Good point made there about detail and durability.It is a working model and that needs to be remembered,it's all very well making them look amazingly realistic,but if you are then afraid to use it?To be honest,I dont tend to use my tanks hard anyway.At the moment I am finding detailing too much fun to pass on.I am trying to make things as durable as I can though.
The next detail I decided to tackle is a good example of this.The towing points on the front of the nose armour.These are in quite a vulnerable position so I tried to make them as tough as I could.The only way I could think of doing this was to make them from brass,solder them to a brass plate which would then be glued in behind the nose.Easier said than done though.I had to make them longer than I needed them so I could bolt them to a wooden jig while I soldered it together.Then once soldered,cut off the excess.
This is the completed plate.


This is where they come through the nose.


This is them fitted.


View from inside.


They are not finished yet,they need some little bars from the thinner ones to the nose bulges.Hopefully though they should cope with the tank grounding out on them.

Cheers all.