Panzer IV L/70 (A)

[Herr Dr. Professor]

Your work, Ralph, is incredible to me, just stunningly sophisticated, detailed, interesting. And a Krummlauf? I had never heard of such a nutso idea.

[tankme]

I think it's a good looking tank destroyer...

[SCHWEREPANZER]

First, thanks, lads, for your positive comments. Encouragement is the milk of success and I appreciate the kind words.

Today, only a short chapter as I couldn't wait to see whether the mesh Schurzen would actually 'work' on the newly mounted poles. To test the question, I removed a few skirts from my Trumpeter Panzer IV J and set them on the Thoma poles of the (A) just to test the 'look.' The front shield on both sides had a solid steel triangular extension that curved inward with the inner side resting against a small bracket (previously mounted and cited earlier). Without finalizing the front fender 'look,' I made a feeble attempt to temporarily mount this extension to the mesh screen with some flexible 'tacky' to see whether the ensemble would sit properly. It's apparent a little more work is needed as the pole shouldn't extend beyond the 'steel' extension. The other mesh screens worked well and I am happy enough with that aspect of the Schurzen sub chapter.

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What number and arrangement of mesh skirts are finally decided upon is unclear at this point and I don't really know how to remedy the fact that the pole extends beyond the 'steel' mesh assembly. One remedy is not to mount the front mesh and simply mount the extension only. And under the theory that less is more, maybe that's the better way to proceed. But, I'd really like to mount that front mesh if possible....

The final 'weld' has been added, completing that tedious, but satisfying sub sub-assembly. The result can be seen (barely) directly under the horizontal parts of the left pole, but is otherwise hidden when the mesh screens are attached. But, at least I know they are there.

More to come...and thanks for looking

[HERMAN BIX]

A conundrum you may have but it’s a good problem to have for such rarity.
I was wondering what you were going to use for mesh panels but that’s solved!
Loving every bit of this Opus Requiem

[c.rainford73]

Schurzen are brilliant all coming along excellent

[EAO]

Hello Ralph,

The mesh schurzen is icing on the cake! Wow, what a beauty!

Cheers,
Eric

[SCHWEREPANZER]

Hi again, all. During the short hiatus from the last session, and with some level of friendly cajoling, I was able to have a few small 3-D parts manufactured by our friend and colleague, Patrick F. Some of these parts needed a bit of tweaking and Patrick was patient enough to accommodate my OCD mania about them...and this to include sending back and forth across the big Pond more than once. Thanks P. The parts have now been added and the wheels finally test fitted. For the ugly duckling that the (A) is, I've got to admit, I'm drawn to this hodgepodge tank killer for reasons that defy aesthetic sensibilities. Here is the state of play at the moment.

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Seen to some advantage in these last two photos, above, are the C-hooks and bracket made by Patrick F as taken from the Trumpeter Panzer IV J kit measurements. The bracket and its working locking device and the hooks are separate pieces. In none of the line drawings or in any wartime pictures of the beast have I seen the C-hooks as being present or even a place for them, so I'm not sure they even belong to the Alkett version of the Panzer IV L/70 series. They are prominent features on the Vomag version, located on the right side of the rear deck, so I don't know why they wouldn't be for this so-called Interim Solution variant. If the vast knowledge that resides in this forum knows the answer, I'm all ears.

Also seen are the scratch-made brass fenders. Who would have thought that each fender assembly would consist of 24 separate parts?....although I do see now that I've lost a rivet on the right side. Who says we're not rivet counters? The Thoma shield brackets and other 'hardware' along the mid-side are a combination of parts from the Trumpeter Panzer IV J kit and 3-D parts. As mentioned earlier, the Thoma shield hanging poles are adapted from the same Trumpeter kit modified for the different shape of the boxy (A).

The gun travel lock, described in an earlier session, is a small work of art made by a friend in the Netherlands.

More to come.....

[BarryC]

Fantastic detail work sir.

Barry

[Martin2556]

A very detailed model, it’s looking great.

[HERMAN BIX]

A truly magnificent version of a rare AFV.
No pressure mate, but the final paint job on this must be causing you some sleepless nights
So well done and so well thought out.