Sd.Kfz. 164 Nashorn

Johan Perremans
This is a very nice kit, but in the usual BM style, the instructions are a mess.

It took me a couple of minutes to figure out, but 'onal P' means Optional Parts. When en how this was lost in translation is a mystery, but anyway.
The optional Parts are there to distinguish between Early and Late versions. It would be nice if the instructions stated this from the start and led the builder through the steps - or at least showed some consequence. Instead they randomly switch between 1 and 2 from step to step.

For an Early version, go like this:
Step 2: A1, the idlers with the round holes
Step 4: G1, the large exhaust unit
Step 5: the boxes underneath the rear fenders are probably not supposed to be there on a Late version! They are however present on Early Nashorns
Step 6: drill holes in the right hand fender in order to install the 2nd headlight in Step 10
Step 11: do as the top half of the drawing shows
Step 12 & 13: H1 is the plastic gun, H2 is to the optional metal barrel. This is no distinction between early and late
Step 15: PLEASE NOTE: K1 is Late - for Early, this time choose K2!!!
Step 16: in case you wonder what K3 is - it is obviously supposed to be K2...so the bottom part of the drawing is Early choice
Step 18: I am not 100% certain, but L2 should be the Early version
Step 23: Install the spare wheels, the Early version had them up front

From here on the confusion cranks up another gear. After step 26 the build somehow just stops omitting the rear lower plate that covers the exhaust and that carries the spare wheels for the Late version. The parts seem, to be there on the sprues...

Also, the kit contains parts for radio equipment but the instructions do not mention this at all!

I will get back to those latter two matters later as I build and do some more research.

Johann Enrique Gil
The new one in the stash....