Pete's Panzer IV Ausf.D

[stillp]

After the "Little Armour" GB, I need something larger, so I've started the Tamiya 1/35 Panzer IV Ausf.D. I won't bore you with sprue shots, there are plenty on here already - see for example Peter Day's Shenanigans thread, but don't expect mine to be painted anywhere near as well!
Here's how far I've got after a couple of hours today:

Fit is very good, but there are some troublesome seam lines on the suspension. Oh well, it's a tank, it can be muddy.

Pete

 

[JR]

Pete.
Ah first in I see , right front row middle for me, tea or coffee, Steve is bringing the biscuits
Carry on . Don't worry about your painting compared to Peter's, he's in a league of his own ! We mere mortals can but dream
John .

 

[Deleted member 6559]

Good to see this Pete. Looking forward to a lesson in how to build and detail one properly.

Yes, seam lines on the suspension, around the tyres etc Endless hours of sanding ahead.

 

[scottie3158]

Pete,
Count me in I will sit next to the fire starter and stop him eating all the biscuits.

 

[Steve Jones]

You will be fine Scottie as I have brought you all your favourite hob nobs. Mr Race will be kept busy with the cake.

Good luck with the build Peter. Seam lines are the bane of my life at the moment. Half way through painting my Panzer I and I am still finding them. I am sure they hide and then pop out when you least expect them too.

 

[stillp]

Good to see this Pete. Looking forward to a lesson in how to build and detail one properly.

Yes, seam lines on the suspension, around the tyres etc Endless hours of sanding ahead.

Peter, if you're expecting to learn anything, you must be confusing me with someone else! This is going to be a quick (-ish) build, so some of the seam lines will have to be covered with mud. I can't even get to some of them with needle files (e.g. the tops of the suspension springs) so there isn't really any option.

Pete

 

[MikeC]

Sitting in on the build.
Mike.

 

[stillp]

Well, since people are watching, I'd better get on with it!
A couple of hours work and the return rollers are assembled and waiting for cleanup:
A few more parts have been added to the rear panel, which has been fitted to the lower hull:

The front tow hooks have been fitted to the lower hull:

And the rear fenders fitted to the upper hull:

At this point I was going to attach the engine hatches for the early Ausf.D, but they're a bit boring - you can see them in the photo with the return rollers. If I fit the later engine hatches they have a little more detail to them, and would be correct for a North Africa tank, which I'm leaning towards because a) most of the models I've seen have been grey, and b) I have an unopened bottle of Vallejo Dunklegelb!
I'll sleep on that before committing to one or the other.
Thanks for watching.

Pete

 

[Deleted member 6559]

Looking good Pete.

Just wanted to point out the one bit I had trouble with, assuming you are going to use the vinyl tracks. I found that the tension pulled forward the idler wheels so that the hubs separated from the rear panel. I had to remove the tracks and make sure that the rounded hub ends were very firmly glued to their extensions on the back panel. Hope that makes sense.

 

[stillp]

Thanks Peter, I'll watch out for that. How did you join the tracks?

Pete

 

[Deleted member 6559]

Hi Pete - Just melted the lugs flat with a heated blade.

 

[JR]

All looking fine Pete, like the bit about your unopened bottle Just don't let Steve talk you into any camo !
I have a love hate with tracks, find that last join is always the biggest challenge .
John .

 

[Xarathustra]

I'll be interested to see how you get on with this. As a (returning) beginner I had several fitting problems...and the tracks...oh God! Luckily Jim & Samson came to the rescue with a set of Dragon Panzer IV tracks he had sitting around.
The Tamiya one's pulled the rear wheels away from their mounting points...luckily a lot of mud covered my (several) mistakes up

 

[stillp]

The return rollers have quite a lot of taper on them, which was taking a while to clean up, but then I remembered this:

cordless dremel-thingy, bought from Lidl. My mains-powered Dremel is too fast to use on plastic, even on the lowest speed, but this is quite slow. The rollers are on a fairly long axle, which fitted nicely into one of the collets:

Holding a sanding stick against them soon brought them down to parallel, which as well as looking better should give a little less tension on the tracks.
Added some more to the upper hull:

Now it's decision time again - if I leave the driver's hatch open, then I'll have to add the driver, since there's nothing under the hatch except a 'shelf' for his bum to perch on. However, I hate painting figures! The trouble is, they have to be done well, or they look awful. Maybe I'll see if I have some flesh colour, and if I have, try to paint the figures before deciding if hatches will be open or closed.
Thanks for watching,
Pete

 

[Si Benson]

Coming on nicely Pete
Hope the figures go ok. I normally avoid them like the plague but occasionally have a go.
I tell myself I won’t get better unless I practice......then chuck em in the bin coz they look like the kids painted them

 

[Steve Jones]

Nice to see you getting to grips with this old classic Peter. I hope there isn't too much cleaning of parts for you. One good thing is that it will go together with few issues. Good luck

 

[stillp]

I don't do figures, but the ones in this kit aren't too badly moulded, and I'd like to have some hatches open, so I've been trying a few things on the driver, and I think I've managed to avoid him looking like a 4-year old's picture of Coco The Clown. Whether he looks like a German tank driver is another matter! What do you think folks?

All comments welcome.
Pete

 

[Si Benson]

Evening Pete,
Well, up close and personal I think he ls looking reasonable
Use the 2 foot rule....snap a pic from a distance and see how it looks then.

 

[Deleted member 6559]

Very good indeed Pete.

 

[scottie3158]

Pete, Looking good so far.