Jagdpanther HL with Tamiya upgrade

[xrad]

started some detail work. nothing really fancy...just my own interpretation of scale tank wear and tear and daily use....

[xrad]

more details...trying for a combo of HL pieces and some scratch built. Upper hull still to get weathering.....

[xrad]

more weathering...

mix of : 90% rubbing alcohol, few 10s of drops of Testor's 'rust' paint, very fine sand...make very watery so it runs all over and fills the cracks...

next is a couple of coats of 'dullcoat'...

[xrad]

After lead weighting with tank now at 16-18lbs, it has very realistic motion across ground. The IMPACT torsion arms work great with the extra weight for almost lifelike wheel motion.

LOOK, no plastic model bouncing on tall grass....
Some vids:

Downhill
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwAL0Uvodco

Across hill
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyKNGk8c5bU

Turn and fire
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qx4s70en1nE

I know I have to get rid of the double gear motion on the recoil. I will try Modellbau system..

[grim_marmazet]

Thats a beautiful Jagdpanther you have there xrad! How did you find adjusting the Impact torsion bars? I've heard you have to re tighten them as they eventually start to sag. Im thining about them for my KT.
Cheers,
Rik

[xrad]

Thanks for the compliment.

The arms are adjusted with an extra 45-50 degree arc from the normal position for the two arms at front and rear(which puts the Tammy wheel arms beyond the arm locks when tracks ore off...so that can be a pain when you have to put the tracks on), and the middle arms are about 30 degrees beyond normal positon. Some filing of torsion rod locks was necessary for the motor clearance up front. Unfortunately, all my posted detail pics of arm installation are on the old site.

All Impact locking grub screws were replaced with Dubro grubs.

The Impact arms were kind of a pain to set up, but well worth it for the realistic action. Also, when not in use, my tanks rest on a block which elevates the tracks off the ground. Yes, the Impact coil springs are easy to 'over' bend. I don't think they are high quality spring steel, BUT they are much better than stock Tammy 'bars' when dealing with the extra lead weight.

rough arm position pic below, which then needed more adjustment. ALSO, I replaced all the Impact end bolts with allen screws which allowed more gip once in the hull. Easier to assemble the torsion arm end mount while the tammy torsion arm long 'L' shaped brackets are out of the tank. Positon all the spring mounts in the same method (red hull pic)

[grim_marmazet]

Thanks for the response xrad. I want to get the look that the real tanks had, where the suspension moved, but the tank remained essentially stable. Thanks for the advice though. I've heard a few people say that leaving the front 2 and last torsion bar as the standard tamiya ones can help prevent dipping at the front.
Cant wait to see more of your Jagd! Your making me want one, lol.
Cheers,
Rik

[xrad]

I tried it with the front two as standard Tammy bars. When set up with my tank weight and run, and then with Impact rods, Impacts were definately more realistic. But I had the benefit of seeing both.

The only real positive about using Tammy bars up front is that they are under the motors and won't hit anything (because they are made to fit in this space) and they require NO screws to hold in place or to adjust.

[xrad]

here some vid of track action: Front appears stiff, but I later noticed that the obstacle course is actually slightly uphill..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSR2ZHYR3uY

[xrad]

More detail pics. I built the track hangers today. Easy if you get yourself some square brass tube and hand drill two small holes, one on opposite sides near the same edge. Then use cutoff wheel and cut off this drilled section. Then trim out the unnecessary middle piece. this leaves a U shaped hanger with the drilled holes in the right spot.

Now just make 12 of these and solder to a brass strip. I epoxied in place and added two small screws for extra support.

Next is wood block holder. Folded from one piece of flat brass and the soldered all edges tight. Added strap, and then ground down any sharp corners to make it look good. Block is oak beveled and stained to look used.