That's a good idea. I also need to add a bundle of fake hydraulic pipes and a thick water hose which should help. Counter sunk screws might help too.
After hours of trying to make functional scale accurate clips that doesn't break, I noticed the guards were too short. Fortunately they were also a bit too wide, so I could fix it by adjusting the corners. While I was in there with the soldering iron I also soldered on some pins so I can give up on the clips.
Primed and ready for painting in what will inevitably be the wrong shade of gray. (I'll test TS-63 nato black first, but TS-82 rubber black might be better)