembled. The breech itself is a kit in the kit with the possibility of having it open. There also is a recoil spring! The fit is excellent which is a good point. However nothing will be visible.
Olivier
I must say this kit is over flowing with detail but having heard all the errors and problems you have encountered so far I might try the Kenetic kit. I know it’s not up to the standard of detail of this one but I can get it for less than half the price and if I’m going to be doing extra work anyway I might as well have extra cash for after market stuff 
With the gun assembled I started the turret shell. The base of the mantlet was too wide so the fit was not good. I started by gluing the gun to the turret base. Then I started by gluing one side of the front of the turret and turned all around the turret till the other front side was glued. In the end it looked like a turret shell however the fit of the rear panel was not perfect. There still is a tiny gap to fill.
Then I started to add the details. A number of them has no positioning mark so AFV Club give you a sketch with the parts at their place when glued. The base of the radar was not mentioned in the instructions so you have to find it among the sprues.
Olivier
The rear of the turret is detailed. On the left side there is the original M109 basket which is a pain to assemble as each bar is a single part.
On the right side, IDF have removed the basket in order to fit a generator. The platform is tricky to build. It is positioned without any marks. The generator itself is easy to build. You just have to sand a little the part with the controls. It is not glued yet to facilitate the painting of the control panel.
On the rear right side there is a smaller basket with an antenna base. The PE part is shaped “around” a plastic plate which is glued to the basket. Be cautious as this plate is sided which is not noticeable in the instructions. The location for the basket bars is molded hollow so check that it is not upside down.
Olivier
Those previous days I tackled the front baskets. They are made of 2 sets of bars, 2 plastic sides and 1 PE grille each. Assembling the bars to the sides is not difficult but the front parts were warped. The bars demanded a thorough cleaning too. When the tube structures were assembled I waited 1 day before gluing the PE grille. It is better to bend it vertically in the middle so it fits better to the structure. Then CA glue does the job. To get a rounded base I used the sides of the basket. No need to bend it beforehand.
This was the easy part. AFV Club do not give any indications to locate the baskets. The Desert Eagle book has some good pictures and mentions that the basket are not symmetrical to the gun. Looking at the instructions I found a sketch to position the MAG support. The sketch being at the 1:35 scale I measured the distance between the basket and the turret base which is 4 mm. So I could glue the baskets.
I also drilled out the handle holes in the pickaxes and hollowed the holder.
Now I just have to assemble the MAGs and the build is over, except for the parts I will glue when the vehicle is painted.
Olivier
I have the same kit in reserve. It doesn’t seem easy. For AFV Club, I would have expected better. Thanks for your feedback, I’m eager to see the final result.
This is exactly my feeling especially when you consider the price of AFV Club kits.
I finally assembled the MAG 58. They need sanding and dry fitting to be properly assembled. I removed the searchlight mount on the cradle as none of the pictures in the Desert Eagle book show it. AFV Club give 4 MAGs, 2 without stock and 2 with stock. SO you can choose even though AFV club stated that the short MAG is for the commander. No bipod is present in the box which is incorrect for the long MAG if I’m not mistaken.
The next picture shows the tracks shortened by 2 links. They still need to be glued on top of the roadwheels so they do not float in the air.
Olivier
