Tamiya Jagdpanther overhaul and new transmission

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sevoblast
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Tamiya Jagdpanther overhaul and new transmission

Post by sevoblast »

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Summer is a bit chilly and raining this year, so I've got some time to work on the JP. He's not young and has a vast number of hours on him, being run by the youngsters and teenagers we teach history classes to. Running tanks is their reward for doing well in their studies and they each have an adult for supervision until they get their act together. Still and all, it's a rock garden here so after the second set of stock Type 3 transmissions died, I figure it was time to upgrade.

He gets a standard ETO transmission albeit slowed down a little with stump pulling short cans. He has Impact tracks and bearings in the road wheels and idlers, otherwise he is stock except for some main gun goodies which I will go in to later. Plan is to replace the stock Tamiya elevation and rotation units with servos, and since it's a Daryl's Parts unit for the main gun control there's going to be some footwork modifying him. Recoil will be a modified prototypical recoil Wecohe unit and should work flawlessly when I'm done with it.

First off is removal of the tracks, then removal of the Tamiya transmissions. While they are worn in some places and both have one stripped gear, I will salvage them, rebuild them and have them ready for future use if needed. The Type 3 transmissions are all the same for Tiger E, Tiger B, Sherman, KV 1 and KV2, Panther, Jagdpanther, and IS 2. Only difference that I know of is the length of the final drive shaft for the actual transmission and the lengths of the standoffs to position them in the hull. IS 2 uses an angled bracket under each TU to get him to the correct angle and clearance of the hull floor.

Installation of the ETO unit is simple. One removes one of the two final drive shafts, accomplished by loosening one set screw and carefully pulling the final drive shaft out. By reversing the provided transmission mounts and attaching them to the hull floor on the outside, see photos, using two Tamiya hull holes to screw them to the outside hull floor from inside the tank. After marking the location of the two additional holes needed to mount the unit. the unit is removed, the mounts installed in their correct position and you are ready to drill the two 3 mm holes in the hull floor. Detailed instructions are included with the units along with photos and information in addition to what I am posting here. The only modification to the Panther/JP hull is a small addition to the two inner cutouts of the stock unit, photo shown. Other tanks need no modifications beyond the two additional mounting holes. Once the unit is in place and bolted down, the one final drive shaft is installed and the unit is ready to work. I do strongly advise to use copper wire for the motor electric feeds, and 'deans plugs'. You will be amazed at how much resistance is in the stock aluminum wire and connectors. Don't believe me? Run your tank wide open for five minutes, pop the top and feel the wires and connectors. Heat is resistance. Be careful to not burn your fingers.

While the Panther/Jagdpanther come with a sticky aluminum foil piece to cover the existing holes in the hull front lower plate, I never use them. I use a 0.5 mm or 1 mm piece of Evergreen plastic card to do the job and I attach it with Moment rubber cement. It's worked for years for me.

Attached are a couple photos of the first of a few simple modifications that cost almost nothing but go a long way to ease maintenance and east of removal of any parts needed for work and/or repair. I now use 'button head' hex head screws for just about everything. They are not expensive, hold very well and the problems with Phillips head screws stripping out their crosshead are gone. Also, I use socket head bolts for the final drive shafts. The Phillips head screws are long ago history and these units with the proper lock washer do not come loose. For countersink screws, I also use a hex head screws, not phillips head.

I'll add more tomorrow as I continue with the overhaul and I'll have more tips and tricks included.
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fury69
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Re: Tamiya Jagdpanther overhaul and new transmission

Post by fury69 »

Very nice.
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sevoblast
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Re: Tamiya Jagdpanther overhaul and new transmission

Post by sevoblast »

Daryl, a close friend and who has handled etoarmor shipping and stocking for years, is known as our 'resident genius'. Some of his fixes are amazing, and this little deal to address problems with the JP main gun platform works wonders. It rides on two sealed bearings and is rock solid. Unfortunately, it is no longer available but I sold a herd of them when the fix came out.
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sevoblast
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Re: Tamiya Jagdpanther overhaul and new transmission

Post by sevoblast »

A more crisp photo of Daryl's Jagdpanther main gun modification.
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43rdRecceReg
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Re: Tamiya Jagdpanther overhaul and new transmission

Post by 43rdRecceReg »

More details and pics to come, I hope. :)
I have the Static version of Tamiya's JP waiting in the wings; but when I build it, I want it to have full-option features, but not necessarily stock Tamiya ones.
Those ETO gearboxes look beautifully engineered. :thumbup:
"Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please"- Mark Twain.
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Ad Lav
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Re: Tamiya Jagdpanther overhaul and new transmission

Post by Ad Lav »

I upgraded my 1946 Jagdpanther with Daryl’s Metal trunion parts - stopped any wobble etc.

Good work on the upgrades Sevoblast :)
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sevoblast
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Re: Tamiya Jagdpanther overhaul and new transmission

Post by sevoblast »

43rdRecceReg wrote:More details and pics to come, I hope. :)
I have the Static version of Tamiya's JP waiting in the wings; but when I build it, I want it to have full-option features, but not necessarily stock Tamiya ones.
Those ETO gearboxes look beautifully engineered. :thumbup:
I'm sure Daryl can build you a set for your JP when you are ready. His mod for the JP goes a long way to eliminating the floppy main gun. I'll have photos soon as this thread progresses and it will show servos for the controls.

Thanks for the complements on the transmission. All are serial numbered and the materials are military specification for highest grade. When one is purchased, the serial number and all information is entered in the log. I keep two logs, one on computer and one hand written hard copy.
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sevoblast
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Re: Tamiya Jagdpanther overhaul and new transmission

Post by sevoblast »

Ad Lav wrote:I upgraded my 1946 Jagdpanther with Daryl’s Metal trunion parts - stopped any wobble etc.

Good work on the upgrades Sevoblast :)
There will be more upgrades and tricks as the thread progresses. I've got the hull of the JP apart now, he's going to have red primer interior and I've got a set of rather rare late wheels that will go on him as soon as I can find the photo with a JP with the steel wheels. I've got one somewhere, problem is which file it's in.
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Ad Lav
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Re: Tamiya Jagdpanther overhaul and new transmission

Post by Ad Lav »

I’ve got that photo in one of my files too - it’s what made me do it to mine, looked a great machine with steel wheels.
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sevoblast
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Re: Tamiya Jagdpanther overhaul and new transmission

Post by sevoblast »

Ad Lav wrote:I’ve got that photo in one of my files too - it’s what made me do it to mine, looked a great machine with steel wheels.
If you find it, shoot me a PM if you would, please, and feel free to post it. I've got tons of files and precious little time to rummage through them for the next couple weeks.
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