PZ4 Aerial Location.

[jarndice]

I know the PZ4 "H" and "J" had the radio aerial mounted on the left rear corner of the Body but was that the earliest they were to be found there as all my research shows all the pre "H" models had them on the mid right side of the body below the Turret?
I ask because I have a pair of PZ4 Turrets one earlier with the short barrel and one late with the long barrel and I would like to do an Africa Corps PZ4 Short Barrel but with the rear flank mounted aerial,
I have already built PZ4s with the side mounted aerial and I could do with a bit of variety.

[Woz]

They put it on the back when they put the Schürzen on the turret as it would short out the aerial.

"On 19 March 1943, the first Panzer IV with Schürzen skirts on its sides and turret was exhibited" - (wiki)

and the last Germans surrendered in Africa in 13 May 1943.

[PainlessWolf]

Good morning, Jarndice,
I have an 'early' HL Pro version Pz IV with the metal bits and have a DAK Pz IV on my list of builds as well. I will be following your thread to see how yours goes.
regards,
Painless

[jarndice]

Thank you gentlemen,
WOZ with the dates you quote that gives me a two month window except that so late in the African campaign short Barrel PZ4s would have almost certainly been withdrawn long before which means a Long Barrel with a rear mounted Aerial is possible but the short barrel probably not,
Oh well looks like I shall have to build two PZ4s perhaps an Africa Corps short barrel and a Russian campaign workhorse long barrel with a rear mounted aerial,
I have always avoided Schurzen but I suppose I should have one in the collection.

[HERMAN BIX]

Thank you gentlemen,
WOZ with the dates you quote that gives me a two month window except that so late in the African campaign short Barrel PZ4s would have almost certainly been withdrawn long before which means a Long Barrel with a rear mounted Aerial is possible but the short barrel probably not,
Oh well looks like I shall have to build two PZ4s perhaps an Africa Corps short barrel and a Russian campaign workhorse long barrel with a rear mounted aerial,
I have always avoided Schurzen but I suppose I should have one in the collection.

And for that "avoiding" you shall indeed pay the Ferryman !!

[capt midnight]

The schurzen is really pretty easy to do. I used scrap sheet copper for mine. Got it at a local recyclable place. It was scrap pieces left over from some roofing project. Worked like a champ!

Here's a link to the download section for the patterns. Scroll down, it's about half way down the page.

downloads/

Here's one I did with the screen schurzen. I had a build thread for a IV with the plate schurzen, but photobucket ate the pictures.

Bill

[jarndice]

Thank you Bill, I shall be viewing yours and Hermans Schurzen detail as well as the many others on the Forum.
My reluctance is not the difficulty of designing and building and fitting it,
I love putting right the failings of Heng Long and Taigen which with a PZ4 means dropping the engine bay from flat front to rear to being sloped from front to rear and dropping the rear rollers by 2.5 mm just as a starter,
The last thing I need is to take on that work only for it to be hidden by simulated armour plate although the mesh alternative offers some attractions.
Which means more research to find where the mesh Schurzen PZ4s served,
Ideally on the Russian front although the defence of Berlin would certainly allow for a lot of local modifications.