Takom 1/16 Pz.Kpfw.I Ausf A

[silversurfer1947]

For some time now I have been slowly playing with this kit, collecting bits and pieces and gluing the odd few parts together. During that time, Louis (lmcq11) did a very comprehensive build thread on the Ausf B. A huge amount of what I am doing is taken from Louis' thread (with apologies for the plagiarism) so if anyone is going to build one, I would strongly suggest you follow him, not me! . Certain things have been changed, mainly because I have nowhere near his skill and ability. I will post a few photos with some comments where I have taken a slightly different approach. They will be in no particular order, I'm afraid.

I will, however, start with one major difference. To get the correct track tension, Louis fitted Mato Sherman tensioners to the idler wheels. Great idea, so I went ahead and bought a set. What I should have done was checked my kit beforehand. I had not appreciated that the Aus B actually had a different wheel set up, comprising 6 wheels, as opposed to the 5 on the A.

Ausf B.jpg (94.69 KiB) Viewed 974 times

This is the rear bogie

and this the close up of what is effectively the idler wheel.

The representation of the adjustment gear is very good, but for me to try and replace it with an operating version is another matter.
I shall just have to hope that the tracks have the right tension. To attempt to change the plastic parts for a working tensioner are way beyond my ability.

I have the same metal tracks that Louis used. They are very easy to assemble - much better quality than the metal tracks I used for my 38(T).

[lmcq11]

Interesting, i saw that the Ausf B has one more road wheel than the Ausf A but did not notice the tensioner was so different. The nice track links are so tiny and narrow, the tensioner is probably not required.

There is no such thing as plagiarism. i am presenting detailed builds on this site because i want to and like it. I do so specially so that other modelers can see and decide to do the same, or not the same based on the experience and results they see, and hopefully improve it. I also usually present a short video as proof of concept as I do not want to mislead other guys with ideas that do not work.

Oh, If you plan to motorize it with the same gearbox that i used, the 130 size motors really start to overheat and smell after 10-15 minutes of operation. If you find a way to replace them with 180 size motors, that would surely be better.

Regards, Louis

[Afrikakorps]

I also have the A model , so I look forward to following this build. Louis’s build was excellent, far beyond my ability, something to strive for.
Cheers to both of you.

Afrikakorps


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[silversurfer1947]

Just bit of background. My comments should be read in conjunction with Louis' build thread.

Originally, I was intending to purchase the running gear from Christian Ludwig as I did not think I could use the existing kit gear. I had already purchased the tracked chassis. Then along came Louis, who very quickly showed how he did things. My engineerings skills are at a much lower level than his, so I did a bit of lateral thinking. Firstly, I found some thin walled brass tube. The 2.5mm was a perfect fit inside the 3mm, which made fitting the bogies much easier. I purchased the same size bearings (3x6x2) that Louis used. That gave me the first problem. I discovered that the 3mm for the bearings was a different 3mm from the manufacturers of the brass tube. The only solution was to file down a sufficient length of tube to provide the axles for the bogie wheels.

Rather than cut off the plastic axles, then drill out the bogies to fit replacement ones from the brass tube, I opted to file them down and use the brass tube as a sleeve. The main reason for this was that I was not confident of drilling the holes accurately enough. I also chose a different way to fit the bearings. The bearings are slightly smaller in diameter than the holes in the wheels. What I found was that, when wrapped with a single layer of Tamiya 2mm masking tape, they were a nice push fit. Again, this made life a lot simpler than drilling out and fitting 6mm tube for the bearings.

[silversurfer1947]

A small update. The front road wheel is a single wheel on a swing axle. Suspension comes from a coil spring and shock absorber. This is what the kit part looks like.

The problem was how to convert this to make it operational. Inspiration came from Louis' build. The "shock absorber" body is formed from two pieces of aluminium tube, 6mm and 5mm, which provide a perfect fit. The spring came from https://springsandthings.me.uk/shop/com ... n-springs/ They have a huge range of springs, all cut to the required length. Their service is outstanding. I had to order twice, as I messed up the measurement the first time. Ordered one day, received the next.

Anyway, this is what I have produced.

I am hoping the spring has the correct compression. If not I have some leeway in cutting it down. It it turns out not to be strong enough, I can easily get some longer ones. The cost is minimal.

[silversurfer1947]

Sometime ago I bought a couple of these tracked chassis, intending to break one use one for this build.

The gearboxes and the drive sprockets are the only parts required. The drive sprocket from the kit was cut down by shortening the shaft.

Not being confident of being able to centre the actual drive sprocket as Louis did, instead, I first drilled the sprocket to accept the stub axle of the kit, then turned down the sprocket from the chassis so that it fitted inside the flange on the kit sprocket. That way, it is perfectly centred.