Jagdpanzer IV. L/70 - Tamiya

#477
Pest, Hungary
Joined: March 21, 2007
KitMaker: 133 posts
Armorama: 131 posts
Posted: Sunday, September 04, 2016 - 12:25 PM UTC
As my entry to the Tank Hunters campaign I started the Tamiya Jagdpanzer IV this weekend. Seems to be a nice, clean build (as expected from Tamiya) and to make life more difficult, I ordered an Eduard upgrade and Schürzen set which is yet to be delivered.
Small progress this weekend, lower hull details. Amazing weld seams, and casting texture and 100% perfect fit. I am just shocked. Positively, of course.
On the bench:
- Tristar Panzer IV ausf. B. 1:35 - France 1940 Campaign
- Dragon Panzerjäger I ausf. B 1:35
- Revell Leopard 2A4 1:35
My blog: http://muanyagforgacs.blogspot.com/

#424
Queensland, Australia
Joined: April 23, 2015
KitMaker: 4,648 posts
Armorama: 2,248 posts
Posted: Sunday, September 04, 2016 - 02:44 PM UTC
Zsolt,
Glad to see this here. Will follow for certain.
Gaz
"Artillery adds dignity, to what would otherwise be an ugly brawl."
Frederick The Great
Oklahoma, United States
Joined: September 30, 2015
KitMaker: 2,493 posts
Armorama: 2,344 posts
Posted: Sunday, September 04, 2016 - 07:16 PM UTC
"Only the dead have seen the end of war." - Plato

#477
Pest, Hungary
Joined: March 21, 2007
KitMaker: 133 posts
Armorama: 131 posts
Posted: Wednesday, September 07, 2016 - 12:40 PM UTC
Small progress yesterday: started cleaning the wheels. My first PzIV variant build... OMG, how many of them there is. I fear the painting in advance
My next issue is the interior. The kit provides nothing - but I bought the 12660 set (metal barrel plus gun breech) and... well... just thinking about to buy Verlinden's interior resin set. Two factor against it. Or three factors:
- expensive... it doubles the cost of this build
- I have limited time and the group build finishes at the end of April 2017
- the upgrade is for the Dragon Jagdpanzer, not the Tamiya - though I think there would be no major fitting problems...
And the pro factors:
- I like detailed interiors for some unknown perverted reason...
- The top of the upper hull could be assembled to be "openable" so this would be my first model where the detailed-up interior would not disappear after finishing & "closing" the model.
Life is tough. Full of decisions...
On the bench:
- Tristar Panzer IV ausf. B. 1:35 - France 1940 Campaign
- Dragon Panzerjäger I ausf. B 1:35
- Revell Leopard 2A4 1:35
My blog: http://muanyagforgacs.blogspot.com/

#424
Queensland, Australia
Joined: April 23, 2015
KitMaker: 4,648 posts
Armorama: 2,248 posts
Posted: Wednesday, September 07, 2016 - 01:32 PM UTC
Zsolt,
A difficult decision for sure. Here is one decision I made years ago: never to build two PzIV variants in a row. All of those roadwheels can weigh a man down.
Best wishes,
Gaz
"Artillery adds dignity, to what would otherwise be an ugly brawl."
Frederick The Great
Oklahoma, United States
Joined: September 30, 2015
KitMaker: 2,493 posts
Armorama: 2,344 posts
Posted: Thursday, September 08, 2016 - 06:29 AM UTC
Pz IV isn't nearly as bad as Pz VI as far as road wheels! Lol
"Only the dead have seen the end of war." - Plato
New Jersey, United States
Joined: December 08, 2003
KitMaker: 2,864 posts
Armorama: 2,497 posts
Posted: Thursday, September 08, 2016 - 09:11 AM UTC
Quoted Text
Pz IV isn't nearly as bad as Pz VI as far as road wheels! Lol
Don't remind me, I just did two early Tigers after three Panthers. Needless to say there aren't any panzer IV variants in the near future.
"The only thing a man should take seriously is the fact that nothing should be taken seriously."
Samuel Butler, Victorian satirist
Steve Willoughby

#477
Pest, Hungary
Joined: March 21, 2007
KitMaker: 133 posts
Armorama: 131 posts
Posted: Thursday, September 08, 2016 - 10:24 AM UTC
Quoted Text
Pz IV isn't nearly as bad as Pz VI as far as road wheels! Lol
Well, based on your words I'll stick to early panzers

Or start a modelling company which sells pre-painted wheels for all pz IV & VI variants
On the bench:
- Tristar Panzer IV ausf. B. 1:35 - France 1940 Campaign
- Dragon Panzerjäger I ausf. B 1:35
- Revell Leopard 2A4 1:35
My blog: http://muanyagforgacs.blogspot.com/

#477
Pest, Hungary
Joined: March 21, 2007
KitMaker: 133 posts
Armorama: 131 posts
Posted: Sunday, September 11, 2016 - 12:19 PM UTC
Little progress during the weekend: the wheels are ready. Now I wait for the PE set to arrive before move on with the upper hull...
On the bench:
- Tristar Panzer IV ausf. B. 1:35 - France 1940 Campaign
- Dragon Panzerjäger I ausf. B 1:35
- Revell Leopard 2A4 1:35
My blog: http://muanyagforgacs.blogspot.com/
Oklahoma, United States
Joined: September 30, 2015
KitMaker: 2,493 posts
Armorama: 2,344 posts
Posted: Sunday, September 11, 2016 - 12:23 PM UTC
Good start. What tracks were you going to use?
"Only the dead have seen the end of war." - Plato

#477
Pest, Hungary
Joined: March 21, 2007
KitMaker: 133 posts
Armorama: 131 posts
Posted: Sunday, September 11, 2016 - 02:30 PM UTC
I was thinking about Friul tracks. But
- lots of time to assemble
- lots of money to buy
- most of it would be hidden behind the Eduard Schürzen
So finally I opted for the kit (vinyl?) track with a little trick seen in Model Military International issue 106 (Feb. 2015). Namely: bent brass pieces glued to the underside of the upper hull, creating some sag to the tracks without being visible themselves. Cheaper, faster, easier
On the bench:
- Tristar Panzer IV ausf. B. 1:35 - France 1940 Campaign
- Dragon Panzerjäger I ausf. B 1:35
- Revell Leopard 2A4 1:35
My blog: http://muanyagforgacs.blogspot.com/
Oklahoma, United States
Joined: September 30, 2015
KitMaker: 2,493 posts
Armorama: 2,344 posts
Posted: Sunday, September 11, 2016 - 04:20 PM UTC
If money allows, I'd HIGHLY recommend Friuls. They are so worth the money and work. I used my first set on a KT I just built and honestly, I think I'm going to buy a few sets and replace the rubber band tracks on a couple of my other builds. They are very nice. I'll definitely be using them on my future German ww2 builds.
"Only the dead have seen the end of war." - Plato

#477
Pest, Hungary
Joined: March 21, 2007
KitMaker: 133 posts
Armorama: 131 posts
Posted: Sunday, September 11, 2016 - 04:41 PM UTC
Quoted Text
If money allows, I'd HIGHLY recommend Friuls. They are so worth the money and work. I used my first set on a KT I just built and honestly, I think I'm going to buy a few sets and replace the rubber band tracks on a couple of my other builds. They are very nice. I'll definitely be using them on my future German ww2 builds.
Thanks for the suggestion. Depending how fast I progress (campaign deadline is next April) later I re-think again

Money is the smaller problem, time is the bigger.
In the meanwhile the postman has just delivered these:
Yeah. Detailing up a bit. My favourite is the wood block - from brass...

On the bench:
- Tristar Panzer IV ausf. B. 1:35 - France 1940 Campaign
- Dragon Panzerjäger I ausf. B 1:35
- Revell Leopard 2A4 1:35
My blog: http://muanyagforgacs.blogspot.com/

#477
Pest, Hungary
Joined: March 21, 2007
KitMaker: 133 posts
Armorama: 131 posts
Posted: Wednesday, September 21, 2016 - 02:49 PM UTC
The rear is finished (two additional PE chains will be added but only later at the final stage to prevent breaking accidents). I made the jack-block from balsa wood instead of the kit piece. Eduard also offered a wood block made of brass but that looked strange...
On the bench:
- Tristar Panzer IV ausf. B. 1:35 - France 1940 Campaign
- Dragon Panzerjäger I ausf. B 1:35
- Revell Leopard 2A4 1:35
My blog: http://muanyagforgacs.blogspot.com/
New York, United States
Joined: May 02, 2013
KitMaker: 4,403 posts
Armorama: 4,078 posts
Posted: Wednesday, September 21, 2016 - 04:45 PM UTC
Quoted Text
Little progress during the weekend: the wheels are ready. Now I wait for the PE set to arrive before move on with the upper hull...
Coming along very nicely!
Just a suggestion: QUICKWHEELS makes very nice stencils for most 1/35 vehicles, including the Pz.IV-based ones- One of these stencils will save you a lot of work when it comes time to paint them...
Also like the fact that you opted out in favor of the TAMIYA Jagdpanzer IV- It's cheaper, and a bit easier to put together than DRAGON's, not that the DRAGON kit is a bad kit; on the contrary, the CYBERHOBBY/DRAGON Jagdpanzer IV L/70 Lang is a VERY NICE kit, as I found out for myself!

New York, United States
Joined: May 02, 2013
KitMaker: 4,403 posts
Armorama: 4,078 posts
Posted: Wednesday, September 21, 2016 - 04:50 PM UTC
Quoted Text
I was thinking about Friul tracks. But
- lots of time to assemble
- lots of money to buy
- most of it would be hidden behind the Eduard Schürzen
So finally I opted for the kit (vinyl?) track with a little trick seen in Model Military International issue 106 (Feb. 2015). Namely: bent brass pieces glued to the underside of the upper hull, creating some sag to the tracks without being visible themselves. Cheaper, faster, easier
I tried that, and I wasn't very satisfied with the results- Perhaps it was just my own "fumble-fingered-ness" at fault.

It took a lot of "detail-blindness" to try to convince myself that the needles that I used to "depress" the upper Links of my Tracks, (in lieu of brass strips), weren't visible from certain angles...
There are cheaper alternatives than the FRIULISMO Tracks- I believe BRONCO makes a nice PLASTIC 40cm Pz.III/Pz.IV-type Track set, which are quite a bit less expensive than the FRIULS...

#477
Pest, Hungary
Joined: March 21, 2007
KitMaker: 133 posts
Armorama: 131 posts
Posted: Wednesday, September 28, 2016 - 11:27 AM UTC
Dennis, thanks for your suggestions. I ordered a Quickwheel set (not found specifically for this kit but I hope that Tamiya wheels are the same size...) and... well... after long hesitation I ordered the Friul set, as well.
The metal barrel arrived and installed - upper structure test-fit (100% perfection, Tamiya engineers

) and I like it. Now the small parts, tools and other things follow with the Eduard PE.
On the bench:
- Tristar Panzer IV ausf. B. 1:35 - France 1940 Campaign
- Dragon Panzerjäger I ausf. B 1:35
- Revell Leopard 2A4 1:35
My blog: http://muanyagforgacs.blogspot.com/
Oklahoma, United States
Joined: September 30, 2015
KitMaker: 2,493 posts
Armorama: 2,344 posts
Posted: Wednesday, September 28, 2016 - 07:06 PM UTC
Good to hear about the upgrades!
"Only the dead have seen the end of war." - Plato
Alabama, United States
Joined: September 22, 2008
KitMaker: 476 posts
Armorama: 447 posts
Posted: Wednesday, September 28, 2016 - 07:57 PM UTC
Your construction looks spot-on. I hope you'll go into detail about the PE upgrades with photos so we can see them and how they enhance the kit.
New York, United States
Joined: May 02, 2013
KitMaker: 4,403 posts
Armorama: 4,078 posts
Posted: Wednesday, September 28, 2016 - 08:08 PM UTC
LOOKING GOOD! Which manufacturer made your Main Gun's metal barrel? RB Models? They used to make metal barrels for ABER, which I think is still one of the best PE and Resin manufacturers out there...

#477
Pest, Hungary
Joined: March 21, 2007
KitMaker: 133 posts
Armorama: 131 posts
Posted: Thursday, September 29, 2016 - 11:31 AM UTC
Thanks for your kind words, guys!
Dennis, the barrel is Tamiya upgrade set:
http://www.tamiya.com/english/products/12660/index.htm It has nice gun breech details - but finally I decided not to detail up the interior, so this will be left off...
cheers,
Zsolt
On the bench:
- Tristar Panzer IV ausf. B. 1:35 - France 1940 Campaign
- Dragon Panzerjäger I ausf. B 1:35
- Revell Leopard 2A4 1:35
My blog: http://muanyagforgacs.blogspot.com/
Hessen, Germany
Joined: October 26, 2015
KitMaker: 446 posts
Armorama: 445 posts
Posted: Thursday, September 29, 2016 - 08:58 PM UTC
Looking very good so far.

#477
Pest, Hungary
Joined: March 21, 2007
KitMaker: 133 posts
Armorama: 131 posts
Posted: Wednesday, October 12, 2016 - 12:28 PM UTC
My first ever Friul track assembled and test-fit. It sits perfectly and looks like after the first try:
Looked a bit too tight (though wartime photos show this kind of tight tracks sometimes) so I added one more link. Now it's much better:
And as this is only one side, I started to prepare (minimal cleaning and drilling) the next side as well. Hope finish with it till the weekend.
cheers,
Zsolt
On the bench:
- Tristar Panzer IV ausf. B. 1:35 - France 1940 Campaign
- Dragon Panzerjäger I ausf. B 1:35
- Revell Leopard 2A4 1:35
My blog: http://muanyagforgacs.blogspot.com/

#424
Queensland, Australia
Joined: April 23, 2015
KitMaker: 4,648 posts
Armorama: 2,248 posts
Posted: Wednesday, October 12, 2016 - 01:33 PM UTC
Zsolt,
Those Friuls really lok great!
Gaz
"Artillery adds dignity, to what would otherwise be an ugly brawl."
Frederick The Great
Georgia, United States
Joined: July 26, 2013
KitMaker: 2,272 posts
Armorama: 1,860 posts
Posted: Wednesday, October 12, 2016 - 04:45 PM UTC
You guys are a bunch of sissies.
I had a Nashorn, Wirbelwind, Ostwind, and Mobelwagen all going at the same time and I lived to tell the tale.
On the Campaign Trail:
Tank Destroyer 2020