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Martin,

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

Cheers,
Eric.

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

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.


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.


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.


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


The moulded on spade has now been removed.


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


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.


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.


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


The bolt heads & brackets before trimming & shaping.


The bolt heads & brackets after trimming & shaping.


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

That’s all for now…………………….

Cheers Martin

Nice work Martin with those brass pieces

Cheers thanks

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.

Yes Great Radio

Are you running Opentx software in your Radiomaster?

Hi yes Opentx

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.