Contemplating a Panzer IV build? Then...

[43rdRecceReg]

Thanks, Dan and Shaun! How well the paint will hold up after some rough stuff in the garden is difficult to say. This year has been a weather washout, and the Summer vanished without trace ('nil point'..in Eurovision speak.), and I've barely had a moment to test any working models that were already produced with this paint layer formula (Tamiya Metal primer- Tamiya Metal and Surface primer- Humbrol grey primer- Tamiya or Vallejo topcoats).
All I can say is that with Tamiya metal/ surface primers as the substrate, surfaces pass the 'fingernail test'. That's where I try to scratch the paint off after it's dried sufficiently. That's off areas that have been oversprayed, and don't need coating, that is. One is not a complete nitwit... Well, not all the time
Yes, Shaun, the Mr Hobby metal primer is ok too. I got a couple of tins off Ebay. On the plus side, it's cheaper than the Tamiya offering, and easier to obtain as well. So far, having tried it on only models' metal bits, it appears to be a good key for subsequent paint layers.

[43rdRecceReg]

When you buy a Taigen of Heng Long Panzer IV, it will be equipped with a plastic cupola, but you can also get a metal one that comes from the same mould, apparently. That's If you want to add bit of weight and 'metal' status to your model. These are for the Ausf F2. They're quite nicely detailed, and slot quite easily into place. They also fit the Panzer 111.

Taigen and Heng Long Pz IV cupolas

When you buy a Tamiya Panzer IV (ausfJ). You get this:

Tamiya Pz IV ausf J cupola

Assembled, it looks like this:

Tamiya Pz IV ausf J cupola assembled

Apart from the obvious difference that the F2 has a split hatch, in comparing the cupolas, I find that the Tamiya has slightly cleaner lines and detail; but not by much.
Now that i have the cupola, all I need is a turret to mount it on. I have the lower hull, the upper hull, the cupola..but not the turret sprue, as yet. It's out of stock at Axel's currently. Thus, I have to busy myself with other details.
I still have the way-out option of modifying a cheap-as-chips HL F2 airsoft turret to fit the Tamiya. But that will require real ingenuity. I won't rule it out, though.

[43rdRecceReg]

As for the uncharacteristic lack of accuracy mentioned previously, in regard to Tamiya's version of the Track Adjuster.. (where Asiatam and Taigen have a more convincing adjuster housing cap), I think I have a solution.
These Taigen/asiatam caps I received lately can be modded to fit onto the knurled heads of the existing (2.6 x 6mm) locking/adjusting screws:

Track adjuster housing caps

I'll need to drill them out slightly, then roughen the inside and then maybe solder, or bond, them over the existing screw heads. That way, they'll not only look accurate, but will also be functional.

[43rdRecceReg]

Now for the standoffs needed to support the motors/gearboxes in precisely the right position, and the correct height to align with the transmission case portals exactly. The KT and Panther models don't feature these computer case type standoffs, and maybe this is the only model that does. I might check manuals for Tamiya's other full-option tank models just out of curiosity. In any event, (and I've tried various sizes), the ones supplied by Tamiya need to be bonded in with superglue.

Tamiya Pz IV gearbox standoffs

Tamiya Pz IV standoffs bonded in

Each drive unit requires three.

[43rdRecceReg]

As I'm still waiting for various bits to arrive from a variety of sources (none with reindeer ), and the weather's not as icy as the gonad-freezing arctic blast we've had up here lately, I'll try a spot of priming and painting.

Daubing the Panzer IV upper hull

Upper hull suitably tarted in dunkelgelb..

The grey Tamiya primer is a shade lighter than the Humbrol one I used on the lower hull. This has the effect of making the upper hull appear lighter than the lower after a topcoat of TS-3 Dunkelgelb (Tamiya rattle can).
That will be adjusted later when I get to the camo stage. After weather etc., the difference will not be so marked.
This is what the project looks like at this stage. The HL turret is acting as an ersatz unit at the moment, but I may paint it and modify it while I'm waiting for the Turret sprue to become available. The bulk of the tank is now around 70% complete, and that's without an actual kit as the basis

Tamiya Pz IV update..

Time to give these ancient peepers a rest. Daylight is a scarce commodity, at this time of year, up here in Northern Lights territory. Working by lamplight can get wearying...

Incidentally, I prefer to paint the whole tank, including the accessories. Later, when all the camouflage work's done, I can add the 'meta'l look to the spare tracks, jack, and tools etc...along with signs of wear and tear.

[c.rainford73]

It looks spectacular soon to be on my list for the upcoming year is a Panzer iv build and this is very inspirational ! Impressed by the way you've assembled all the parts without a kit!

Keep up the great work

[sassgrunt]

It's been awhile since I had to install Tamiya standoffs in between the gearbox and the hull floor, but if I remember correctly, I think the standoffs have a male 4mm thread that screws into the bottom of the gearboxes, and then you run 3mm screws up through the underside of the hull into the female end to secure them. (If you bond the standoffs to the hull first, I think it's hard to get screws into them from the top, because of all the gears in the way). Maybe they've changed it since I last messed around with one. Or - advanced age being what it is - maybe I missed the boat completely and have no idea what I'm talking about....wouldn't be the first time.

[43rdRecceReg]

It's been awhile since I had to install Tamiya standoffs in between the gearbox and the hull floor, but if I remember correctly, I think the standoffs have a male 4mm thread that screws into the bottom of the gearboxes, and then you run 3mm screws up through the underside of the hull into the female end to secure them. (If you bond the standoffs to the hull first, I think it's hard to get screws into them from the top, because of all the gears in the way). Maybe they've changed it since I last messed around with one. Or - advanced age being what it is - maybe I missed the boat completely and have no idea what I'm talking about....wouldn't be the first time.

No. I'm sure you're completely compos mentis, Mike ..but it's easy to forget details when there are so many of them buried in a collection of Armour

In fact, the retaining screws for the Pz IV pass through the supplied standoffs, and into the base of the gearbox units, unlike other models. I've checked, and I see the Tiger and the Sherman also require hex spacers (standoffs) between the deck floor and gearbox baseplates. Those don't look like this pass through type. Outwardly, Tamiya Sherman gearboxes look identical (probably are exactly the same, bar the output shafts), but are drilled and tapped in the baseplates for larger screws than the Pz IV. Using them in a PZ IV would then be problematic, as Pz IV hex support spacers/ standoffs are unique to the model in height and orientation That means swapping gearboxes from one model to another could pose unexpected difficulties. The retaining screws are 10mm x3mm, meaning the base accepts only 3mm screws.
Here's the layout:

Tamiya Pz IV gearbox mounting spacers

Otherwise, things are developing nicely, and I'm really grateful for the luck and support I've had.

[43rdRecceReg]

It looks spectacular soon to be on my list for the upcoming year is a Panzer iv build and this is very inspirational ! Impressed by the way you've assembled all the parts without a kit!

Keep up the great work

Thanks, Carl...do it! Yes, there's something particularly alluring about a Pz IV build. It looks like a proper machine ... sort of like industrial chic. That's why the Cromwell appealed so much to me. Smooth sloping lines on a tank (KT for example) might well have made shells miss their intended target on the real deal, and rounds ping off into space; but they make the tank less tank-like for me. For this reason, the British Mk IV (WW1) with all of its rivets and angles is a future 'must have'... On similar lines, I'd rather have (or make) a model of Samuel Darby's Ironbridge at Coalbrookdale- now a World Heritage site https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ironbridg ... dge002.JPG

than this arty and ultra refined effort in France- the Millau Viaduct:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millau_Viaduct

[Arnie_DK]

I noticed the other day, that on a Panzer IV the rear most suspension "bump stopper" thingie, actually sits a bit lower, than the rest. No models I have seen yet, have this correct. Not even Tamiya it seems.