Tony, thanks for that; most informative. Did you need to paint your sprockets and idlers or have you left them as they are? I believe mine will be bare metal according to the dealer's web shots www.howesmodels.co.uk If you did paint them what did you use-Tamiya, Humbrol?
As far as the sound goes I'm thinking 'quite muffled' might be ok; I find the stock sound in my HL Tiger a bit shrill at higher volumes. The lack of a grill on the KV might act as a treble attenuator!