Gents, German and Panzer IV variant fans;

I am fishing for ideas on what to do with this panzer IV C hull I've started!



I happened by a Phoenix AZ LHS last week and found this Cyber-Hobby Panzer IV with raketenwerfer kit minus the turret and rockets on sale for $13. Seemed a pretty sweet deal. I bought it with the initial intent of using it as a parts-box for other Panzer IV projects; heck, early-type Magic Tracs, some PE, tools, running-gear, stuff. What’s not to like? But, when I got to my temp home and opened up the box and saw all that plastic… I decided to start building it right now as a night-project when other stuff wasn’t happening.

It's really the most detailed Pz IV hull I have ever seen. Really cool! To-date, I’m working on hull bits, built the running gear, etc. Almost everything other than the PE bits (which I must wait to do when back home, as I have only basic tools – knife, sander, tweezers and glue- here) is cleaned and ready to pull together. Guess I’ve vacated the “spare-parts” mode.

Here’s a couple of status-shots:






and a possible add-on to complete it...



So now, it’s decision-time! Here I have this really nice hull building. WHAT SHOULD I COMPLETE IT AS?

I am looking for suggestions! I am hoping someone will have a cool idea for what to do with a Panzer IV-C hull… Some possibilities I’ve thought of include making some sort of early recovery-tank / bergepanzer (but there is already a couple of good berge-IV kits out there…) or maybe a field-conversion supply-carrier or maybe a last-ditch field-shop flak-panzer conversion using one of those Dragon 3cm "jaboschreck" guns mounted on a crude platform. My pref would be something where I would essentially add some (or a lot of) detail and stuff, and NOT cut off the done work. Maybe someone has some ideas, knowledge of, and (ideally) pics of some experimental or one-off test-bed vehicle based on an essentially complete hull?

Suggestions, anyone?

what about something like these

http://ww2drawings.jexiste.fr/Files/1-Vehicles/Axis/1-Germany/07-Others/Carriers/Panzerfahre4.htm

http://ww2drawings.jexiste.fr/Files/1-Vehicles/Axis/1-Germany/07-Others/Schulepanzer-4Gas/Schulepanzer-4Gas.htm

rcn...;

Thanks for the pic reference and locations!

Bob

Gents;

BUMP!

I confess to a certain amount of surprise! I was sure that some of you Panzer IV fans and knowledgeables might have some info and / or ideas to offer for some of those one-offs, field-conversions and the like that I could build onto this ausf-C hull. Should I have posted this query elsewhere?

Meanwhile- I discovered that I had blooped rather badly in my assembly of the running gear and placed some of the bogies on backward! ( ) But- I did a little surgery, and all is now well! Always nice when you can undo and fix things,

So far, I have a good lead on what appears to be a fahrschule hull - that, and one very very intriguing shot of what was labelled as being some sort of "artillery panzer" in Berlin, 1945- it was of a rather bashed hull with what appears to be a sort of low-profile armoured box on top. I am guessing that it could have been an old C or D hull converted into an artillery observer vehicle. Anyone heard or know of any such conversions on Pz. IV chassis?

And- does anyone know anything about what the turret-area interior of a "fahrschule" panzer might look like?

Cheers!

Bob

Hi Bob. I am a novice when it comes to the Panzer IV so I really cannot offer any ideas , however this looks like an interesting build. Maybe you could Check out the Workhorse Campaign , There are some very knowledgeable Panzer IV modelers there. I enlisted in it and am learning quite a bit about the Panzer IV and its varients. Regards, milvehfan

Milveh...;

Thanks! for that pointer to the "WorkHorse" campaign!

Strangely, while generally aware that it exists, it had totally slipped my mind whence I decided to post this! Sure seems like that could be the place for Pz. IV queries - I'll get with them and "enlist". And maybe I should continue this in some other forum and thread as likely more appropriate.

PS: The Pz IV has not actually been any focus of mine to-date- but it is rapidly evolving into one. Argh! My general lack of knowledge about the "workhorse" probably shows nicely in my posting a pic of my novel bogie rearrangement, you think? Now if only there was a Pz. IV which sported, say, 4 or 5 single roadwheels per side, like a nice Pz. 38(t) sort of thing! That would be something I could get all over!| |)

I didn't think there was a turret on a fahrschule panzer. It's used to teach drivers. In place of the turret there sometimes might be a plate, but often there was nothing, which means scratchbuilding or finding an interior. Interiors had minor differences from mark to mark, but the B-E layout was roughly the same, if that's any help. Mounting the JaboSchreck in the turret space might also be an interesting idea. Call it a 'Nordwind'....., but keep the Panzerschule markings...

Kevin;

Yeah! You are sorta reading my mind on that jaboschreck.

I am toying with the idea of either using the turret base-plate and attaching some sort of platform to it and setting the JS on top- maybe some welded I-beam frame? OR, covering over the turret hole with a sort of wood and strap cover like on a bergepanzer, and setting the JS whole on top of that.

The first approach would use part of the JS mount and fix that to the turret base so that the original turret drive would provide traverse for the JS. Sort of making the JS a turret-gun in effect.

The second route would be using the JS much as if it were set on the ground- the advantage of this latter approach is that I could reasonably posit that some enterprizing folks had plopped their flak cannon onto an available supply-panzer or hull being used as an informal bergepanzer.

As to going the Fahrschule panzer route... that would fit best into the second route above- and seems pretty interesting, to boot! It would seem possible that folks could have taken such a hull and built a quick cover platform and stuck a flak gun on top.

I have considered building the "straight" fahrschule hull- but I would have to either obtain or scratch a fair amount of Pz.IV interior... not that I can't (OK- maybe), but I don't have much info direct on hand for same. Still....

Thanks for the kick! Now, if the kindly folks at Dragon will send me some missing parts... I'll be off to the races!

There's lots of panzer IV parts out there... Verlinden or Tank Workshop had the front end stuff and it can be-- like anything --adapted. TW has changed hands a couple of times now, but I believe their stuff is still available.