Pete's Panzer IV Ausf.D

[boatman]

HI Pete not really into amour but I have a long time ago built 2 remote control tigers in about 1/35 scale an had great fun drivein them around the obstickale course in the garden .But i like lookin at these tanks you guys are building an the way you wheather them is nothin short of bein an artist an your build pete is great I will follow this build with the other guys an enjoy your modelling skills
chris

[Guest]

There is no red outlined black patch with skull described , only a red outlined , green background , with skull , for assault artillery

This leads me to believe the photo has been coloured in, and the person who did it used a black background when it should have been green (since the green would appear darker than the field grey of the uniform in a black and white photo, the assumption that it’s a black tanker’s patch is easy to make, I think).

[stillp]

Should have paid more attention to the instructions. I'd glued the turret side hatches open, but the tank's number needs to go behind them each side. If there was a flat surface I'd have tried to apply the decals behind the hatches, but there's quite a lot of moulded detail there (pistol ports, ventilators?) so I don't think I'd have been able to get them to sit properly. So, off came the hatches:

Another problem/mistake though - the balkankreuz should be in the middle of the side panels, just where the barrel cleaning rods are on one side, and the aerial support on the other side. I might leave them off, or squeeze them onto the side of the toolbox at the rear of the turret.
I've quite a few track links left over, can't decide whether to fit them as additional armour or not. If I do, should they be painted to match the tanks (dunkelgelb) or to match the running tracks, which is what I've done with the spare links carried on the hull side. I'm thinking that as additional armour, they'd be recovered from damaged tanks, welded on, and so would be painted to match the tank. Any thoughts on this?
I need to get a move on and do some weathering as well as fitting the tracks - starter set GB next week!

Pete

[Steve Jones]

Evenin Pete

Indeed the decals over the hatches are a complete mare. I hand painted mine and they looked awful. The next one was a Dragon kit where they designed the decals in such a way as to fit over all the lumps and bumps

As for the tracks they would be very much cobbled together from other destroyed tanks and spares hanging around in depots. Supplies in the North African campaign were always an issue as it was seen as a "side show" by both the allied and German leaders as far as supplies went. Therefore they had to beg, borrow and steal as much equipment as they could. This is why there are so many examples of Axis using Allied equipment and visa versa all the way from tanks down to water cannisters.

The majority of tracks would have been added after the paintwork and personally, burnt out or rusted tracks look more interesting and in my opinion more realistic than freshly painted Dunkelgelb ones. Here are some pictures that may help you



The build is coming on well. Looking forward to seeing some more progress

[Guest]

If there was a flat surface I'd have tried to apply the decals behind the hatches, but there's quite a lot of moulded detail there (pistol ports, ventilators?)

The rectangular things in front of the hatches are vision flaps, the round ones behind the hatches are pistol ports.

Another problem/mistake though - the balkankreuz should be in the middle of the side panels, just where the barrel cleaning rods are on one side, and the aerial support on the other side. I might leave them off, or squeeze them onto the side of the toolbox at the rear of the turret.

A simple solution is to cut the decals to fit. Easy with a sharp knife if you do it before soaking them off the backing paper.

I've quite a few track links left over, can't decide whether to fit them as additional armour or not. If I do, should they be painted to match the tanks (dunkelgelb) or to match the running tracks, which is what I've done with the spare links carried on the hull side. I'm thinking that as additional armour, they'd be recovered from damaged tanks, welded on, and so would be painted to match the tank. Any thoughts on this?

It would depend on when they were added: before or after the tank got its sand colour? I’d say after would be more likely, and it’s easier to excuse than painting them in the tank colour and then not being able to find any evidence that this ever actually happened.

However, tracks as extra armour seems to have been rare on Panzer IVs in Africa. Most seem to have carried it simply as spare track, behind the bar between the towing eyes on the nose plate.

[stillp]

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Thanks Steve. That 4th photo doesn't seem to show the balkankreuz, I think I'll leave them off. As for the tracks, I'm sure you're right, and there wouldn't have been much if any repainting in the field, so I'll have to weather them separately and add them later.

The rectangular things in front of the hatches are vision flaps, the round ones behind the hatches are pistol ports.

Thanks Jakko.

A simple solution is to cut the decals to fit. Easy with a sharp knife if you do it before soaking them off the backing paper.

If only it was that simple... The aerial rest is about the same thickness as the horizontal arm of the cross, so there would be a gap between the horizontal and the vertical arms. Yes, I could paint them in, but access is tricky. See Steve's photo above.

Yes, the spare tracks would probably be weathered rather than painted. As I said to Steve, I'll weather them separately and add them later.

Cheers guys.
Pete

[Guest]

balkankreuz

Balkenkreuz German for “beam-cross”, as in a cross made of rectangles, and nothing to do with the Balkans.

If only it was that simple... The aerial rest is about the same thickness as the horizontal arm of the cross, so there would be a gap between the horizontal and the vertical arms.

So just cut out that bit — you can measure the size of the gap needed fairly well, and even though I said it’s best to cut before soaking the decals off the paper, you can still cut them afterward too. Pressing down on them with a sharp knife (while the decal is back on the paper) usually works well.

[stillp]

Balkenkreuz :smiling3: German for “beam-cross”, as in a cross made of rectangles, and nothing to do with the Balkans.

Thanks.

So just cut out that bit — you can measure the size of the gap needed fairly well, and even though I said it’s best to cut before soaking the decals off the paper, you can still cut them afterward too.

Do you mean they'd have let the aerial support obscure the horizontal of the cross? :astonished:
Pete

[Guest]

Yes: the cross was painted on the hull side, and the aerial trough sits in front of it. Part of the cross may be applied to the trough, like here:



On a model, of course, chances are that the trough actually sits up against the hull side so you can’t slide a decal behind it (let alone a paint mask, if you’re going to spray the markings) so just cutting a bit out of the decal is the simplest fix.

(This photo also shows that you can also hang a length of spare track in a curve from the towing eyes, as is often seen on Panzer IIIs but not as much on IVs.)

You can also move the cross to forward of the whole antenna mounting. There are plenty of photos that show it painted on the slightly angled plate that has the vision port in it, for example, instead of on the actual side plate:

[Guest]

Coming along nicely.

[Guest]

Peter,
Ref your cross decals, cut a lille out of the horizontal arm of the cross to allow for the width of the cleaning rods, then put one half of the cross above and one below, that way the rods 'hide' the centre section.
Mike.

[stillp]

Well, I'm calling it finished. I couldn't get a finish I liked on the spare track links, so left them pff. There seem to be plenty of photos of these tanks without the balkenkreuz, so I left those off as well. Hap a play with some pigments as well as the washes.

More photos in the Completed Armour section.
Pete

[scottie3158]

Pete,
That is a cracking result.

[stillp]

Thanks Paul.
Pete

[Steve Jones]

Well done Peter. Had great fun watching this old classic come together. Thanks for sharing and I will pop over and have a look at the final photos