Servus folks,

haven't really been here and out of modelling for quiet some time (kids moved out, difficulties in job etc.) but better times have finally come and i need something to do in my upcoming leave.

At the moment i have shortlisted Dragon's M1 Panther II among others. When studying photos of the real thing i noticed that the vehicle seems to be a little front-heavy due to the mine rolles although it is not visible on the "box-art".

On the first thought it should be easy to do this on the model. Make an ínclined plane, place the hull on it and align the swing arms but on second sight i noticed a connection rod between the first swing arms and the idler wheel swing arms which i guess are hydraulic cylinders for a hydrostatic balancer that keeps the track's tension?

Modifying the rods isn't a problem but the position of the idler wheel swing arms is it that worries me because it is essentially important to get the tracks fit right.


Any suggestions how to deal with it?


Greetings from Germany


Bernd

Andere Maschine, genau det gleiche Idee:



Hinterräder normal installieren. Vorderräder zerdrückt einbasteln. Warte zwei Stunden. Das Modell auf dem Tisch liegen, andere Arme und Räder installieren. Sorg dafür das Alle auf dem Tisch bleiben.

Bernd,
What you are describing is the "compensating idler arm" which is attached to the #1 roadwheel arm.
When the #1 arm goes up or down the idler wheels moves to keep the tension tight.
If the tank were to have a heavy weight on the front, such as a mine roller or a fat-assed dependent, the suspension will dip down slightly.
Dan (who used to do this for a living in Bayern)

There's a build report at
http://www.panzer-modell.de/berichte/mdcv_panther2/panther.php I seem to remember that all you have to do is slightly shorten the "compensating idler arm" so it'll fit into the changed distance resulting from the higher position of the #1 road wheel.
Have fun with the kit,
Peter

Thanks guys, really seems not to be a big deal. I just noticed that i have a pair of Bronco-tracks from a ruined Tamiya-M1A2 left (playful cockatiel...) which will come in handy when making sure that the tension is right.