OOPS ,sorry Bill. Maybe that's a Freudian slip that I should Email my brother Jim. Keep up the good work.

Bill do those glue tips keep that bottle of glue from clogging on you? I always have mine clog on me. If they don't clog on you, i'll try some. Thanks JIm Z

Ivanhoe, no problem at all! I've been called worse!




JimZ, that's exactly why I use the clear tips instead. I cut the bottle tip down to just enough of a nub to support the clear tip and keep the clear tip on it instead (the glue will "seal" it in so you don't have to use CA or similar). The bottle lasts much much longer as a result provided I remember to put the cover back on it when I'm done at night of course.

Today's efforts were all about the details...which means there aren't a whole lot of photos in this update even though quite a bit was accomplished. First up were the assembly of all the painted road wheels and their installation along with the return rollers. This was then set off to the side in a safe place to allow the wheels to thoroughly set up before further handling.



I had plenty to keep me occupied in the form of all the gear for the fenders that had been left off up until now. All of them were detail painted with the metal surfaces finished with Non-Buffing Metalizer Gunmetal followed by a light dry-brushing of Steel. The wood handles were painted with my own special mix of "wood" color then given a light wash of Leather followed by a dusting of burnt umber artist pastels. Those tools with molded on clamps had them painted to match the camo pattern where appropriate. Just to add a little variety, I finished the fire extinguisher in Panzer Gray as a "replacement" item vs. the original equipment. The 3 water cans for the side were also painted in Panzer Gray and their water crosses added using Light Gray. I masked the crosses one bar at a time with blue masking tape and sprayed Light Gray with the airbrush. The cans were then given a little wear-and-tear in the form of some dry-brushed Steel around their edges and handles as well as the pour spouts. The three spare links were painted the same as the metal tool heads but given an additional light wash of Rust. I also added some detail to the jack block by lightly scoring the surface using my light magnifier and the tip of a #11 blade to create some wood-grain detail before it was given the Leather wash and artist pastel treatment.



Once all the detail work was done, it was time to mount them. I started with the left side fender and worked front-to-back. Once everything was in place, I added the spare wheel into its mount using CA gel in the "saddle" curve so it would stay put during future handling. Since the jerry can rack took up the space normally occupied by the tensioning wrench, it had to go somewhere...and if you look back at the reference photos I posted in the first entry, you'll see where the enterprising crew stuck it...on the lower hull above the third suspension bogie and just under the fuel filler caps, so that's where mine went too! I also had to find a home for the gun cleaning rods and the only available space was on the rear engine deck and the sponge end needed to face the rear to avoid fouling the turret stowage bin...this is a bit of guess-work on my part as the crew wouldn't discard this item and the spare wheel racks make it impossible for them to go in their original spot. The smaller two rods were put in the same spot over on the right side for the same reason.



The right side gear was also installed and this side is a bit more crowded. The fit of the shovel, the three spare links, and the jack are all very tight with little margin for error. As a result I installed the shovel first, then the spare links, then the jack to get everything in the right spot.



I had also started in on the rear hull details and done a bit of work with the hull and coaxial MGs but ran out of time to complete those areas.

Not bad for the last day of a very enjoyable vacation! Unfortunately that also means that work on this will go back to a normal schedule of mainly weekends, so this will be the last of the "daily" reports that I've been filing since starting.

Total session time: 6.5 hours

Total time to date: 38.25 hours

Nice work though Bill. You got an awful lot done in a very short time.

That Panzer looks great so far! I was a little aprehensive about your choice of colour scheme that you said you were doing in your first post, but now that its on the tank it looks great! Keep it up mate!

Getting off topic a little bit about the supplied MG count stated in DW to Tiger 1, that section where it is given, deals with the Tiger in it's introduction where it had the early drum cupola. This cupola did not have an AA-MG fitted. The later Tiger-E with the new cast cupola, did have a ring for the AA-MG and subsequently, an additional AA-MG was added to the equipment.

Same holds for the Panther-quote. The early Ausf. D did not have a ring for an AA-MG, but later versions of the D, with the drum cupola, did get a ring. Hence, there too and for all subsequent marks, a third MG was added to the equipment.

Back on track!

Your Pz IV looks splendid, Bill, I can't believe you actually did this in the short period of time given and produce yet again this high level of craftmanship.

One thing though, the Afrika Dunkelgrau doesn't look like it is a solid cover. Is this intentional or will this work out in later finishing stages?

JimZ, thanks! I thoroughly enjoyed my vacation and am happy with how much was accomplished without feeling rushed.

Dean thanks for your comments as well!




Herbert much appreciated, thanks! The colors are going to become more unified in the weathering process. Normally I would lighten colors and spray some highlights but didn't do that this time around since the colors are so light to begin with.

She's looking good with that paint scheme Bill. Too bad your vacation is over, I enjoyed your daily posts.

Rob

Thanks Rob, but all good things must come to an end...I enjoyed working on it daily and squeezed in as much as I could yesterday to get every last ounce of vacation time in on it...the upside is that now it will have plenty of time to cure before the weathering process begins.

great some paint onto the build

its looking great so far i cant wait to see it weathered !

what you got in store next then ay ?;)

keep it up bud

Thanks for the comments James...but one build at a time is how I generally work and don't much plan out a build schedule in advance, so I can't honestly say what's next until I finish this one.

With most of the hull details complete, I turned to the tracks as the next big area needing time and attention. The Model Kasten tracks assemble as individual links with separate pins and separate hollow guide horns using a provided jig for 8 links at a time. The SK-18 set includes 212 links and recommends 99-100 links for a Pz IV. Over the course of several days 1-2 hours at time while watching TV as a background distraction, I assembled the left and right runs. Test fits showed that I needed 100 links for the left side and 99 for the right to get the amount of sag and idler position I wanted...why is it different? Simple...the links aren't exactly identical although they appear that way to the eye and once assembled sometimes have a little give to them and sometimes not...the right side simply had a tiny bit more give to them so didn't need the 100th link! One set of MK's wasn't enough though for what I wanted to do with this build as I needed 20 links for the turret roof and another 7 for the superstructure front, so I used some left over spares from previous projects along with the 13



All told it took about 9.5 hours to assemble both track runs and do the test-fits...but it's worth it IMHO. Not only are the tracks workable and provide the additional flexibility in painting and finishing that represents but they also have superior detail to the DML "Magic" indy links. The MK links have a more accurate guide-horn and better detail with the little hollow side extensions as well and while the "magic" links aren't on sprues, they still require cleanup in terms of removing two raised pin marks per link and dealing with a slight scar on the guide horn. The MKs still take more time to assemble, but have a bigger payoff in the end.



Back to the front hull, I assembled the spare track run using the special DML provided parts that include the link pins already in place on the front and rear links and the mount pins for the glacis. This is a 7-link run so 4 links from the Magic set are needed to fill in the gaps, so these were cleaned up and added. The run was positioned on the glacis to allow it to dry in place and aligned but hasn't yet been glued down permanently with the holders as I need to paint the run first as well as the holders, so more work to be done there.

The 10-link spare run was constructed with 10 of the Magic links and dry-fit to allow it to also dry straight. I also decided to add the bowed out run often seen on DAK vehicles as an ad-hoc way to carry additional gear between the two hooks. This was constructed from 17 Magic links and the tow pins inserted to secure the front and back and the two spare wheels used to shape the bow correctly. I accidentally broke off the handle on one of the pins but recovered it from the floor, so it will be repaired a bit later on. This run is removable and will be painted and weathered and permanently installed prior to the weathering stages.

Last but not least, I discovered after looking at several pics of F1s that the spare links carried on the superstructure front were commonly secured with welded on bars instead of welded directly to the plate, so this meant I needed to add those. I used scrap PE from an old Eduard Fret and formed the holders with pliers and tweezers before gluing in place with Gator Grip glue to avoid marring the paint work.



The spare tracks were then test-fit to the superstructure front along with the 20-link run for the turret. I discovered that I needed to remove the side lifting hooks to allow the turret strip to fit properly and will have to be a bit creative with the gluing to get them to lay flat properly due to the travel limitation on the MK pins. For now, it's dry-fit to the roof but tests with finger pressure show they will easily lay down on the turret sides with just a little coaxing. I need to apply the turret decals first before adding this as the track will overlap it, so this will get installed after that has been accomplished.



I'll be breaking out the AB tomorrow to paint the track runs and touch up a couple of spots here and there on the camo scheme and then it will be decal time!

Total Session time: 14.75 hours

Total Time to Date: 53.00 hours

Fantastic job on the MK tracks Bill. Very nicely done. I emailed one of the staff members the other night he emailed me back, and then I replied but have yet to hear from him. Take care I will check on your progress before turning in tomorrow night.

JimZ

I'd say don't weather it, haha, it looks so great in this pristine condition, really very neat.

Bill, I absolutely love following all your builds but seriously, you need to stop modeling. You make it look too easy, it's really depressing ya know? I wish I was so damn good at what you do. Oh well, I guess practice makes perfect, back to the work bench for me.....

Cheers!

-Mike-

Looking good as always Bill, although dont get too carried away with all the spare links or we wont be able to see your paint job! lol. Keep going mate!

Looking really good Bill. I've never used MK tracks before, seemed like too much work, but I just might give it a go sometime, thanks for the info on them. I can't wait til you start the weathering process.

Rob

JimZ, sounds good! Should have another update later today depending.

Herbert, I have to admit it's been a struggle for me to determine how much to do with the weathering and get it situated in my mind as to how I want it to look. Still have a little time to settle that one but have to admit it's been tempting to not do any at all!

Mike, I couldn't possibly considering stopping now, I've been totally consumed by the Dark Side! I appreciate your comments but really there are many better modelers out there than I and there's always something to strive for in terms of improving or trying new things. It's a journey and not a destination after all! Best way is to dive right in and not be afraid of trying new stuff out or making mistakes.

Dean, believe it or not I did my best to try to plan the camo pattern around how the spare links would interact with it to avoid just that type of scenario. Some photos of DAK vehicles show them so loaded down you wonder what happened to the tank itself!

Rob, thanks as always. I've come to use MKs as a routine thing now and use them on most of my builds. Doesn't take long to get the hang of their assembly and if you break it up into small chunks, the time required seems like nothing at all in the end. Being in the states, I found it easier to get hold of them vs. Fruils and they also tend to be a little less expensive. My go-to source for MKs is RZM Imports...which is kind of odd since their main business is books and references but they are also a distributor for MKs and Tristar kits among other things, so it was a happy accident that I discovered them.

Well, when you think of those tankers out in the middle of Africa with very few supplies around, you can kinda understand why they had som much stuff all over their tanks. Still, I think it'd be funny to see a tank with supplies covering avery square inch of the paintwork. It'd look like a moving pile of supplies. lol

Dean...they are out there if you look hard enough! A gypsy-caravan with tracks!

I thought I would get all the way through to the decals today but the little details remaining consumed more time than I had anticipated...so while progress was made, it just wasn't as far as I'd hoped.

I spent a good bit of time wrestling with the tow cables on the rear hull without success. The wire DML provides is very stiff and springy, so I tried annealing it over the gas flame on the stove and while that helped a little, it wasn't enough. I managed to snap off the plastic supports while fiddling around and so ended up replacing them with bent brass rod instead...and may try one more time on the tow cable with these stronger supports...we'll see. The exhaust was finished up with some washes of Rust and dry brushed Burnt Umber and the Notek lenses painted with Tamiya Clear Green and the reflector with Clear Red.



As you can see, both of the tracks have also been installed. These were base coated first with Flat Black then sprayed with Non-Buffing Metalizer Gunmetal. Once dry, they were dry-brushed with Steel and an overall wash of Raw Umber applied and then set off to the side. The sprocket teeth and contact surfaces on the idler were dry brushed with Steel and the lower hull received some slight scuffs and nicks with dry brushed Burnt Umber. The sprocket and idler were then glued into position and the tracks installed on both sides.



The spare tracks were also all painted and detailed the same as the running tracks except they were given a wash of Burnt Umber. These were all carefully positioned and then glued into place with the exception of the turret strip.



The season premiere of "24" called a halt to the day's activities so the markings will have to wait a bit as a result.

Total Session Time: 5 hours
Total Time To Date 58 hours

Thank God you posted those photos of the tracks Bill. I was getting really worried about the colour of the tracks that I had put on my DML King Tiger. I had painted them black, dry brushed some silver over them and then installed them. When I stood back and looked at it I just thought that I had screwed up real bad because they just looked way too black, but now that you've posted these photos the tracks dont look so wrong.

OK, now to your Panzer. It just keeps getting better and better mate! Although, you seem to heve the same problem that I had with my StuG IV where the idler wheels rotate outwards towards the rear of the tank. It pretty much happens on all the Panzer IV kits that I've seen. You wouldve thought that the companies making these kits had fixed this problem ages ago.

O well, keep it up mate, nearly there!

Nice work on the tracks Bill. Almost done. My desk is almost next on the list of things to finish off, I'll be at it in a couple of more days.

nice work bill,

now some weathering and this is a beauty!!

greetings

koen