PS. I remembered that my first RC model was a Panzer III M. Old Heng Long with only minor modifications (inluding crappy metal exhaust) and very basic paint job.
- IMG_20200117_182958-1280x719.jpg (170.59 KiB) Viewed 121768 times
1/16 PzKpfw III Ausf M - Trumpeter/Heller kit with Taigen hull integration - Build
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Kaczor
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Re: 1/16 PzKpfw III Ausf M - Trumpeter/Heller kit with Taigen hull integration - Build
The gunshot smoke effect looks great! The screens look very good also. I thought about making them of metal in Stug, but it's probably a waste of time.
PS. I remembered that my first RC model was a Panzer III M. Old Heng Long with only minor modifications (inluding crappy metal exhaust) and very basic paint job.
PS. I remembered that my first RC model was a Panzer III M. Old Heng Long with only minor modifications (inluding crappy metal exhaust) and very basic paint job.
Re: 1/16 PzKpfw III Ausf M - Trumpeter/Heller kit with Taigen hull integration - Build
- 1/16 PzKpfw III Ausf M - Trumpeter/Heller kit with Taigen hull integration - Build
- 9a.JPG (1.47 MiB) Viewed 121764 times
The wooden islolation strip at the bottom of the rear turret schurzen has been correctly reproduced.
- 1/16 PzKpfw III Ausf M - Trumpeter/Heller kit with Taigen hull integration - Build
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The inside of the door panels have nasty pin marks that need to be filled with putty, they show a lot. These panels are kept removable because they easily hold in place, squeezed between the front and back sections.
- 1/16 PzKpfw III Ausf M - Trumpeter/Heller kit with Taigen hull integration - Build
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- 1/16 PzKpfw III Ausf M - Trumpeter/Heller kit with Taigen hull integration - Build
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A fifth schurzen plate is provided at the rear. According to Achtung Panzer, these were seen on few vehicles. Although they are interesting to add to the vehicle, they have no support at all. Both the instructions and Achtung Panzer do not provide any details as to how to mount them properly. The only option i see would be to glue them to the neighbouring plate. Not ideal.
- 1/16 PzKpfw III Ausf M - Trumpeter/Heller kit with Taigen hull integration - Build
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As this plate is optional and has no mount whatsoever, i will not be installing it. Shown here for demo purposes. Touch it and it falls off.
- 1/16 PzKpfw III Ausf M - Trumpeter/Heller kit with Taigen hull integration - Build
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Some more views of the schurzens and mounts.
- 1/16 PzKpfw III Ausf M - Trumpeter/Heller kit with Taigen hull integration - Build
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Still waiting for the Aber machine guns.
- 1/16 PzKpfw III Ausf M - Trumpeter/Heller kit with Taigen hull integration - Build
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The schurzen mount brackets needed a lot of clean up. I can still see some lines here that need to be removed.
- 1/16 PzKpfw III Ausf M - Trumpeter/Heller kit with Taigen hull integration - Build
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- 1/16 PzKpfw III Ausf M - Trumpeter/Heller kit with Taigen hull integration - Build
- 15.JPG (2.14 MiB) Viewed 121764 times
continuing on following post
Last edited by lmcq11 on Tue Jan 09, 2024 8:30 pm, edited 3 times in total.
Re: 1/16 PzKpfw III Ausf M - Trumpeter/Heller kit with Taigen hull integration - Build
And of course, there are options to display different field setups, one of the benefit of keeping the schurzens individually removable.
The model as it stands today.
Regards, Louis
- 1/16 PzKpfw III Ausf M - Trumpeter/Heller kit with Taigen hull integration - Build
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- 1/16 PzKpfw III Ausf M - Trumpeter/Heller kit with Taigen hull integration - Build
- 15c.JPG (1.46 MiB) Viewed 121762 times
The model as it stands today.
- 1/16 PzKpfw III Ausf M - Trumpeter/Heller kit with Taigen hull integration - Build
- 16.JPG (1.56 MiB) Viewed 121762 times
Regards, Louis
Last edited by lmcq11 on Tue Jan 09, 2024 10:53 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Re: 1/16 PzKpfw III Ausf M - Trumpeter/Heller kit with Taigen hull integration - Build
Interesting. thank you
Looking good and better than mine. I will redo the paint job on my old Panzer III while i paint this one, maybe also redo the electronic setup. And i ended up with a lot of spare parts for the ausf J and L from the Trumpeter kit, i am tempted to use some of them on the Heng Long. I realize now that my new Trumpeter Panzer III might not get close to anything within 1 meter to keep it safe... My old Heng Long might still be handy.
Re: 1/16 PzKpfw III Ausf M - Trumpeter/Heller kit with Taigen hull integration - Build
Hello,
After watching a few good looking HL Panzer III, i decided to take a few hours to upgrade my old Ausf L that i will paint and finish at the same time as the Ausf M.
I opened the HL ausf L. It's bizarre to inspect your own work from a previous decade. It has a good gearbox. When i originally replaced the BB barrel by a more accurate one, i did not know at the time how to do a recoil with flash, and the HL electronics were not supporting it. The barrel and elevation were fixed in place, and the BB unit was emptied as a holder for the barrel.
So this tank could only drive around and turn the turret, that's it.
I threw away in the garbage all the RX-18 stuff and will have to get a couple more TK 7.1 for plug and play on my tanks. I decided to give it servo recoil, flash and coax MG in addition to other cosmetic details, but it shall remain a HL panzer III.
Found an intact HL BB unit in the junkyard to transform into a recoil unit, i have many.
Then emptied but i keep the slider.
The bottom section is cut away.
I think the aluminum barrel was from Tank-modellbau of Germany. After taking measurements with the home made recoil unit, the root is determined to be too long and is cut. A brass tube is used as a connector with the recoil unit slider.
The metal barrel support tube that was inserted into the plastic barrel support is still good and the barrel slides well. All a need is to make sure nothing in the recoil unit will create any friction with the barrel.
After re-assembly of the barrel with the slider inside the recoil unit, it is mounted on the turret like it used to be. A regular micro servo is installed on the side for recoil with a push rod.
An elevation servo is installed at the back, with a push rod to the back of the recoil unit, providing much better elevation than the old HL motorized elevation unit. A yellow LED with fibre optic is installed for the coax machine gun and also inside the L60 for gun flash. I could install a gun smoke but not on this one.
Everything is tested and working fine.
Here we go, a HL with L60 main gun servo recoil, flash, sound, servo elevation, with coax MG flash and sound, in maybe 4 hours of work, at the cost of 2 micro servos and push rods. Works better than anything you can purchase.
continuing on following post
After watching a few good looking HL Panzer III, i decided to take a few hours to upgrade my old Ausf L that i will paint and finish at the same time as the Ausf M.
I opened the HL ausf L. It's bizarre to inspect your own work from a previous decade. It has a good gearbox. When i originally replaced the BB barrel by a more accurate one, i did not know at the time how to do a recoil with flash, and the HL electronics were not supporting it. The barrel and elevation were fixed in place, and the BB unit was emptied as a holder for the barrel.
So this tank could only drive around and turn the turret, that's it.
I threw away in the garbage all the RX-18 stuff and will have to get a couple more TK 7.1 for plug and play on my tanks. I decided to give it servo recoil, flash and coax MG in addition to other cosmetic details, but it shall remain a HL panzer III.
- 1/16 PzKpfw III Ausf M - Trumpeter/Heller kit with Taigen hull integration - Build
- 1.JPG (2.46 MiB) Viewed 117164 times
Found an intact HL BB unit in the junkyard to transform into a recoil unit, i have many.
- 1/16 PzKpfw III Ausf M - Trumpeter/Heller kit with Taigen hull integration - Build
- 2.JPG (2.58 MiB) Viewed 117164 times
Then emptied but i keep the slider.
- 1/16 PzKpfw III Ausf M - Trumpeter/Heller kit with Taigen hull integration - Build
- 3.JPG (2.07 MiB) Viewed 117164 times
The bottom section is cut away.
- 1/16 PzKpfw III Ausf M - Trumpeter/Heller kit with Taigen hull integration - Build
- 4.JPG (1.53 MiB) Viewed 117164 times
I think the aluminum barrel was from Tank-modellbau of Germany. After taking measurements with the home made recoil unit, the root is determined to be too long and is cut. A brass tube is used as a connector with the recoil unit slider.
- 1/16 PzKpfw III Ausf M - Trumpeter/Heller kit with Taigen hull integration - Build
- 5.JPG (1.75 MiB) Viewed 117164 times
The metal barrel support tube that was inserted into the plastic barrel support is still good and the barrel slides well. All a need is to make sure nothing in the recoil unit will create any friction with the barrel.
- 1/16 PzKpfw III Ausf M - Trumpeter/Heller kit with Taigen hull integration - Build
- 6.JPG (1.76 MiB) Viewed 117164 times
After re-assembly of the barrel with the slider inside the recoil unit, it is mounted on the turret like it used to be. A regular micro servo is installed on the side for recoil with a push rod.
- 1/16 PzKpfw III Ausf M - Trumpeter/Heller kit with Taigen hull integration - Build
- 7.JPG (1.55 MiB) Viewed 117164 times
An elevation servo is installed at the back, with a push rod to the back of the recoil unit, providing much better elevation than the old HL motorized elevation unit. A yellow LED with fibre optic is installed for the coax machine gun and also inside the L60 for gun flash. I could install a gun smoke but not on this one.
- 1/16 PzKpfw III Ausf M - Trumpeter/Heller kit with Taigen hull integration - Build
- 8.JPG (1.86 MiB) Viewed 117164 times
Everything is tested and working fine.
- 1/16 PzKpfw III Ausf M - Trumpeter/Heller kit with Taigen hull integration - Build
- 9.JPG (2.82 MiB) Viewed 117164 times
Here we go, a HL with L60 main gun servo recoil, flash, sound, servo elevation, with coax MG flash and sound, in maybe 4 hours of work, at the cost of 2 micro servos and push rods. Works better than anything you can purchase.
- 1/16 PzKpfw III Ausf M - Trumpeter/Heller kit with Taigen hull integration - Build
- 10.JPG (1.97 MiB) Viewed 117164 times
continuing on following post
Last edited by lmcq11 on Sat Jan 13, 2024 10:02 am, edited 4 times in total.
Re: 1/16 PzKpfw III Ausf M - Trumpeter/Heller kit with Taigen hull integration - Build
Also did a few cosmetic changes. The turret side doors were installed upside down at the factory. There were removed and installed correctly. The broken cupola did not have the right orientation, the frontal periscope should face forward. It was given a new cupola i had on inventory from a previous conversion. The home made gutters were replaced by spare HL ones found in the turret junkyard. And i gave it hollow air intakes, along with the Trumpeter PE grills that were surplus from the ausf M project.
Ah, finally got my Aber MG-34 with Panzermantel. These are the 16L-03 with armored barrel for use on Panzer bow and coax, not the 16L-02 with round barrel and AA sight for the cupola.
The thin barrel is cut but the tip is made hollow.
A new barrel made of brass tubes is created to host the fiber optic cable. The parts used to create the bow and coax MG are shown. The plastic Trumpeter MG and mount are used to determine the exterior length of the barrel only.
I use 1mm fibre optic cable. The new hollow barrel is an Albion MBT12 1.2mm outside and 1.0mm inside brass tube, with overlay at the root to match the interior of the brass guard. It makes a solid operable MG34.
The LED is drilled for the larger tube and the 1mm fibre optic that goes a bit deeper inside.
Here we have the bow and coax MG ready to be installed. The ABER MG are a bit thinner than the Trumpeter plastic MG so i had to put a black tape spacer for them to hold in position inside the slots.
The nice Trumpeter MG-34 body can be better used for other external purposes where it will show.
Bow MG-34 is installed as shown. The Trumpeter parts for the flexible pivot are excellent and can be used as is.
A micro servo is installed without ceremony to provide realistic mouvement to the machine gun using a push rod.
I gave the MG a base on which to slide unevenly with a light curve. The connection is loose just enough to give it a realistic human feel to the mouvement, not a mechanical and horizontal left/right mouvement following a strait pattern.
The Aber MG-34 provides a Panzer III bow machine gun with unparalleled details. But it takes a bit of effort with basic tools to make it functional with a LED and servo.
continuing on following post.
- 1/16 PzKpfw III Ausf M - Trumpeter/Heller kit with Taigen hull integration - Build
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- 1/16 PzKpfw III Ausf M - Trumpeter/Heller kit with Taigen hull integration - Build
- 12.JPG (1.85 MiB) Viewed 117147 times
Ah, finally got my Aber MG-34 with Panzermantel. These are the 16L-03 with armored barrel for use on Panzer bow and coax, not the 16L-02 with round barrel and AA sight for the cupola.
- 1/16 PzKpfw III Ausf M - Trumpeter/Heller kit with Taigen hull integration - Build
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The thin barrel is cut but the tip is made hollow.
- 1/16 PzKpfw III Ausf M - Trumpeter/Heller kit with Taigen hull integration - Build
- 14.JPG (799.58 KiB) Viewed 117147 times
A new barrel made of brass tubes is created to host the fiber optic cable. The parts used to create the bow and coax MG are shown. The plastic Trumpeter MG and mount are used to determine the exterior length of the barrel only.
I use 1mm fibre optic cable. The new hollow barrel is an Albion MBT12 1.2mm outside and 1.0mm inside brass tube, with overlay at the root to match the interior of the brass guard. It makes a solid operable MG34.
The LED is drilled for the larger tube and the 1mm fibre optic that goes a bit deeper inside.
- 1/16 PzKpfw III Ausf M - Trumpeter/Heller kit with Taigen hull integration - Build
- 15.JPG (750.39 KiB) Viewed 117147 times
Here we have the bow and coax MG ready to be installed. The ABER MG are a bit thinner than the Trumpeter plastic MG so i had to put a black tape spacer for them to hold in position inside the slots.
The nice Trumpeter MG-34 body can be better used for other external purposes where it will show.
- 1/16 PzKpfw III Ausf M - Trumpeter/Heller kit with Taigen hull integration - Build
- 16.JPG (712.99 KiB) Viewed 117147 times
Bow MG-34 is installed as shown. The Trumpeter parts for the flexible pivot are excellent and can be used as is.
- 1/16 PzKpfw III Ausf M - Trumpeter/Heller kit with Taigen hull integration - Build
- 17.JPG (1.23 MiB) Viewed 117147 times
A micro servo is installed without ceremony to provide realistic mouvement to the machine gun using a push rod.
- 1/16 PzKpfw III Ausf M - Trumpeter/Heller kit with Taigen hull integration - Build
- 18.JPG (1.55 MiB) Viewed 117147 times
I gave the MG a base on which to slide unevenly with a light curve. The connection is loose just enough to give it a realistic human feel to the mouvement, not a mechanical and horizontal left/right mouvement following a strait pattern.
- 1/16 PzKpfw III Ausf M - Trumpeter/Heller kit with Taigen hull integration - Build
- 19.JPG (2.7 MiB) Viewed 117147 times
The Aber MG-34 provides a Panzer III bow machine gun with unparalleled details. But it takes a bit of effort with basic tools to make it functional with a LED and servo.
- 1/16 PzKpfw III Ausf M - Trumpeter/Heller kit with Taigen hull integration - Build
- 20.JPG (1.15 MiB) Viewed 117147 times
continuing on following post.
Last edited by lmcq11 on Fri Jan 12, 2024 9:37 pm, edited 11 times in total.
Re: 1/16 PzKpfw III Ausf M - Trumpeter/Heller kit with Taigen hull integration - Build
- 1/16 PzKpfw III Ausf M - Trumpeter/Heller kit with Taigen hull integration - Build
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- 1/16 PzKpfw III Ausf M - Trumpeter/Heller kit with Taigen hull integration - Build
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- 1/16 PzKpfw III Ausf M - Trumpeter/Heller kit with Taigen hull integration - Build
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For the coax, it was not obvious how much it should come out of the mantlet, as shown by Achtung Panzer. The details does not perfectly match.
- 1/16 PzKpfw III Ausf M - Trumpeter/Heller kit with Taigen hull integration - Build
- 24.JPG (1.29 MiB) Viewed 117141 times
The Trumpeter turret provides a realistic mount for the coax MG34. Just need to slide it in like the real thing and fix it in place.
- 1/16 PzKpfw III Ausf M - Trumpeter/Heller kit with Taigen hull integration - Build
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Looks good.
- 1/16 PzKpfw III Ausf M - Trumpeter/Heller kit with Taigen hull integration - Build
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- 1/16 PzKpfw III Ausf M - Trumpeter/Heller kit with Taigen hull integration - Build
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For comparison, these are the MG on the HL Panzer III.
- 1/16 PzKpfw III Ausf M - Trumpeter/Heller kit with Taigen hull integration - Build
- 28.JPG (2.89 MiB) Viewed 117141 times
Equivalent on the Trumpeter build with Aber brass MG. The finesse is exquisite.
- 1/16 PzKpfw III Ausf M - Trumpeter/Heller kit with Taigen hull integration - Build
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The nice and thin PE plate was added on top of the frontal armor. Very nice compared to the thickness of the HL part.
- 1/16 PzKpfw III Ausf M - Trumpeter/Heller kit with Taigen hull integration - Build
- 30.JPG (1.71 MiB) Viewed 117141 times
Last edited by lmcq11 on Fri Jan 12, 2024 7:23 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Re: 1/16 PzKpfw III Ausf M - Trumpeter/Heller kit with Taigen hull integration - Build
This is it, the models are ready for painting, the Trumpeter kit providing nice decals for both.
I'll be going on a trip for a couple of weeks. Next time you see them in February, they will be painted.
Regards, Louis
I'll be going on a trip for a couple of weeks. Next time you see them in February, they will be painted.
- 1/16 PzKpfw III Ausf M - Trumpeter/Heller kit with Taigen hull integration - Build
- 31.JPG (1.59 MiB) Viewed 117130 times
Regards, Louis
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Herr Dr. Professor
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Re: 1/16 PzKpfw III Ausf M - Trumpeter/Heller kit with Taigen hull integration - Build
Louis, I hope it's not too late to wish you a pleasant trip. I noticed your comment that you threw away...the RX-18 stuff...and will have to get a couple more TK 7.1 for plug and play." I hope you will be able to present a lesson when you "plug" in the TK 7.1. I have a few older HengLong tanks that might benefit from such a change-over, especially my insulting-award-winning Tauchpanzer. (viewtopic.php?p=347727&hilit=Tauchpanzer#p347727) and (viewtopic.php?p=347832&hilit=Tauchpanzer#p347832). Maybe you could do, please, a "Putting in a TK 7.1 for Idiots" post.
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jarndice
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Re: 1/16 PzKpfw III Ausf M - Trumpeter/Heller kit with Taigen hull integration - Build
When I see all the great detail I was surprised you did not take advantage of the free space in the Heng Longs turret box after modding the main gun,
I think I would have sawn off the turret box and lowered it as your Trumpeter turret box is.
I am afraid I have been spoiled by Taigens reengineered PZ4 turret but in truth I fear I am being picky when overall it is a magnificent job of work.
I think I would have sawn off the turret box and lowered it as your Trumpeter turret box is.
I am afraid I have been spoiled by Taigens reengineered PZ4 turret but in truth I fear I am being picky when overall it is a magnificent job of work.
I think I am about to upset someone 
