I would second the recommendation of getting a tiger, I'm just starting a DAK tiger with the tamiya k sprue and some
PE. Regarding the fenders I would get the tank modelbau ones. They're easy to put together and come with proper threaded bolts and the mounting point are pre cut pre drilled abs so much easier than abers offering.
If you want to do a tiger pay no attention to the nay sayers. It's a great model.