Model Armour

First side complete. Also note the upper rear armoured panel protecting the side of the engine deck has been dry fitted. Griffon do provide this part in brass but it doesn't have a zimmerit covering. I have used the PE mounting brackets though....





Gary

In an attempt to preserve some sanity by giving myself a break from photoetch, thought I'd turn my attention to a different type of metal - white.

For this build I'm using Fruil's ATL-28 set which depicts the required late type tracks. Shown next to the box are the first half cleaned up and cut to length 'track pins' made from the supplied brass wire....



Gary

First side done. Kit instructions show 97 links per side using the magic tracks. I've done 95 at this stage as it's far easier to add links than remove them when they are fitted around the wheels to determine the required length...



Gary

Hi Gary

Looking good, the brass skirts are really impressive, most of the reference pictures I've seen recently are without the skirts, you forget how imposing the fully trimmed PanzerJager IV really is, even without paint its a beast

Your brass soldered hangers with styrene plates are above and beyond the norm You've achieved another level with this build, very impressive

Excellent

Steve H

Steve, Gary does that every build!


Woody...

As ever, amazing work Gary. The brass jack reminded me of something I heard a while back on another site. It was a build by somebody else, and comments had been made referring to various brass replacement parts being hardly improvements, detail-wise, from the original plastic parts.

I think that poster may have missed the point though. Whilst there are definitely some parts of this build that when painted, will be undistinguishable from the original plastic parts, what won't be evident in the finished model is the sheer amount of enjoyment and pleasure you've had in building it, and taking photo-etch to the limit. Plus the pleasure we've had in watching you do it of course!

Vinnie

Thanks for the comments chaps. Much appreciated. And you're spot on Vinnie. The pleasure is in teh build - why else would we do it

Now, I have discovered a major problem. I am embarrassed that I didn't pick up on this before but Dragon seem to have fallen asleep at the wheel with this one again
First they missed the frontal armour detail as previously mentioned, now I've discovered a return roller problem. And it's not an easy fix unfortunately - especially if you don't want to add the schurzen....

At this stage in the war, Panzer IV hulls were still being built with four return rollers. Shortly after, around October 1944, only 3 return rollers were fitted. Herein lies the problem. Dragon instructions in step one show the construction of 6 return rollers using parts D18 and 19 which are the correct pattern. I feel a bit dumb as this didn't register with me at the time and this evening, as I fitted the rollers, I suddenly panicked as I was two short Where were they? Had the carpet monster consumed them? A search revealed nothing. Did I actually make them? It was then things started to dawn on me. A check of the instructions and the sprue revealed parts for only 6 return rollers. Yes, there are others on the sprue, but of the wrong pattern. Yep, Dragon had got things majorly wrong

If you're not worried about accuracy or happy for the schurzen to cover up this faux pas, then you can use a different pattern roller. Otherwise you're a bit stuck if you haven't any spares.
Fortunately, Dragon's Panzer IV Ausf H Last Production kit contains the same sprue D and an unused set of these rollers so I was lucky. You have been warned

Gary

Gary I envy your speed and productivity.Probably I still will many times repeat it
Excellent work!

Ok Gary,

that is the first time you let us know it's not only fun to build so much etch!!!

Glad to sense that..... proves that you are human!

Great build. I'll put mine back in the box, thank you!

Frerik

Thanks Alek.

Frerik - I can find some parts of a build just as tedious as some find others


Tracks all done.....





Just need to find the enthusiasm now to get those other schurzen hangers finished

Gary