Meng Char 2C Build

[spartymodeler]

Hello all! Just signed up for this site to tell you all about this build.

This is my third model kit ever (and my first since I was in middle school about a decade ago, and I didn't even paint those except for some spray dirt and sand). Got the itch to build another one after my roommate got himself a model of the HMS Endurance (much more detailed than what I'll be building, needs three kinds of glue for Pete's sake!). So, I decided to build something cool: being the Francophile I am, I settled on the Char 2C. I hopped on Scalemates, and saw pretty much the only 1:35 2C is the one by Meng. So, that's what I ordered delivered from the local hobby shop.

A few weeks later, it arrived, and I began the several months of building (significant delays occurred on account of also taking 18 credit hours at the same time). 

Reviews of this thing already exist on the Internet, so I won't bore you too bad with the details of the build process.

Box:

First thing to do was the 74 (!) road wheels - surprisingly not bad. I found I got into a rhythm - oversanded a few, but when that happened, because the wheels are symmetric, I just hid that by placing it on the inside. 

Most of the rest of the build was fun and easy, at least until I got to the engine compartment...

Painting those exhaust pipes and outlets and then gluing them on wasn't easy (still developing the requisite patience) - wound up accidentally wiping off the paint a lot, then the glue got stuck to my fingers, and then wiped off the paint... vicious cycle. But it got done. Also, those tiny little pipes were annoying as heck - some of them broke coming off the sprue, and lining them up with the holes on the main model was delicate work. Not easy.

I decided to paint it up like No. 93 "Alsace" (the one on the box) - Lansing (as far as I can tell) doesn't have a model shop that's better than a Hobby Lobby, so that's where I went. The light brown I got was a lot darker than what this called for, but I made do. I'm still a complete noob at modelmaking - and I didn't know priming models was a thing until after I already bought all my paints - and this is all brush painted. I still think this came out alright.

 

One last note is the tracks... putting the links together wasn't bad. But my goodness, actually attaching them to the tank is the devil's own work. When I tried putting it together with the recommended amount of links, I could get the two sides to touch, but not actually link without popping another connection apart. Then when one link popped too many times, it would get stripped, and wouldn't hold anymore. Not to mention, other parts of the tank broke - when I tried placing it on its side, both the side machine gun barrels snapped off, and eventually, I accidentally put too much force in the wrong direction and the entire right front sprocket snapped off! Fortunately, I was able to place it back without too much difficulty, but it took everything I had not to scream when it snapped - this was frustrating! What I wound up doing was placing an extra link on each side and placing some model glue on the track, fixing it to the wheel, to get rid of the extra sag. 

Overall, with the exception of the tracks, this was an enjoyable build that I think came out alright for a newbie like myself. Now that I'm home for the summer I have access to actual hobby shops with a decent paint selection, and I will actually prime my next model! I've got a HobbyBoss Csaba on order, I think I might do a few Hungarian builds next. Any feedback on this build would be appreciated!

 

[ipmsusa2]

Considering this is your third build ever, you have done an excellent job.  In a nutshell I have one thing to say: Don't quit!!