2 - Planning for Janus

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The first decision I had to make, once the kit was checked out, was the order in which to paint and assemble the pieces.

And as part of that decision, I had to decide what I was going to do with the turrets: glue them down, or leave them able to pivot.

The choice about gluing the turrets down was an easy one, given the design of the model. Ordinarily, I always glue my turrets down, since:

• I don't usually play using rules which worry about turret facing (independent from hull facing)
• I don't like losing turrets, and if they aren't glued down, they have a tendancy to fall off
• A moving turret is an invitation to play with the turret, and sooner or later the gun barrel is going to get bent or knocked off, or the paint is going to get scraped between turret and hull

What was different about this kit, however, was the generous size of the "neck" below the turrets. These turrets weren't going to fall off casually. The design of the front turret/gun joint looked like it might be weak, but the main turret/gun joint was very well made (unlikely to snap off).

So I decided to take the risk and go for moving turrets on this vehicle.

Knowing that I was going to have pivoting turrets meant that I would have to paint them separately from the hull (to keep from "painting down" the turrets, and to make sure I covered all of the hull that could be visible beneath the turrets).

Doing some dry fitting of the hull pieces convinced me that the pieces fit together tight enough in spots that painting them first might make assembly more difficult. Also, there were a few spots where it looked like I might want to do some body work (due to the possibility of gaps), and body work is always best done prior to painting.

Looking at the main turret, I concluded that it would be easier to paint the rocket pods and radar array separately, due to parts of each becoming harder to access once attached. However, I decided to glue the turret and gun together before painting.

With the front turret, there was no clear reason not to assemble it first, so that's what I decided to do.