Trumpeter E-50 with Heimdall turret

I've started painting the E-50 after giving it a coat of primer;

 The base coat is a mix of Tamiya olive green, cockpit green, yellow and white but please don't ask what the ratios were as it was just all mixed in until I achieved the shade of green I wanted. The darker green was actually hand painted using Vallejo olive green as I could'nt face masking off the splinter camouflage, plus I used this method before on my M728 CEV and it worked out OK (for once);

I did'nt paint the darker green on the uppersurfaces (just because so there) and I'm toying with the idea of adding a sandy colour in places to add some light to a dark scheme but we'll see.
Light green was actually used as a basecoat on some late-war panzers and I wanted to carry this over to my paper panzer with the outline broken up by a splinter camouflage scheme. The MG mount on the rear deck will be painted in another colour yet to be decided as though it was taken from another vehicle.

E-50 with Heimdall turret

Work continues at my usual glacial pace and the past two days have been spent assembling and fitting the tracks. The kit supplied tracks are of the 'rubber band' type and pretty horrid so I ordered some Hobbyboss King Tiger/ E-50/E-75 individual track links, mainly because they were very cheap compared to Fruil metal tracks (which are nice but expensive for this project).
The tracks are the 'late' type being just one link as opposed to the earlier ones which had two different links and they actually scrub up quite well with very little flash and just the one pin mark in the centre of each link that is easily removed with the edge of a modelling knife. The tracks are 'handed' left and right and fit around  the Trumpeter drive sprocket nicely. There is another part on the sprues (part number 3) but I have'nt a clue what they are for so I've left them.
So to start off the track assembly I began on the right side by gluing 25 links together for the bottom run (using liquid polystyrene glue) and while that was setting I glued together a further 60 links and left these for about 30 minutes or so, this gives the tracks time to bond but still flexible enough to wrap around the running gear. Once I've done the assembly the hull will be put aside for a day or so for the tracks to set, this way they can be removed as a sub-assembly for painting later on.

I'm using Paper Panzer Productions wheels instead of the kit ones and the difference between them is very noticeable (the kit supplied wheels are on the right in this picture);

The turret is built so there is only the upper hull to add bits to although I may embellish it a bit with some add on parts.

Paper Panzer Productions

I've been naughty again! In recent months Paper Panzer Productions had announced PPP35025 Radar und KDO040 Turm Heimdall (turret) to fit the E-50 or E-75 chassis and seeing it made we want to build a 'what-if' again. Last week the set was finally released and by Friday it was in my possession along with a set of wheels (PPP35003) and new exhausts (PPP35002) to replace those in the Trumpeter E-50 kit.
The quality of the parts is VERY good indeed, detailing is crisp and I am seriously impressed, being resin they need a clean up but it will be nothing too taxing and should'nt take long at all.
The idea behind it is a TOTAL 'what-if' and here's what Paper Panzer Productions say about it;

'As the war progressed the Germans realized that their air defences were put to an increasingly difficult task. The massive deployment of allied fast fighter-bombers forced them to create a barrage. Barrage fire by multiple weapons had to be coordinated by complicated mechnical calculators. The KDO Gerät 40 (range finder) was widely used, but both equipment and crew were very vulnerable in the open. Therefore it was decided to incorporate this big device in an armored turret. The 5,5cm Flakturm offered enough space for the device and a four-man crew. The cooling of the aggregate was done by an external cooling unit. The large optical device (4,2m) was built in so that underneath a large space for the calculator was available. The maximum range of the complex system was 18.000m. The target coordinates could be transmitted to four Flak vehicles. The timelapse between detecting a target and the first shot was only 30 seconds.
Data was transmitted over a cable. A novelty device was built in the turret, the FUG240 Berlin radar. The device had a range of about 9.000m which was more than enough at night and in bad weather conditions. The device had a bakelite cover for protection. The detection systems could be used in sync or separately.'

Personally I love it! Anyway onto the pictures;

The 2m antenna shown is not in the kit by the way. I've ordered a Trumpeter E-50 via Ebay plus some Hobbyboss King Tiger tracks (because they were cheap) so when it all turns up the bench may be cleared to make way for this project. 
Find the turret and other interesting bits here;

http://www.paperpanzer.com/

http://www.paperpanzer.com/paper-panzer-productions/ppp35025-radar-und-kdo40-turm-heimdall/