1/16 Taigen Metal Edition Panzer III - Build

[EAO]

Martin,

That is going to be one fine Panzer 3. It'll be cool to watch it progress.

Cheers,
Eric.

[PainlessWolf]

Good evening,
Having just finished a Pz IV 'F' Dak Build, I will be watching this one with a lot of interest!
regards,
Painless

[Martin2556]

I’ve Made A Start On The Upper Hull:

The tread plate on the upper hull track guards/fenders is incorrect, it’s not the correct scale or pattern & the orientation is wrong, the pattern should line up with the edge of the track guards/fenders, so I decided to remove it all & replace it with the Aber PP03 1/16 brass tread plates.

Incorrect Tread Plate Pattern & Orientation

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Turned out to be quite a big job, I had to remove all the existing tread plate pattern, the support brackets, the moulded on tools & other details etc.

Aber PP03 Tread Plate 1/16 Scale

F1C95AB7-8F53-48B1-B18A-C5A1F9BDC8EA.jpeg (98.95 KiB) Viewed 1987 times

The moulded on tools had to go anyway as they never look as good as separate tools, so before removing them I thought I’d experiment & have a go at improving the look by under cutting them, the results are in photos below, an improvement I think & worth considering if you don’t want to go to the trouble of replacing the tread plates.

Experimenting-Undercutting Tools

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Experimenting-Undercutting Tools

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Removing the moulded on tools & track guard tread plates Etc.

Removing The Moulded On Tools Etc

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Removing The Moulded On Tools Etc

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The moulded on spade has now been removed.

Moulded On Spade Removed

A2B7E330-DF64-4C0A-A122-810F9C183ED3.jpeg (98.57 KiB) Viewed 1987 times

All moulded track guard tread plates & tools Etc removed & the first small section of Aber tread plate fitted.

All Moulded On Tools & Tread Plate Etc Removed

1E9E96F4-4A82-41D8-B393-A658C9E7AED1.jpeg (85.72 KiB) Viewed 1987 times

Once I’d removed all the tools & other details I then used some filler & sanded down to a flat smooth surface. The surface needs to be good otherwise any imperfections will show through the tread plate (its very thin).

With the surface prepared I was now ready to start cutting & fitting the Aber tread plate.

I found the tread plate was quite easy to cut using a pair of small sharp scissors. I used Zap CA+ medium glue to fix down the new Aber tread plates, I found it gives adequate time to position the plates correctly.

Spreading the glue thinly & evenly & being carful not to get it too close to the edges helps prevent excess glue oozing out & making a mess.

The plate tends to curl up a little after cutting, I found that laying it on a flat surface & rolling it on the opposite side with the handle of a modelling knife helps to flatten it (like using a rolling pin). I made up some thick stiff plastic plates to help clamp it down untill the glue sets.

I was carful not to get any glue between the new Aber tread plates & the temporary thick plastic pressure plates & clamps.

I also degreased & roughed up the back of the tread plate with 240 grit sand paper to help make a stronger glue joint.

Aber Tread Plate Needs To Be Flattened Before Glueing

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Glueing & Clamping Tread Plate

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I then had to make & fit all the brackets I’d removed, including the bolt heads that fix & hold down the tread plates, quite a slow process, but I made steady progress & eventually got it all finished.

Aber Tread Plate & New Bracket’s Fitted

8E7FE152-D9F8-4041-8D0A-34C9FB06CE94.jpeg (90.85 KiB) Viewed 1987 times

Aber Tread Plate & New Bracket’s Fitted

A35D4953-954A-450F-8A0A-AA94FA66D234.jpeg (77.62 KiB) Viewed 1987 times

The bolt heads & brackets still need to be trimmed down & shaped but only after the glue had fully cured.

Bolt Heads & Brackets Before Trimming & Shaping

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The bolt heads & brackets before trimming & shaping.

Bolt Heads & Brackets Before Trimming & Shaping

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The bolt heads & brackets after trimming & shaping.

Bolt Heads & Brackets After Trimming & Shaping

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Next Up - Upper Hull Weld Seams & Adding Some Extra Hull Detailing

That’s all for now…………………….

Cheers Martin

[c.rainford73]

Nice work Martin with those brass pieces

[Martin2556]

Cheers thanks

[Jimster]

Awesome build. My next tank will be the Taigen Panzer lll so I’m following this thread with interest. I’m also a student at Rad University and totally agree about the Radiomaster TX16S! Seems to take an rc tank to the next level.

[Martin2556]

Yes Great Radio

[quitcherbitchen]

Are you running Opentx software in your Radiomaster?

[Martin2556]

Hi yes Opentx

[quitcherbitchen]

You could probably get your machine gun sound back by assigning a toggle switch to choose between the smoke and gun. I have my Panzer III running Opentx and I have the 2 mg and the cannon toggled to a master switch that lets me use a momentary button to fire. I can look at my radio to help you if you need me to. Opentx is so powerful. It did take me a day for figure it out though.