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Italeri Carro Armato P40

This is the CA P40 by Italeri. A friend of mine gave me this kit a few years ago. I started it immediately. This is a cool and unique subject and I've never seen any built, at shows or otherwise. I now know why! I quickly observed the kit had poor fit, molding and overall quality issues. I then set it aside for at least two years. The Italeri kits from the 1980s are superior to their modern releases. I'm not sure why this is. The kit does come with a really cool reference guide which I found quite useful during the build. An aluminum barrel and some superfluous etch are included. After reviewing the reference manual, I added several countersunk flat-head screws, bolts, nuts, a new spare wheel holder and mesh under the open lovers on the rear deck. I also blanked off the cavernous area in the rear with styrene and painted it black so no raw plastic could be seen. I scratch built the mufflers. This represents a developmental vehicle, so I figured I could take some artistic liberties with a few of the details. I blanked off the aerial mount with a circular plate and a screw head. I decided to assemble all suspension units and remove the axles. I then drilled out all 16 holes for the wheels. I made new axles from Evergreen styrene. This would allow me to get proper paint coverage on the wheels and weathering done first, then I could assemble the model. I love subassemblies. I added Fruil tracks. I also had to file down all of the sprocket teeth to accommodate them. Usually, Fruil will give you sprockets if there is a fit issue. Not a big deal, just be aware. I painted it with MM enamels and weathered it with oils and pastels. The figure is from Royal. All comments are welcome.