ARMOR - Pz IV Group Build

So Renarts I wont be wrong adding the extra plates to my African IVD???????

The instructions in my Tamiya kit are in English and German.

Here's the link to afv for those that don't have it.

http://afvinteriors.hobbyvista.com/pz4/pz4a.html

Also:
Improvements that were introduced with the D over previous varients were face hardened, 30mm thick frontal armor. And increasing the thickenss on the side and rear to 20mm.
35 mm thick external gun mantlet and the ball mounted machine gun was re-introduced.

Side visors that were designed for the 4./Z.W. were installed in the ausf D. These had 90mm laminated glass blocks.

Major changes during production included:
- mounting Notek and convoy tail lights on the track guards starting in Feb. 1940.
- adding 30mm plates to the superstructure and hull front stating in July 1940.

Major modifications were backfitted to earlier variants as well as converting 48 vehicles to Tauchpanzers in July/August 1940.

30 were converted for Tropen employment in North Africa in early 1941.

The 50mm hardened plates were added on the F as the design requirements came to late for the D or E and the 30mm plates were retained.

Wildwilliam...... I read further into the instructions and they do in fact say that the extra armor is for the african version. Now like you I have yet to find any pics of the IVD in africa with the extra armor on it. but I will keep looking.

edog.... After looking at some pics I now know what you are talking about. It would appear the only ones that were used were the first one and the last one. My initial looks tell me that if I just take the three middle ones out and fill in with styrene I should be ok.

I Went to the hobby shop today and they didnt have the H or the J, So I will be doing the Tamiya D with a detail set also by tamiya.

Sounds like a lot of you are off to a great start! Way to go. Bill, the turtle, will be plodding along at a slower pace sometime in the future! lol

Rolgan,

Way cool... I like the camo... Weather it up a bit and you have a winner.... Good job!

feldgrau23, I have not seen any pictured of Pz IVs in N Africa with the additional armor on. You would be safe to leave the armor off. As far as when the dampers will be completed, well… The first one will not be hard to make, but I don’t have much experience with resin castings yet, so it may take a while to make a good mold and get some decent castings. I will shoot for a week before I start to get some resin pieces done.

rolgan, love that paint job. It looks like an overall clean build. Looks like it just came out of the car wash though. Should you dirty it up a bit?

Feldgrau,
looking at the Japanese language instructions online
at http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/plamo/index_e.asp?Bno=&Typ1_c=102
then searching for the kit under 1/35 tanks,
step 7 shows the Afrika Corps version, i think (i can't read Japanese!)
but the English instructions should say.
anyway, that step shows the applique armor, vented hatches & jerry can rack going on,
so i was thinking it meant for Afrika Corps.
there are some notes on sidebar and also by the number 7.

check it out.
if it does not say, i will check more sources.

achtungpanzer makes it seem that the turret stowage was first production on an E model,
http://www.achtungpanzer.com/pz3.htm

the more i find out, the less i know!

wildwilliam...... I am doing the Tamiya D and the instructions dont say one way or another about the added armor. Now I may have over looked it in the instructions but I dont remember seeing anything and that is why I asked. Like I said I saw it in the Reference book I have and was going to add it if it was applicable.

Rolgan ..... great looking H you got there.

rolgan,
looking good!

feldgrau,
i will check my references when i get home.
are you building the Tamiya kit?
because their D has instructions for the Afrika Corps tank and says whether to use or not.
so i am not sure if you have a different kit, or if you don't believe them.
:-)
but i will check my instructions and my references when i get home.
sadly, that will be about 6 hours!

Here's the photo of my 1st Pz IV! I haven't tried to take "good" pictures as I have a lot to build. Anyway, let me know what you think.

Will,,, I have been looking at my copy of Pz IV in action and have decided to do mine in the Afrika corps Scheme. My question is and I hope one of you can answer is did the D's that made it to Africa have the aplicue (spelling????) armor on the front??? I am going to add it if it did.

Edog,,, How hard would it be to fasion the dampers outta styrene???? How soon will you have a couple made?? Currently I am doing the D for this build and the J for the D-Day build so I will be doing a PZ IV assembly line.

Feldgrau,
just seemed to be the simplest way at the time!
w/ one piece, the edge supports are adequate.
if you go w. multiple pieces, then you might end up w/ a problem
trying to brace the inside edge. i am sure it could be done.

edog,,
i appreciate the heads up on the suspension, but the kit is much farther along than those old pics indicate. i will have to put up a few to show where i am now.
but the kit really just needs the drive sprokets, idlers mounted and the tracks put on. and the crew. and a touch of mud or something.
so i will not be chiseling the suspension off of this kit!

i would like to build another someday, in Afrika Corps scheme & configuration,
so if you do make pieces, i would be very interested.
but that would be a ways off.
i would be happy to have them, and also would cheerfully pay postage & materials, plus

rolgan,
check out also my post in this thread:
http://www.finescale.com/fsm/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=20935
there is a link to a site reviewing free hosts, and a link to a free site
(no registration) that i have used as well.
there are disadvantages to this (can't set up a gallery there, for one)
but it is fast and easy to get pics up and then link them here.

just shout if you need more help. it's pretty easy once you do it once or twice.


Foster - thanks!
how goes the links?

Rebelreenactor I don’t mind at all and I don’t think anyone in this group build would either. I think I posted something concerning this issue in the guidelines already. Anyway, go ahead and build across both threads if you want.

Wildwilliam and anyone else doing the Tamiya Pz IV D, I think you guys may want to look at the dampers for the suspension. The ones in this kit are molded onto the side of the lower hull next too the suspension assemblies. They are not very well detailed and it just so happens that the dampers that are on this kit didn’t hit production until August of 1943 on the Pz IV H! The dragon Pzs F1, F2, G and the newer Tamiya H kits all have attempted to mold the correct dampers and have done a fairly good job at it. I was actually planning on fabricating new ones and making resin castings. I don’t know when I will get around to is, but I would be more than happy to send a set to anyone who wants them.

Wildwilliam, your build looks great so far.

Rolgan, you are moving fast, good work!! To post pics, you need to first find a site to upload to. A lot of the FSM forum members use Ron’s site. A thread about how to upload your pics is here:

http://www.finescale.com/fsm/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=10017

Once you have your pics uploaded to a website, you can post them in the forum. To do this, right click the picture that is posted on the web, and click properties. The address of the picture will be shown. Copy this address into your post. Highlight the address in your post and hit the insert picture button on the post menu that you see when you are writing your reply to a thread. I am sure that there are also plenty of threads on the forum on how to post pictures. Good luck

Hey Will,

Nice job on the corrections to your build. I've gotten so used to things like that on the older Tamiya kits that I'm really not disappointed...I expect it.

Keep up the good work,

Okay, I finished my 1st PIV, type H. It is 1/72 Scale Italeri, and the kit was frustrating, but I have two so the next one should turn out okay. I am also wondering how I post pictures since I have absolutely no idea...

Anyway, 1 down too many more left...

Edog, Is it ok if i build this For the D-Day GB too? Its fine if it is not, i already got somthing for that.

Thanks for the heads up Tiger Man

Thanks for the pics will. I hadn't thought about doing one big piece, I was going to tr and make them just cover the areas on the sides. But a whole piece works just as well.

We will now take a break from our current forum and say yeehaa my beloved Pistons just squashed the Lakers. Exscuse me while I go and do cartwheels in the bedroom....................... whoo whooo................

ok I'm back,,,,, Renarts this will be the second time I have done this model the first time was about 20 years ago. I think I have a pic of it. Maybe I will scan it and give you all a good laugh. No painting,,, no weathering,,, but actually it turned out pretty good considoring.

Trevor,
i will be finishing up a Tamiya IV Ausf. D that has been languishing on the bench.
if time and my parole allows, i might do an H after.

Rich,
i am putting these in so you can see my crude fix.
there are pics for
a) supports b) styrene patch c) patch in place d) a look at the piece w/ the halves together, and e) the inside of the bottom showing the various backing pieces for closing the holes.
bear in mind, the IV-D was my first armor kit when i started it last September.
i have finished 2 since.
the pics are small, so i don't feel bad about doing so many.






probably beating a dead horse, since it is a pretty easy fix.

Cool feldgrau,
I like the idea of two (or more)builders, same vehicle and the result of each individual build style. Should be fun.

Good luck to all.

One warning John, the Tamiya J doesn't come with any schurzen for the hull, just on the turret.

If it's not to much trouble, when you guys post an update could you remind me what kit your working on. I know your working on a panzer IV but if you could add somewere who's kit it is and what Ausf it is ie. Tamiya Ausf D. ( I hope I'm not the only one who has trouble remembering what everone is building )

Thanks for the tip wildwilliam. I picked up some extra styrene to night to fill them in so I will just wing it. I cant imagine its that hard to do.

Foster,, I highly recomend you go see an eye doctor when your done,, because just looking at the indys I have for my Acadamy Tiger 1 let me tell you what,,you have one heck of a job ahead of you, and if you dont go blind after that, man I dont know. It is truly amazing what the dark side will make us armor guys do.

Renarts,,, You wont be alone doing the D. I for one will be doing it as well.

wildwilliam Like I said before, its up to you what you build.

Foster you are a MADMAN!!! nice looking tracks though, I am sure the effort will show in the final product.

RedButcher sorry to see you leaving us.

I'll be doing Tamiya's Ausf D. An oldy but goldy. Picked it up at a show last year for $20. The guy threw in a sheet of PE so I think I got a deal.

thanks, I shoot for the J. I just hope they have it in stock!

John, I'd go with the J. The H wasn't a bad build, but the J seems to be newer and have more detail. The D is pretty old and from what I heard, needs some help.

I will be going to hobby town sometime this week so i will be pickiing up one of the tamiya kits, Wich of the 3 do you guys recommend? The D, H, or J?