Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.E Tauchpanzer w/ Betriebsstoffanhanger

Hmm- look at that track sag! Throwing a track is never fun at the best of times, but doing so underwater...with the turret nt sealed up either...

and AI forgot the starfish!

Cheers,

Chris.

Hi Chris,

That was a fast and nice build! It's too bad your pictures are way too small, they should be 800-900 pixels wide so as to show all the details. I didn't instruct AI about how to build this one so he just followed the manual. A fellow modeler has asked for more of this kit saying one is not enough, so I've already ordered another one (plus another "Grasshopper") and it'll be equipped with main gun and cupola waterseal, and built by AI's big brother. 

I think your starfish is out of place here. This is an armor, not a submarine! ;-) 

Hi MM, 

Just a tip for AI, The idler wheels on the Pz IV series didn't have rubber tyres, and he has painted the rims of the idlers black.

Hi Phil,

Are you really sure about that? I have a book on Panzer IV, copyright by Warszawa 1992. It's in Polish, I can't read it but I can see the pictures. It has color profiles of Panzer IV all versions, from A, B, D, G, F2 and H, and I see that the idler wheels of all versions are in black. If they're not rubber then I wonder why are they in black?

Hi MM,

Though admittedly I'm not overly familiar with the earlier Ausf's A though C, I'm quite certain that Ausf's D through J have steel idlers which do not have rubber tyres.

Model Maniac wrote:

It has color profiles of Panzer IV all versions, from A, B, D, G, F2 and H, and I see that the idler wheels of all versions are in black. If they're not rubber then I wonder why are they in black?

Artisitc license perhaps? It would depend if the artist who did the illustrations is familiar with the subject. If not, it would not be unreasonable to assume they had rubber tyres like the roadwheels.

When I read this, I was confused for some reason about which wheels you guys are talking about.

The return rollers (small ones supporting the top of the track) did have rubber on them until the very late models, but the idler wheels (large steel wheels all the way to the rear of the track)  never did have any rubber.

I'm referring to the idlers, not the return rollers.

On AI's model in the opening post, he has rubber on the return rollers, which is ok, but also has black rims on the idlers.

Yeah but not on the idlers.

Phil_H wrote:

I'm referring to the idlers, not the return rollers. On AI's model in the opening post, he has rubber on the return rollers, which is ok, but also has black rims on the idlers.

It was my fault, my poor English. I thought you were talking about the return rollers. Now I know what you mean and I'll let AU know too. Thanks for the info!

Yeah, rubber rims on the idlers is wrong for sure. It doosn't improve the ride (the main reason for rubber tyres on road wheels) and, as the rubber wore away, the tracks would slacken and be more likely to be thrown.

By contrast, worn steel return rollers, where they rubbed against the insides of the tracks, would be OK. This could be represented by graphite pencil dust, which, in certain lights, might appear black.

Cheers,

Chris.