MENG Model Sd.Kfz.182 King Tiger with Henschel Turret [WIP - Rear Hull Armor and Tracks]

With zimmerit decals already applied on the rear hull armor, next to be attached were accessory parts for the said section. From here on out, one can perhaps begin to better appreciate the details inherent in the molded parts. Based on MENG model kits I own, I've noticed that this level of detail extends to offering modellers choices of parts to use on a particular assembly step. And the choices made will be determined by a specific version of the King Tiger you're trying to build, within limits of course. In this model kit there are four variants of the German heavy tank from which to choose from.   

MENG King Tiger work-in-progress: Rear hull armor with detailed parts on top of zimmerit coating

King Tiger's exposed lower hull with its front tow hooks, rear hull armor and tracks attached

On the rear hull armor, a decision had to be made as to which the exhaust pipe cover version to use. I made my choice based on a historical photo of Tank 124 of Pz.Abt. 505 that presumably saw action in Poland during September 1944. (Actually even as early as the first step - wheel assembly - MENG had provided modellers a choice of different types of wheel hub.) Apart from historical references, I also used online references of David Parker's excellent model work of a 1/16 scale Tank 124. Steps 6 through 9 set things up for the more difficult task of putting a link-and-length track together.

Steps 06 through 08: Attaching detailed accessories on the rear hull armor

Step 09: Assembly of rear hull armor and miscellaneous bits to the lower hull

While putting on link-and-length tracks wasn't as hard as I expected it to be, it wasn't exactly a walk in the park either. The kit came with a custom jig which took the guess work out of shaping the sag on the track's upper section. Using the jig itself was straightforward enough with only one note of caution. If you're using thin plastic glue that works based on capillary action then there is a likelihood the glue may seep into the holes on the jig and glue the tracks to the jig. As long as you're looking out for such occurrences, you should be able to pry the tracks loose from the jig before the glue sets.

Step 10: Assembly of link-and-length tracks using a jig to help shape the upper sag  

Track pieces of the King Tiger range from individual links to longer sections and the jig

Upper track sag was shaped by gluing the individual pieces/sections with the jig as a guide

Once the glue dries, the track is then removed from the jig with a perfectly shaped sag

Reverse view of the sagged upper tank track clearly showing links with and without the guide horn

After the upper section of the tracks had been assembled, then came the tricky part of matching the shape of the sag to the top of the wheels. Once happy with the alignment between sag and wheels, I proceeded to wedge the tracks firmly in place on top of the wheels by using wads of tissue paper. Following this, the rest of the links as well as sections of tracks were then glued around the wheels.  

Sagged upper track was held in place by wads of tissue prior to attaching the rest of the track sections and links

Two major issues arose during the assembly of the link-and-length tracks. Firstly, the inward tilt of the wheels became more pronounced with the tracks glued on. It remains to be seen if this issue can be mitigated after painting and weathering. Secondly, engineering design of the tracks is such that  every link containing a guide horn for the wheels is separated by a plain intermediate link. However, the assembly of the track on the right side didn't go to plan resulting in two guide horn links being placed side by side (see last two photos). In my defense, more experienced modellers have encountered similar issues with both the inward tilt and the lack of an intermediate link.       

Front view of the tracks after they had been attached to the swing arms of the lower hull

Unfortunately there is a noticeably tilt inwards on both tracks, more so on the right one

Inward tilt is not as obvious when the tracks are viewed from the side

... but the tilt is still noticeable towards the back-end of the track on the right

For painting purposes, the tracks and wheels were removed as a single combined unit from the lower hull. A disadvantage of link-and-length tracks is it's almost inevitable you'll end up assembling the wheels and track together before painting them. That's not to say you can't still paint the wheel and links individually first before gluing them together but I rarely see them done that way in such cases.

After the individual track links and sections had been glued onto the road wheels ...

... both the track and wheels could then be removed as a single combined piece

But painting the track-and-wheels as a single unit will entail the modeller having to accept the fact certain parts of the wheels will be positioned in such a way that paint will never reach them. Some modellers won't condone this and fair-play to them as I used to be like that. Nowadays I'm okay with leaving certain sections of the kit unpainted, but only if they will be completely hidden from view anyway. Moreover the track and wheels of a tank tends to see significant weathering at the latter stages, which will in turn further conceal any trace of the unpainted sections.

Side of the tank tracks which faces outwards away from the lower hull

Side of the tank tracks which will be hidden from view i.e. facing the lower hull

As mentioned earlier, due either to an inherent faulty kit design or modeller error during assembly, two guide horn links ended up side by side without a flat intermediated link between them. And in a double whammy, this actually causes the tracks to tilt ever so slightly more inwards. Thankfully though, this error won't be that visible once the tracks have been painted and weathered. 

There should be an intermediate link positioned in between two guide horn links ...

... but there wasn't enough space for one on the right-sided track; possibly an assembly error on my part

So the worse for me - assembling link-and-length tracks - is over. At least I hope it is. So it's going to be pretty much smooth sailing in the King Tiger's assembly process from now on ... I think. Well, I guess I'll find out soon enough as the week's has only just begun. Carpe diem and all that jazz!