Just a few in-progress pictures from the Merkava IV build. Construction is going bit slow as I am still finishing weathering on other kits and there is a lot of cleaning to be done on this one. At the same time I am deciding which parts of the photoetch set I am going to use and planning the order of construction accordingly.

There are few parts where I think Hobby Boss could have avoided a shortcut and add bit more detail – e.g. tow hooks which are molded in one piece.

I was looking on the web whether there is any aftermarket barrel for Merkava IV since the one provided with the kit is really going to be tough to put together and clean. The only option at this time seems to be Legend’s resin upgrade set, which includes replacement resin barrel and number of other things. There are few available on eBay for something like $30+, so will think about it…