Tankman's Panzer IV rebuild

[tankman]

Hi Gent's this is to keep you updated on my ever changing Panzer IV rebuild. I blame you guy's for getting me startrd on this and my other projects LOL. Just had to try and emulate some of the outstanding work on this and other tnk forums. Have found out since starting that you need a bit of skill and more than a hammer and superglue to make it look good.
  Right so let's get started on what happened. Bought a Panzer IV F1 from the e place at a very nice £49.99 plus post. Had it delivered a couple of days later. First problem no transferes. Managed to get free replacements for a Panzer III  :-[. Then decided I wanted a long barrel version the F2. Sooooo as you do opened it up to see what sort of job it would be and also what board was I running. Found I was running an old RX13 so job number one rig a fan, job two lengethen gun barrel. Thought I would be clever and strip down an old 21st century Pzr IV I had spare ( not worried about airsoft ). Then study line drawings of an F2 and found the gun housing was wrong job three scratch build / modify existing unit. Rear return roller to high job four ( should have stopped here and left it stock ) job five rear idler adjuster. Job six (thank you rc universe) raise front drive sprocket. Job seven remove turret vision ports as I don't like them. Just add metal tracks, drive sprockets and idlers should be easy.
Job 1 rebuild gun mounting and shorten mantlet for more accurate look ( picture 1 )
job 2 lower rear return roller ( picture 2 )
job 3 raise front drive sprocket and add bearing support (Picture 3)
job 4 remove and fill turret vision ports add parts from 21st century Pzr IV as wanted (picture 4)
job five gut interior ( I know it aint on the origional list but I got carried away with the dremmel and wanted more room )
Picture 6 is where I am at the moment left with a sort of red undercoated shell
Pictur 7 shows the wheels and idlers for my Pzr III and the Pzr IV after painting and ready to go back on after painting the chassis
Picture 8 the back end with hole for volume control to go through small muffler on left hand side.

Wii be adding more soon with a metal barrel upgrade( it's already proving difficult ). And one thing I nearly forgot is the original Panzer IV came with plastic gear boxes which I swaped out for standard metal ones with the HL slow running motors. All the best for now
Alan

[Matdragon]

nice work so far!! keep it up!!

thanks,

Matt

[tankman]

Cheers Matt but I am going to be a lot slower than your Jagpanther build.  Did you get paint sorted out after
Alan

[fv432]

Looking good Alan

how did you get permission to build on the coffee table 

(i think i would still be in A&E now)

[tankman]

TRUST me it was take pictures ONLY on the table. Building can only be undertaken in the shed or garden 
Alan

[septon]

looking good i need a Panzer IV to go with my stug IV but will have to wait untill i have finish my other tanks

[tankman]

All I need is to get ONE of mine up and running. At the moment I have the Panzer IV on the go as well as a Panzer III awating metal everything. A HL tiger 1 being upgraded to a late model. A Tamiya Tiger 1 full option being made as a mid production model and an old 1980's Tamiya KT awating extensive rebuild. And last but not least just ordered a Stug from MM ( thanks to this site getting the discount from Andy ) . And for the moment I will just add metal drive and idler wheels and metal tracks and a bit JUST a bit of weathering to this model ( and may be look at trying an idea for some cheap drive wheel support bearings made of plastic from work and adding a resisitor to the track recoil wiring OOOOO and stowage don't forget stowage and then I could maybe >>>>>>   ) . NO I must run it till the others are DONE. Is it me or this hobby that sends ( grown ) men mad ? . All the best for now
Alan
PS Yes I will be posting build / modifying threds on them all as I go along untill everyone gets fed up of me LOL     

[Rivetcounter]

My new policy is to work on 1 tank at a time otherwise they never get completed :-\

[tankman]

Funy thing that Rivetcounter I think that will be my policy from now on 
Alan

[971wright]

Sound just like me start one then have to wait for bits so start another wait forbits for that back to first one run out of bits start 3rd one reminds me of germany 39-45 if they had only  built one kind we would be speaking german now.


            regards pete