Thanks for your kind comments...
@macruran
Yep! Those hats are great! At the same time, i'm building a vietnamese boat for that purpose
@hadoque
I'm also for the use of playmobil parts wherever possible. Although, flat plastic and weapons are a problem, that's why i'm recycling old cd cases and some ugly chinese toys for the radar and front turret machinegun. The design is what's important (and difficult), I think: finding the right balance between a nice looking adaptation of the original vehicle vs a playmo look.
The decisions, like changing the wheel to the left or the materials used (all plastic vs metal, wood), is what i'm talking about. I guess my style falls in between a playmobil toy and a detailed scale model, always gravitating towards the first.
There's some other projects (1900's-ish steam boat and mississipi steamer) i'll be posting soon, where i used 98% playmo plastic instead.
That said... some progress is made!


Original vs custom comparison

Had to shorten the front gun, waaaaay too big

Front turret well is glued (messy glue gun job

)

Soldering the canvas support



Rear railing and engine compartment open/closed lid.


Bitts, airlift tabs, radar and antennas in place...



I adapted a playmo firefighter's hose lever to the instruments panel. Think it turned out pretty good!



The cabin is almost ready!