Assembling the 6pdr Portee Evan shows you how to assemble the 6pdr Portee and shows a few tips along the way. Quick Tip As you might imagine I open quite a few blisters and  a little technique I’ve discovered is to bend the backing card back a bit where the plastic is stuck down.

This usually creates a separation I can use to pull the entire blister off without having to use a knife.

Preparation The next thing I do is check that all the parts are there and are in good nick. The next step is to clean up all the parts, including dusting the resin parts and any mould lines and flash on the metal. Preparing your miniatures...

Step 1 Glue the wheels on to the truck chassis. Quick Tip Glue opposing wheels on at the same time so you can hold them in place and check for mis-alignment while the glue sets.

Step 2 Assemble the 6pdr gun. Glue the trail to the axle/side shield piece. Then add the wheels, these fit into little slots on the each side of the axle/side shield piece.

Quick Tip Glue the shield on before the gun. This makes it much easiler to install the gun assembly. We made the mistake of gluing the gun on first, then attempting the impossible trying to fit the gun afterwards.

Once the shield is on slide the gun onto its trunion mounts.

Step 3 Assemble the rest of the truck starting with the ammunition stowage just behind the cab.

Quick Tip A dry run here might be helpful to make sure the framework sits level. Next add the driver on the right-hand side (it is for the British!). Add the windscreen folded down because in action they tended to shatter the glass if they were up when the gun was fired.

Step 4 Next you need to make sure the gun trail fits on the back of the truck. The trail needs to be gently squeezed together just enough to achieve the correct "sit".

The spade end of the trails should fit between the winch and the ammunition stowage framework.

Optional There are two side shields provided in the kit just like the real one, but just like the real gunners you can choose not to use them if you like! Otherwise install them as per the picture. You may need to trim a little off the locating strut to achieve a snug fit.

Quick Tip If you prefer to remove the bases off the gunners prior to gluing to the back deck use some pliers or clippers to remove the excess base metal. Then use a knife to carefully remove the metal underneath the actual feet. Then it is up to you to choose how many gunners you want to use.

Quick Tip It might be easier to paint the gun separately before winching it on board your portee! Then get stuck into those favourite painting techniques before you go Panzer hunting.

No models were harmed in the making of this article. Please try this at home! Cheers, Evan