RC Tank Warfare community hobby forum

Good morning,
This is a build slated for waaaaaaaaaaay back in the line but as parts and research are showing up....I thought I would at least start the thread for it. Pics of a research kit that showed up this morning.

That's nice Painless, I've never done one of their 1/35 scale kits but I may. They have so many more tanks available than what they offer in 1/16. I would like to do their E8.

Good idea.

Buy a 1/35th and scale up/copy?!

I have just got an E8.

Joe, Ad Lav,
Indeed, Sirs. A trick I learned back when I was working on the first HL Tiger 1 that I ever bought. As it turns out, the 1/35 Tamiya Tiger 1 kit got a lot more attention over the years than the HL 1/16 version did. I'm about to turn that around tho' with a new DAK Tamiya Tiger. *chuckles*
regards,
Painless

Took a tip from another Pz IV build on the forum and ordered some watch band springs for the fenders. I expect that these neat little wonders will be useful on hatches and fenders on many other builds as well. ;o) Also, I broke down and got a set of working tracks from a company name Kaizen for the Tamiya Pz IV . It's a little more trouble for a 1/35 research kit than I normally go to but it will be fun to build and assemble. I'll eventually have to get a display case just for research builds. Pics:

Another thing that showed up in the post while I was away last weekend. ( This was an experimental purchase directly from Singapore and while I got an amazing buy on an S&S with metal upgrades Pz IV...There were some anxious moments ) These DAK versions by HL are getting scarce on the ground so I wanted to salt one away for a build while I could still get one. The only thing wrong that I could immediately see with the tank were the Tauchpanzer instructions ;o) Since this will be taken apart and a bunch of upgrades and Tamiya parts used, I'll consider this experiment a success. Pics:

I am going to enjoy watching your build, Painless. Many, many years ago; I bought that same Tamiya Panzer IV Ausf D kit, and was so impressed with it that I decided to try and build one in a largr scale. At the time, the only thing out there was the pretty-awful Bandai 1/15th kit, and I put in around 10 years of tinkering with it (mostly on those distinctive early drive sprockets and idlers) before shelving it entirely.

This past Christmas, Alpha gave me one of the pre-built Girls & Panzer 1/12th Ausf D's and it is a really good starting point. Tracks are pretty crappy rubber band type; but I have found that 1/16 KV-1 tracks fit the drive sprocket. So, I'm cutting the ends of the track link into an "angle" shape, which looks a lot better than the stock ones. Not accurate by any means, but good enough for "stand way off" scale.

Anyway, I applaud your choice of builds! -Mike

Mike,
I'm really impressed by early war armor nowadays. I had so much fun building a StuG 'B'. I've got an early KV-2 build on the list now and this DAK Pz IV. Your Tiger as well. Just a lot of fun sourcing and researching the mods. I'd like to see your 1/12 scale version one of these years. ;o)
regards,
Painless

Painless
great buy - I have exactly the same tank ausf F1, in grey, I managed to get one for 60usd new. I have just started work on it and will be posting a build thread sometime I hope, so I really look forward to seeing yours.

Morning, Painless (Just turned Morning here...)
I shall follow your progress with the 1:35 Pz IV with a keen eye. Before my recent Cromwell 1:35 build, I had tunnel vision only for 1/16 scale tanks..and above. Had I the benefit of my home resources at the time, I might also have made an effort to make that thread a little more expansive and interesting. Bur..I'd rather watch yours evolve! I surprised myself though, with that build, and was seriously impressed by the precision with which the parts bedded themselves in place- with little or no trimming or sanding...and absolutely no cussing..(ahh..except where an overly generous squeeze of the Revell cement dispenser created a few 'cobwebs' here and there. )
As for bigger PZ IV models..
It would appear that Tamiya are also the only producers 1:16 scale Pz IVs (Ausf Js) with the correct slope on the rear upper deck panels. I wonder whether it might be possible to slice a wee triangular fillet (few degrees), either side on HL/ Taigen models and rebond the upper deck to create the correct angle. Just a thought. Maybe fitting, and modding, a Tamiya upper deck might solve that niggle?. No doubt that would please Shaun and others