Welcome to my Brueckenleger IV b blog, in which I will post my progress whilst building the Trumpeter kit and give you the benefit of my experiences with it. I already mentioned in the review that the kit needs a lot of cleaning up, so a fresh supply of No. 11 blades and sandpaper are to hand, and a fresh bottle of liquid cement has been opened.
I will try to stick to the instruction sequence, but I do have a habit of jumping from one part of the built to the next, so don't be surprised if the wheels are finished last... Anyway, on with the show.

Construction starts conservatively with the running gear. The wheels are first, and whilst there is not much to go wrong in this step, the instructions do manage to create some potential confusion, when the translation instructs you to make 'sixth' pairs of the road wheels, as well as twelve return rollers. The Chinese instructions give the right number (in Numbers no less) so this can be put down to a translation mistake.

The first step is also an introduction to what is a constant companion on the journey of building this kit. Flash and seam lines. The drive sprockets need major cleaning up, but the two halves do have good detail on both out- and inside. The halves are a tight fit, and the sprocket teeth line up perfectly.
The idler wheels have fine spoke detail, but it's fragility means that the detail is easily damaged. The terribly tight fit, even after cleaning up the mating surfaces, does not help to position the two halves without damaging the fine detail. Again, flash needs to be trimmed away, and the use of a new (sharp) no. 11 blade is needed. Trumpeter provides two Photo-etch rims (for each wheel) to enhance the detail of the idler wheels. They can't really be used though, as the diameter of these rims is the same as the outside diameter of the idler rim, which means they sit on the outside, rather than fit tightly inside the rim.


The road wheels are not to bad, the fit between the two main parts is not exactly positive, but after cleaning up the mating surfaces, the use of liquid glue assures a secure fit. Detail and definition of the rims and tyres is not the best I've come across, and two wheels (one on each sprue) have the facing part of the tyre only half moulded. These are o.k. to go on the inside, but only just. The hubs depict the early style, with one bolt in the middle, and there are no problems with these.

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The return rollers suffer from flash, but clean up easy. The two halves fit positively, but the tapered mounting axle does not give a secure fit into the mount. There is quite some play, and you have to check the alignment of the rollers until the glue sets. The style of roller is not the usual early style, I wonder where Trumpeter got their references for these. All the photos that I have seen show the standard early version.

Cheers
Henk

Shaping up really well. I'll be closely watching this thread especially the hull construction. I'm working on the munitionsschlepper and I guess this kit has something common with my own.

Will you be building the bridge extended?

Interesting stuff Henk, I am really suprised to see so much flash etc in a modern kit after what we have come to expect from Trumpeter with the KV series.

Henk-- great blog to start. How long have you had the kit? I am still waiting for Great Models to tell me thet have it in stock. Keep those photos and write-ups coming!
Good luck.
DJ

I will be watcing this one. One day in the future I hope to build me one of these.

My KV-1 has a good deal of flash as well. I was a little suprised, but thats the way it goes.

That was quick! Before this came out I decided I was sick of the pnzIV (too many times have I sanded and painted the same wheels, the same hull...). But this one is on my list.

Off to a good start Henk, looking forward to following along with this one.

Hi DJ,
I was very lucky to receive this kit about two weeks ago, to do the review. And as I have been looking forward to a Brueckenleger for so long, I decided to dive straight in. .

On with the show, suspension next.

The suspension is similar to the offerings from Tristar and Dragon in that it can be made 'workable' if you wish. The Trumpeter construction is easier than the other brands, and you only need two hands to put the pieces together. The springs packs suffer from a major seam line, and a general lack of detail.



The springs are also a touch too wide to fit in the trailing arm hanger, and need to be trimmed with a knife to be able to move, without push



The bogies are much better, with correct, if slightly simplified and underscale, bolt detail. As for the fit of the bogie against the underside, somebody must have been designing this part on Monday morning. A fair amount of filler will be needed around here to smooth this out.





I still need to smooth the suspension stops in this photo, and the drive sprocket is only dry fitted to check if the wheels et al will line up properly.

The final drive has a familiar look on the hull side, but lacks the interior gear details for the cover. So if you would want to show the final drive removed ( ) you will have to put the cover face down. The final drive only has one key to position the cover, so a little care is required when you attach it. No problems here, apart from the tricky and frankly tedious job of adding the tiny, separate bolts to the final drive and added armoured cover. This is a job to be executed with a steady hand, because you need a new, razor sharp blade to slice the bolts of the sprue. You need to hold the bolt one way or another, because if you don't, the bolt drops on your work surface, and disappears. It does...



I carefully sliced them off, whilst holding the bolt carefully down with my thumb. (health and safety man here: do not try this unsupervised, knives are dangerous). I carefully picked up the bolt from between my thumb and the sprue,with my finest tipped tweezers, then carefully applied a drop of glue to the bolt. This sounds easy, but takes a bit of practise. The observant reader may have noticed the use of the word 'carefully', this is not without reason. Please note also that there are only 6 (six) spares...
Once added, they look good, but I can't help feeling that, with today's manufacturing processes, this kind of detail can be moulded in place in sufficient detail.

Next up, is the hull rear. The rear plate is split in two parts, which is without a doubt for future versions. (There are already a number of parts for later variants moulded on the sprues... ) )

The rear hull parts fit together with no problems, and apart from a gap between the hull and idler-wheel mount need no filler.







Most of the detail is correct, but some of the bolts are way out location wise.

Hi Henk. Good going so far.
I´ll be watching this thread with interest. My enthusiaism has been knocked back a bit though, looking at the heavy mold lines and clean-up. The details in these areas look so soft compared to the recent Tristar IV, I built. Being realistic though, many of these details will be obscured when the wheels and running gear are added.
This is shaping up to be avery informative blog. Your time and efforts are really appreciated.

Thanks Frank,

I try to resist comparing the kit with other brands, as it is not a comparison review. To be honest, it does not take a genius to work out that the Trumpeter kit is dragging behind both Tristar and Dragon. Tristar's parentage of the suspension is obvious, although less so than with the Dragon... version. ( I nearly said copy there... )
To be fair, it is not a bad kit, just sloppy where flash and moulding is concerned.

Cheers
Henk

I totally agree Henk and glad you´re gonna build this on it´s own merits. As I said, most of these softer details will be obscured with the running gear anyway and I dont think they´ll be the focus when the rest of the kit is added. A bit of clean-up Im not too worried about ... all kits have this to a certain extent.
The really interesting part .. is to see how the upper hull and bridging go together.

Henk,

Keep us posted. I want to get one of these. Watching your build will help me decide!

I have been trying to make up my mind if I'm going to use the styrene mudguards, or the Photo-etch ones. At the moment I'm leaning towards the styrene ones, to save the Photo-etch ones for a worthwhile project... . As they won't be added until the tracks are in place, which will be after the lower hull is painted, I won't worry about them now, and we shall move on to the upper hull. Oh dear...

The upper hull super structure can be built as a complete separate unit, to be added to the lower hull after the tracks have been added. Well, that is if you follow the instructions. I have decided to add the super structure to the bottom hull, because the mudguards can still be added afterwards. This will allow me to get all the main construction of the hull done, before painting. And, more importantly, find any problems before I start painting. Just as well I did...



I have already mentioned the faults of the individual parts in the review, so here I'll concentrate on putting it all together, and try to turn it into an acceptable model of a Pzr IV. The glacis plate fits well, and a little liquid glue helps to minimise the seam. The brake inspection covers and transmission hatch need some trimming, but fit well in the end.

The problem starts when you try to add the super structure to the lower hull. It's a few milimeters short, and to add to that the mounting lug at the front is in the wrong place, forcing the super structure to be mounted to far forward.



Using the position lug means that the super structure is mounted to far forward. Note how the drivers front plate is level with the angle in the glacis.



It should not be, it should be set a little back. To achieve this, the hole needs to be filled, and the lug removed. By gluing the rear first, the correct position is achieved



Time for bed, night night

Very interesting keep us posted

I am wondering,Henk, if the final drive detail bolts are hexagonal headed? If so,I may use hex shaped styrene rod,and drill shallow holes,around the edge.
If I cut the rod a bit long,it can snuggle into the locating hole.Then any excessive length,can be sanded down to an appropriate length.
of course,I haven't had the kit arrive at my LHS yet,so i will just wait and plan...

Nice work on the surgery for the hull join Henk. Amazing what the difference of a couple of mm in this case produces.

Hi Henk. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but just spotted this on the PMMS review for this same model.


I thought there were way more than the Tristar D when I saw it originally, but never knew there was a problem until I read Terry´s review. It might be a bit late for your build, but might help anybody else thinking about building this.

Frank Glackin

CALLSIGN: Plasticbattle


I just had to say that your avatar cracks me up every time I see it.

Thanks for the heads up Frank, looks like I walked straight into that one... even though I should have known better than to follow the instructions... It's a pity that none of the pics that I have show that part in detail. Still, I can remove a few, and save the day yet.


Carl,

The photo's that I have seen show three different style bolts, normal hex, sharp pointed hex, and sharp pointed round (the last must have been bolted from the inside, unless it is a giant rivet...). I believe that the pointed hex is the most common, although any field repairs/modifications would have used what ever was available. As for the kit, to be honest, unless you get out a magnifying glass, the detail on these is not that clear, so as long as they are proud of the surface you'll be o.k.




Thanks Bill, yes, it is just a few mills, and most people would probably not even notice, because the hull does fit at the back, it's just that the flange that has to stick out, will not, if that makes sense. This is something that I hope Trumpeter will look at closely when they do the later versions. (Hint Hint )

Some more updates later today.

I do hope that Trumpeter take note too but having seen the review for the Panzerjagerwagen( with the Panzer IV turret) over on PMMS they have some work to do there too.

well, It looks like we can expect a Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf H (or J) inthe near future then...
With full interior. I wonder if they throw in an engine as well? If not for the quality issues, the price may well be the saving grace. A full interior will normally treble the price of a kit.
Thanks for the heads up Mark.

Henk

I would put good money on them doing one if not both, to be honest the interior wouldnt be that much of a swayer for me, I would also put money on DML doing a new tool H/J too at some point, then it would come down to the respective prices.
The size inaccuracies of the Trump could be over come by many a builder too so again price could make a big difference.

After finishing the hull, the bridge is next. The parts need careful cleaning, and suffer from huge knock-out marks. And not just a few either... The knock-out marks are on the inside of the girders, but because of the lightening holes in the girders, they are noticeable if you have a close look. Some of them are raised, and these are easily shaved off, but the sunken ones are more tricky. I found that after the girders are constructed, those marks that are just visible can be very effectively dealt with by putting a drop of glue in them. Once painted over, the marks will be all but invisible.







Follow the instructions careful, as the front and rear section have subtle differences. Overall fit is good, and by using liquid glue, most seams are easy ti deal with. At least the large square girders are easy to sand


to the left is the seam before sanding, to the right after.

This part step takes quite some time, because of the clean up required. Also a note on painting. I will paint with an airbrush, which means that it won't be too difficult to get inside the girders. You may want to consider painting the inside of the girders before construction though, if you prefer.

Cheers
Henk