Hi, I'm working on DML Kit 6556 Pz IV Ausf J and I am at step 11 in the assembly process. I hope that someone has gone through this, and can help me out, for I am surely stuck. In this step you have the option of using PE parts or Plastic parts, but the instructions are vague as to where they are to be attached.
I have looked at walk arounds, photos, and videos of this series machine, but I can't figure out if these plates are supposed to be glued upright to protect the rear sides of the air louvers at the rear deck or if they are to be glued flat down on top of the fenders on each side at the rear of the tank. I am not going to build this machine with the side sheets, so...if these plates are to be used only with the side sheets for supporting them then maybe they aren't to be used at all, I just don't know?
These instructions are a little confusing at times to me, and I hope that maybe someone can straighten me out on this. I was going to try to post a picture of the step that I am speaking of so that it would be clearer to understand what I am talking about, but I can't get the image to upload, sorry.
Thanks for any help,
Greg
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DML Kit Instructions Need Clarification
gkedwards
Joined: August 02, 2013
KitMaker: 99 posts
Armorama: 95 posts
Posted: Monday, September 23, 2013 - 10:33 AM UTC
wedgetail53
Joined: October 02, 2008
KitMaker: 658 posts
Armorama: 629 posts
Posted: Monday, September 23, 2013 - 10:40 AM UTC
Greg
The plates to which you refer are common to most, if not all, Panzer IVs, and can be installed in either up (closed) or down (open) location.
I think most photos of Panzer IVs would show them in the down (open) position, simply sitting on the fenders.
They have nothing to do with the side sheets (ie the skirt armour) - they are doors for closing off the engine air intakes.
Regards
Rob
The plates to which you refer are common to most, if not all, Panzer IVs, and can be installed in either up (closed) or down (open) location.
I think most photos of Panzer IVs would show them in the down (open) position, simply sitting on the fenders.
They have nothing to do with the side sheets (ie the skirt armour) - they are doors for closing off the engine air intakes.
Regards
Rob
chumpo
Joined: August 30, 2010
KitMaker: 749 posts
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Posted: Monday, September 23, 2013 - 11:16 AM UTC
You have the option of plastic or metal open or close. Close there are little tabs that hold them up or closed position .Open and you use haft wing nuts if that's correct to lock them open . . Bronco makes them in plastic the wing nuts . Carefull they are real small pieces .
gkedwards
Joined: August 02, 2013
KitMaker: 99 posts
Armorama: 95 posts
Posted: Monday, September 23, 2013 - 11:38 AM UTC
Quoted Text
Greg
The plates to which you refer are common to most, if not all, Panzer IVs, and can be installed in either up (closed) or down (open) location.
I think most photos of Panzer IVs would show them in the down (open) position, simply sitting on the fenders.
They have nothing to do with the side sheets (ie the skirt armour) - they are doors for closing off the engine air intakes.
Regards
Rob
Rob, Thank you very much for your help. I saw a video of a couple of IV's in route on a dirt road somewhere in the ETO and from what I could see as it passed by, it looked to me that the side louvers were infact covered. I am by NO means an experienced and knowledgeable person on this forum, and you guys are definately a HUGE help to me in my humble existance here with you.
Thank you once again.
Greg
gkedwards
Joined: August 02, 2013
KitMaker: 99 posts
Armorama: 95 posts
Posted: Monday, September 23, 2013 - 11:44 AM UTC
Quoted Text
You have the option of plastic or metal open or close. Close there are little tabs that hold them up or closed position .Open and you use haft wing nuts if that's correct to lock them open . . Bronco makes them in plastic the wing nuts . Carefull they are real small pieces .
Ed, Many thanks to you as well. Now, I'll just make the decision as to which way I'd like to mount them. By the way, I saw a exploded color diagram of a typical German Panzer somewhere, either on this site or on another link someplace. I wish I could remember where I found that darned thing, I'd bookmark it for sure.
Thanks again,
Greg
M4A1Sherman
Joined: May 02, 2013
KitMaker: 4,403 posts
Armorama: 4,078 posts
Posted: Monday, September 23, 2013 - 01:08 PM UTC
[quote]
Ed, Many thanks to you as well. Now, I'll just make the decision as to which way I'd like to mount them. By the way, I saw a exploded color diagram of a typical German Panzer somewhere, either on this site or on another link someplace. I wish I could remember where I found that darned thing, I'd bookmark it for sure.
Thanks again,
Greg[/quo
Don't feel alone by being perplexed over DRAGON's typically confusing assembly instructions. If you peruse a great many kit reviews of DRAGON products, invariably you'll find some negative commentary over confusing and contrary assembly diagrams... It's just the nature of the beast...
Quoted Text
You have the option of plastic or metal open or close. Close there are little tabs that hold them up or closed position .Open and you use haft wing nuts if that's correct to lock them open . . Bronco makes them in plastic the wing nuts . Carefull they are real small pieces .
Ed, Many thanks to you as well. Now, I'll just make the decision as to which way I'd like to mount them. By the way, I saw a exploded color diagram of a typical German Panzer somewhere, either on this site or on another link someplace. I wish I could remember where I found that darned thing, I'd bookmark it for sure.
Thanks again,
Greg[/quo
Don't feel alone by being perplexed over DRAGON's typically confusing assembly instructions. If you peruse a great many kit reviews of DRAGON products, invariably you'll find some negative commentary over confusing and contrary assembly diagrams... It's just the nature of the beast...
gkedwards
Joined: August 02, 2013
KitMaker: 99 posts
Armorama: 95 posts
Posted: Monday, September 23, 2013 - 01:42 PM UTC
Greg[/quo
Don't feel alone by being perplexed over DRAGON's typically confusing assembly instructions. If you peruse a great many kit reviews of DRAGON products, invariably you'll find some negative commentary over confusing and contrary assembly diagrams... It's just the nature of the beast...[/quote]
Dennis,..Thanks for the positive insight. You know, when I was a young kid growing up in the early 60's I used to visit a LHS in the nearest city to where I lived. There was a local guy there that built WWII tracked armored vehicles and I was amazed at the camo patterns that he did.
To make a long story shorter, that experience was a great influence on me, and I always wanted to get into this side of the styrene box (so to speak). So..after 50 years or so, these kits have become rather expensive "state of the art" highly possible museum pieces, with instruction sheets that require a Draftsman's college degree, and literaly hundreds of dollars worth of reference books on each individual vehicle by itself.
So..my personal thoughts for what it's worth are .. These are fantastic kits, Highly detailed, exceptional quality, and much, much, more superior to the offerings of the early days. But, Please, Please, Please, give us old folks a break on the "Blue Prints" LOLOLOLO!!
Thanks to all, and I'm sure I'll be back with another quizzz!
Greg
AFVFan
Joined: May 17, 2012
KitMaker: 1,980 posts
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Posted: Monday, September 23, 2013 - 03:18 PM UTC
Quoted Text
Thanks to all, and I'm sure I'll be back with another quizzz!
As long as you keep building DML/Dragon kits, that's a given.
M4A1Sherman
Joined: May 02, 2013
KitMaker: 4,403 posts
Armorama: 4,078 posts
Posted: Tuesday, September 24, 2013 - 05:21 AM UTC
Quoted Text
Quoted TextThanks to all, and I'm sure I'll be back with another quizzz!
As long as you keep building DML/Dragon kits, that's a given.
I'll bet that DRAGON's "Screwed-up Instructions" Department employs about a half-dozen sadistic, sniggering little near-sighted hunchbacked cretins with pock-marked faces and bad breath who work by candlelight in a cold, dark, dank dungeon. They are left-overs from the Spanish Inquisition and delight in reading out loud the negative "fan mail" sent to DRAGON by disgruntled modellers...
chumpo
Joined: August 30, 2010
KitMaker: 749 posts
Armorama: 521 posts
Posted: Tuesday, September 24, 2013 - 06:17 AM UTC
No they are Chinese and they think different . Just like the words when translated are sometimes backwards.
gkedwards
Joined: August 02, 2013
KitMaker: 99 posts
Armorama: 95 posts
Posted: Tuesday, September 24, 2013 - 02:03 PM UTC
Quoted Text
Quoted TextQuoted TextThanks to all, and I'm sure I'll be back with another quizzz!
As long as you keep building DML/Dragon kits, that's a given.
I'll bet that DRAGON's "Screwed-up Instructions" Department employs about a half-dozen sadistic, sniggering little near-sighted hunchbacked cretins with pock-marked faces and bad breath who work by candlelight in a cold, dark, dank dungeon. They are left-overs from the Spanish Inquisition and delight in reading out loud the negative "fan mail" sent to DRAGON by disgruntled modellers...
Yep, and they probably just printed off the one that I just wrote and used it for toilet paper..
M4A1Sherman
Joined: May 02, 2013
KitMaker: 4,403 posts
Armorama: 4,078 posts
Posted: Friday, September 27, 2013 - 04:45 AM UTC
Quoted Text
Quoted TextQuoted TextQuoted TextThanks to all, and I'm sure I'll be back with another quizzz!
As long as you keep building DML/Dragon kits, that's a given.
I'll bet that DRAGON's "Screwed-up Instructions" Department employs about a half-dozen sadistic, sniggering little near-sighted hunchbacked cretins with pock-marked faces and bad breath who work by candlelight in a cold, dark, dank dungeon. They are left-overs from the Spanish Inquisition and delight in reading out loud the negative "fan mail" sent to DRAGON by disgruntled modellers...
Yep, and they probably just printed off the one that I just wrote and used it for toilet paper..
Or set your note on fire and applied it to the armpits of some engineer that made the mistake of creating a legible instruction drawing... 
gkedwards
Joined: August 02, 2013
KitMaker: 99 posts
Armorama: 95 posts
Posted: Sunday, September 29, 2013 - 03:48 PM UTC
ericadeane
Joined: October 28, 2002
KitMaker: 4,021 posts
Armorama: 3,947 posts
Posted: Monday, September 30, 2013 - 12:10 AM UTC
FYI: the "side sheets" are called schurzen or "skirt" armor. They were developed as protection vs. Soviet anti-tank rifle rounds that could penetrate thinner areas of tank side armor. An AT rifle round would spin after penetrating the thin (5mm) shurzen armor plate. Once the bullet started tumbling, the round would theoretically not penetrate the AFV hull/turret shell.
After the war, the shurzen were examined. A mistaken theory that the shurzen were used to protect against bazooka or panzerfaust or other hollow-charged warheads took hold. This myth lingers in WW2 German armor circles today -- you'll even see it passed along as fact in publications.
However, the myth been legitimately disproved even if not widely known.
After the war, the shurzen were examined. A mistaken theory that the shurzen were used to protect against bazooka or panzerfaust or other hollow-charged warheads took hold. This myth lingers in WW2 German armor circles today -- you'll even see it passed along as fact in publications.
However, the myth been legitimately disproved even if not widely known.
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