Here it is - the 1:6 Battle Ready Armor STUG IV. I had originally ordered the BRA Panther from Steel Dragons, but I grew weary of the production delays and eventually called Richard Tripp and asked him to send me the STUG IV kit. It arrived in the packages that you see below. Admittedly - I had no idea what I was getting into when I took this on - but one thing has become abundantly clear: If you want a 1:6 R/C AFV - you may want to keep saving your money until you can purchase one that is actually designed as one. Needless to say, while I don't regret my decision to go this route (as it did inspire me to "bite the bullet" and order the Armortek Panther) - trying to make this model into an R/C machine has required hundreds of dollars (beyond the initial $750 I paid for the static kit) - and has presented me with challenges that I could never had anticipated. All in all - I would not recommend this route unless you have an enormous amount of patience - and extensive experience scratchbuilding. These kits (or at least this one in particular) are obviously designed as static models in every sense of the word - and as such, the components need alot of modification and "tweaking". The running gear (the moving parts) will be your biggest challenge. If "scale" is your passion (you're a rivet counter) - forget about this vehicle altogether if you wish to convert it to R/C. I have had to take several "liberties" in order to animate this model - mostly involving the running gear. I personally don't mind - as I'm happy with just capturing the "essence and spirit" of the vehicle. I have no doubt that it will still capture the eye of most folks who love armor when I roll it down the street - but there are alot of things that would never escape the discerning eye of fervent modelers. If you want to own a 1:6 AFV, don't have the funds for a Mark I or Armortek model at this point - and aren't completely hung up on miniscule details - this may be a good pathway into the scale for you - if you have the patience, tools, and experience to make it happen. Feel free to follow along - and learn from my trials and tribulations.

This is the way it arrived...