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Academy Panzer IV Ausf H
smokeys_keepers
Joined: November 04, 2008
KitMaker: 193 posts
Armorama: 187 posts
Posted: Wednesday, December 24, 2008 - 12:05 AM UTC
This is my Academy Panzer IV Ausf H. This is my guinea pig for getting back into model tanks after a couple of years away from the scene. Am adding a few of the details from Tamiya's Panzer IV on vehicle equipment set, and am still debating whether to invest in a turned barrel.
Check out progress so far
Check out progress so far
Tarok
Joined: July 28, 2004
KitMaker: 10,889 posts
Armorama: 3,245 posts
Posted: Wednesday, December 24, 2008 - 12:16 AM UTC
Off to a good start mate. I'll be following your progress on this one - have had this kit in the stash for nigh on 10 years now and been wondering if I should start it 
I think I'll see how you go first 
Welcome back to the hobby
Rudi
I think I'll see how you go first Welcome back to the hobby
Rudi
smokeys_keepers
Joined: November 04, 2008
KitMaker: 193 posts
Armorama: 187 posts
Posted: Saturday, December 27, 2008 - 12:06 AM UTC
Quoted Text
Off to a good start mate. I'll be following your progress on this one - have had this kit in the stash for nigh on 10 years now and been wondering if I should start it
Welcome back to the hobby
Rudi
Thanks for the words of encouragement!
smokeys_keepers
Joined: November 04, 2008
KitMaker: 193 posts
Armorama: 187 posts
Posted: Saturday, December 27, 2008 - 12:12 AM UTC
Some new pics, been a struggle to get much modelling done the past few days. I've got family staying for Christmas, and the mrs wants us all out of the house! I'm looking forward to the 5th of January, the mrs goes back to work, and I still have another week of holiday! 
I'm aiming to get at least 4-5 hours of uninterupted modeling done per day!
I'm aiming to get at least 4-5 hours of uninterupted modeling done per day!
Henk
Joined: August 07, 2004
KitMaker: 6,391 posts
Armorama: 4,258 posts
Posted: Saturday, December 27, 2008 - 04:00 AM UTC
Quoted Text
the mrs goes back to work, and I still have another week of holiday! I'm aiming to get at least 4-5 hours of uninterupted modeling done per day!
You will have the house to yourself, and you plan on ONLY 4-5 hours.... shameful ...
You are making good work of the old Academy kit Andrew. You'll find that the Tamiya tools should fit perfectly... seeing as the Academy kit is the old Tamiya kit
. To be honest, I would not waste a turned barrel on this kit. The plastic one is good enough, if a little bit more work. Don't forget to add some plasticard to fill the hole under the superstructure by the fenders.
Any idea for a paintjob yet?
Looking forward to see more.
Henk
jimz66
Joined: December 15, 2006
KitMaker: 1,165 posts
Armorama: 1,105 posts
Posted: Saturday, December 27, 2008 - 04:43 AM UTC
I have the house to myself all the time. I am lucky to get two hours a day. I literally cannot sit for that long. Looking good so far Andrew.
smokeys_keepers
Joined: November 04, 2008
KitMaker: 193 posts
Armorama: 187 posts
Posted: Saturday, December 27, 2008 - 08:39 AM UTC
Quoted Text
Quoted Textthe mrs goes back to work, and I still have another week of holiday! I'm aiming to get at least 4-5 hours of uninterupted modeling done per day!
You will have the house to yourself, and you plan on ONLY 4-5 hours.... shameful ...
You are making good work of the old Academy kit Andrew. You'll find that the Tamiya tools should fit perfectly... seeing as the Academy kit is the old Tamiya kit
Don't forget to add some plasticard to fill the hole under the superstructure by the fenders.
Any idea for a paintjob yet?
Looking forward to see more.
Henk
Thanks for the comments
4-5 hours was a conservative estimate as no doubt I will get given a list of jobs by the mrs to have completed each day by the time she gets home!
Yes, the tools fit well, I had to modify the kit headlight mount, I sliced this off with a sharp blade, and fitted the replacement part from the Tamiya tools set. I dont know whether to paint the rest of the tools separate and fix when the tank is painted, or glue them on and paint afterwards? I'm planning to build it hatches closed, so wont need to worry about the holes under the superstructure?
I'm thinking of painting with standard 3 tone german camo, dark yellow, red brown and dark green. After this the model could get a bit messy, as I have brought a couple of tubes of lamp black and raw umber artists oils to have a first attempt at applying washes to a model. All my previous builds have not had any weathering (was just happy to complete a kit lol). I've read plenty of articles on Armorama, as well as FSM and the like, so should be fun!
Any help or suggestions with weathering would be much appreciated
smokeys_keepers
Joined: November 04, 2008
KitMaker: 193 posts
Armorama: 187 posts
Posted: Saturday, December 27, 2008 - 08:58 AM UTC
Quoted Text
I have the house to myself all the time. I am lucky to get two hours a day. I literally cannot sit for that long. Looking good so far Andrew.
Thanks for the comments
My trouble is that I dont have a dedicated room for my models, the bed in the guest room swallows the space up, and the mrs has got the other room full of baby stuff
I have a fishing tackle box loaded with my tools and have a board that I use to build on when sitting on the couch. I've got a huge garage downstairs, but there is issues with dampness and lighting to set up down there! So alot of time is actually spent getting ready to build, and just as much to clean up afterwards! At least with just myself being at home, I can down tools and leave everything where it is, have a break and come back to it, rather than having to clear it all out of the mrs way! Hopefully I can get this completed, and I'm juggling up whether to build my Tamiya Jagdpanzer IV or Stug IV next. I might end up working on both at once (yeehaa 64 road wheels plus idlers and drives to remove from sprue, clean up assemble and paint!
) 
Plasticbattle
#003
Joined: May 14, 2002
KitMaker: 9,763 posts
Armorama: 7,444 posts
Posted: Saturday, December 27, 2008 - 09:11 AM UTC
Quoted Text
To be honest, I would not waste a turned barrel on this kit. The plastic one is good enough, if a little bit more work. Don't forget to add some plasticard to fill the hole under the superstructure by the fenders.
Good advise from Henk ... It would be mines as well.
Looking good so far Andrew. Welcome back.
smokeys_keepers
Joined: November 04, 2008
KitMaker: 193 posts
Armorama: 187 posts
Posted: Saturday, December 27, 2008 - 11:09 PM UTC
I decided to follow advice and just use the kit barrel instead, I was suprised at how well it went together. Most of the turret was completed today. Hopefully will finish adding details to turret tomorrow and begin fitting schurzen brackets too.
Pics below of latest progress
Pics below of latest progress
scratchmod
Joined: November 07, 2008
KitMaker: 796 posts
Armorama: 763 posts
Posted: Sunday, December 28, 2008 - 02:14 AM UTC
Welcome back to modeling Andrew, your doing a great job on that old PzIV. That must be tough working from the couch, my workbench used to be the washing machine in the laundry room so I know how you feel. Your making good progress, keep us posted.
Rob
Rob
Eaglewatch
Joined: December 19, 2008
KitMaker: 560 posts
Armorama: 352 posts
Posted: Thursday, January 01, 2009 - 04:21 PM UTC
Hi Andrew i've just made a start on this kit myself after completing the Tamiya PIV H so far i've only got the lower half done before i moved on to something else but after seeing how well your kit is progressing i think i'll have to go back to my own keep up the good work
MSGsummit
Joined: November 16, 2002
KitMaker: 751 posts
Armorama: 545 posts
Posted: Friday, January 02, 2009 - 02:58 AM UTC
Hey Andrew!
Your model is comming along nicely. I just started the old Tamiya panzer IV....finnished the roadwheels and sprockets last night. Anyway ....good luck with your build.
Your model is comming along nicely. I just started the old Tamiya panzer IV....finnished the roadwheels and sprockets last night. Anyway ....good luck with your build.
smokeys_keepers
Joined: November 04, 2008
KitMaker: 193 posts
Armorama: 187 posts
Posted: Monday, January 05, 2009 - 12:13 AM UTC
Been slow progress over the New Years break. Have been too busy drinking to build models. Managed to get a bit of progress made with the Panzer today.
I've been having issues fitting the turret schurzen
It may be just me, but the mounting arms seem to be totally the wrong length and have incorrect angles to meet up where the instructions state (another complaint, the Academy instructions leave a lot to be desired, several key components are not mentioned 
, and there is nothing stated about that zimmerit should really be applied to this tank 
) My kit's rear turret schurzen piece was warped out of shape. I think I managed to get it to a reasonable profile by gluing one side first, then once the glue partially set, I fixed the other side in place. I also had to remove one link from the section of Tamiya Panzer IV equipment in order for it to fit in the academy bracket.
I've decided to fit all on vehicle equipment, and will detail paint after main camo is applied. the commanders MG mount fitted well. I started to run out of room for the pioneer tools on the drivers side, they are a little bunched to be accurate. I'll probably cover them with stowage to hide once I"ve completed the kit.
I'm debating on whether to separate the side Schurzen before applying to the tank, after the issues I've had with the turret schurzen I'm a little apprehensive of how well they are going to fit
I'm going for the final assault tomorrow to get it ready for 1st primer coat!
to build models. Managed to get a bit of progress made with the Panzer today.I've been having issues fitting the turret schurzen
It may be just me, but the mounting arms seem to be totally the wrong length and have incorrect angles to meet up where the instructions state (another complaint, the Academy instructions leave a lot to be desired, several key components are not mentioned , and there is nothing stated about that zimmerit should really be applied to this tank ) My kit's rear turret schurzen piece was warped out of shape. I think I managed to get it to a reasonable profile by gluing one side first, then once the glue partially set, I fixed the other side in place. I also had to remove one link from the section of Tamiya Panzer IV equipment in order for it to fit in the academy bracket. I've decided to fit all on vehicle equipment, and will detail paint after main camo is applied. the commanders MG mount fitted well. I started to run out of room for the pioneer tools on the drivers side, they are a little bunched to be accurate. I'll probably cover them with stowage to hide once I"ve completed the kit.
I'm debating on whether to separate the side Schurzen before applying to the tank, after the issues I've had with the turret schurzen I'm a little apprehensive of how well they are going to fit
I'm going for the final assault tomorrow to get it ready for 1st primer coat!
Phil_H
Joined: November 10, 2005
KitMaker: 546 posts
Armorama: 442 posts
Posted: Wednesday, January 07, 2009 - 06:36 PM UTC
Hi Andrew,
Yep, the schurzen on this kit is definitely a pain in the butt. It seems you need at least three hands to mount the turret schurzen. I had access to the instructions for the original Tamiya version of this kit, which helpfully provide a 1:1 sized overhead pic of the assembled turret schurzen. Just glue the parts, lay over the template and adjust while the glue is still soft. It also helps with the angles for the brackets (which do seem a bit short or at wrong angles to mount properly).
I noticed you haven't mounted the forward schurzen sections on the turret. Is this intentional or have you simply not finished?
The hull schurzen is less problematic than the turret. I glued the brackets to the rail first and then mounted the completed units with the help of some CA glue.
One thing to watch is the thickness of the fender-edge hooks and the corresponding hooks on the back of the schurzen panels. To put it simply, they won't fit as supplied - you need to do some careful thinning/shaving to get them to fit (or simply glue them on if you don't want them to be removable).
Yep, the schurzen on this kit is definitely a pain in the butt. It seems you need at least three hands to mount the turret schurzen. I had access to the instructions for the original Tamiya version of this kit, which helpfully provide a 1:1 sized overhead pic of the assembled turret schurzen. Just glue the parts, lay over the template and adjust while the glue is still soft. It also helps with the angles for the brackets (which do seem a bit short or at wrong angles to mount properly).
I noticed you haven't mounted the forward schurzen sections on the turret. Is this intentional or have you simply not finished?
The hull schurzen is less problematic than the turret. I glued the brackets to the rail first and then mounted the completed units with the help of some CA glue.
One thing to watch is the thickness of the fender-edge hooks and the corresponding hooks on the back of the schurzen panels. To put it simply, they won't fit as supplied - you need to do some careful thinning/shaving to get them to fit (or simply glue them on if you don't want them to be removable).
smokeys_keepers
Joined: November 04, 2008
KitMaker: 193 posts
Armorama: 187 posts
Posted: Wednesday, January 07, 2009 - 07:02 PM UTC
Quoted Text
Hi Andrew,
Yep, the schurzen on this kit is definitely a pain in the butt. It seems you need at least three hands to mount the turret schurzen. I had access to the instructions for the original Tamiya version of this kit, which helpfully provide a 1:1 sized overhead pic of the assembled turret schurzen. Just glue the parts, lay over the template and adjust while the glue is still soft. It also helps with the angles for the brackets (which do seem a bit short or at wrong angles to mount properly).
I noticed you haven't mounted the forward schurzen sections on the turret. Is this intentional or have you simply not finished?
The hull schurzen is less problematic than the turret. I glued the brackets to the rail first and then mounted the completed units with the help of some CA glue.
One thing to watch is the thickness of the fender-edge hooks and the corresponding hooks on the back of the schurzen panels. To put it simply, they won't fit as supplied - you need to do some careful thinning/shaving to get them to fit (or simply glue them on if you don't want them to be removable).
Hi Phil,
Thanks for the comments. I'm still battling away with the turret schurzen
I've got the profile all screwed up, I started cutting the brackets to get them to fit, then a litlle more cutting, then a little more and whammo! too much cutting at that stage I got very disheartened with the kit, and was tempted to shelve it. Luckily for the tank, as its a guinea pig for painting and weather I have decided to continue on with it. Progress has been slow today, SWMBO left a whole lot of orders for the day, and with a mate constructed a frame for mounting my logitech steering wheel to A stencil, or a jig would be a great help for the schurzen on this kit.
I'm just about to start fitting the side rails to the tank, I will give your technique a go
I intend to separate the tank schurzen, hopefully this will help with fitting issues. Will hopefully get some pics up tonight.
smokeys_keepers
Joined: November 04, 2008
KitMaker: 193 posts
Armorama: 187 posts
Posted: Friday, January 16, 2009 - 10:23 PM UTC
I've been spending more time researching for adding tot he stash lol a couple of pics of basically where I'm up to. I've started glueing the hangers to the schurzen, as Phil mentioned, you need to sand alot of the loop part thats mounted on the schurzen. Will be trying to get more done this week.
padawan_82
Joined: December 10, 2008
KitMaker: 817 posts
Armorama: 555 posts
Posted: Saturday, January 17, 2009 - 04:20 PM UTC
good'ay andrew, that pzIV is looking sweet man, i've started the same kit myself, i've done the same as you by adding the tamiya on vehicle equipment set, plus a few spares from italeri and dragon, i replaced my barrel with an italeri one i took henk's advice to you about not wasting money on an am barrel. still building mine though so it's no where near finished like yours keep up the good work mate.
calvin_ng
Joined: June 23, 2008
KitMaker: 1,024 posts
Armorama: 753 posts
Posted: Saturday, January 17, 2009 - 04:58 PM UTC
hey andrew, your not alone , i dont have a modelling room either, i have a small table in my room for modelling, and i can barely sleep at night becuase of the odors .but i manage to get along. your panzer is looking great, i cant believe i havent done one of these either
.but i manage to get along. your panzer is looking great, i cant believe i havent done one of these either
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