digger,
pershing is a great model. but it does have 2 main problems. one is the front end closing, most people can not close it tight. second is the turret rotation.
I designed my own charging system, so you do not have to open it when you charge the battery. go to my web site you can see more about it. for lubing the gearbox, i make the engine deck working, so I can lube the gearbox there, so I do not have open the tank either.
for turret rotation problem, many people use a tie to fix, but i replace the clutch gear in the turret rotation unit because the clutch one does not have enough torque.
happy tanking