DML #6540 Flakpanzer IV Wirbelwind COMPLETE Pics p.17

Real life activity has a tendency to interfere with getting solid bench time and it's hard to believe that this one has sat for nearly a month, but there you have it! Between travelling for work, having to take care of the usual spring-time yard work, training a new Boxer puppy (who has grown 25% by weight in just 4 weeks!),  and of course the rest of daily activity and the month has just flown by.

Fortunately the Easter weekend afforded me a chance to spend some more time on the Wirbelwind. I picked up where I had left off with the lower hull and continued work in this department with Step 5. This step adds details to the rear hull plate in the form of the idler mounts and tensioning housings as well as the engine muffler/exhaust. I had to do a bit more trimming of the zim around the ports where the exhaust pipes exit the hull in order for the armored trays to sit correctly but easily done using the tip of a sharp #11 blade.

Moving on to Step 6, I assembled and installed all of the lower suspension bogeys on both sides of the hull. The fit on these is slightly tricky and it is important of course that all 4 bogeys line up properly on either side to avoid problems later on. I double checked everything on a level surface and also used the old trick of lining up all the mount arms by eye instead of relying only on the "sit" of the bogey mounts.

Step 6 also calls for the installation of the glacis plate. Since I'm creating a vehicle with zim, the Atak set provides a resin replacement piece that is a "clone" casting of the kit part plus the zim pattern. The set actually includes 2 plates (one fully zimmed and one with no zim around where the spare track run mounts) but the one with no zim was cast too thin and irreparably broke when I was trying to remove the pour plug, so the other plate was used instead. The brake hatches and armored vent covers are also provided as separate resin parts and these were installed using CA gel.

The set also includes a nice little thin zim strip to cover the hull nose plate top surface that sits flush with the glacis, this was added with the help of Gator Grip glue and some liquid glue around the edges to round things out. 

Hopefully it won't be another month before I can get some more bench time in on this project and will be able to pick up some steam in the coming weeks.

Happy Easter!

Looking good.  Just read back through your WIP, always nice too get an informitive history and solid build / advice.  The zim looks as if it is laying itself on.  Look forward to more on this one.

Looking good Bill, Happy Easter.

Terry.

Bill, I am dying to try one of those zimm AM stuff.  I wanted to use it on my very old Tamiya Panzer IV Ausf H but no luck I couldn't find one to go with it.  So the guys suggested to do the zimm putty approach since the kit was only $7 I got via eBay few years ago.  At least I have to try it to understand what others have gone thru...

Always enjoy your informative WIPs... looking forward to your next update and I don't care if it will take you a month as long as the puppy is under good care. 

Bill - Happy Easter....hopefully we don't have to wait for the next holiday for an update  (I know....the pot calling the kettle black)

Nice zimming.....I am sure the turret will be a zimtastic event also...keep it coming

Rounds Complete!!

Rob, Terry, thanks as always for the comments and support!

Andy, Brenda is extremely well looked after, no question about that! She's about 95% house trained and has learned some basic obedience commands like "sit" and "down" so she's still a work in progress but rapidly getting integrated into the Plunk household.

Mike, happy to share counter space with my fellow kettle! Thanks as always for dropping by, glad to see you're able to get some time in on your website at least even if you aren't at the bench.

Bill, I 've seen this kit available for as little as $29---is the turret interior and flak very detailed? Open muzzles on the 2cm?

Manny,

The Flakvierling is the same one that is provided in the Sdkfz 7/1 and is highly detailed and the 2cm muzzles are slide molded (although the flash suppressors don't have their small vent holes molded open, only as depressions). The Wirbelwind turret interior is also fully detailed and DML has also provided the accurate mount details in the turret ring. They did an outstanding job with it IMHO. HTH!

Bill, don't forget to train your puppy not to chew uncompleted kits... we can't afford to see another Hinsky incident!

More progress to report with this project, work continued from last week with the lower hull and Step 7. This step is the standard Pz IV set that adds the fenders to the lower hull but it's to your benefit to skip ahead a bit and first add the lower hull insert part D13 called for in Step 9 as it is much easier to add it now along with the firewall part D16 vs. waiting until after the fenders are in place.

The fenders need some work before they can be installed since they have the molded on schurzen mount posts for a standard IV-H that need to be removed. This is easily enough done with careful use of sprue cutters and sanding/trimming with a #11 knife, just be careful not to gouge the fender edge in the process.

Since I'm adding zim, the portions of the front and rear mud-flaps were given the necessary Atak panels although some modification was required on the front mud-flaps to remove enough on the lower portions to allow them to clear the front hull properly. The same is true of the panels added to the lower hull in the earlier steps, a consequence of the fact that the zim adds a fractional additional thickness to those areas that the DML part design tolerances don't allow for. It's not a big deal since those areas aren't visible after assembly but it is something for others to be aware of if you choose to use the Atak set.

I skipped Step 8 for a bit since it deals with assembly of portions of the upper hull and proceeded directly to Step 10 which adds some of the hull bracing and Flakvierling base mount parts. These were assembled and installed without issue although I didn't glue done the "arms" on part D24 just yet as I want to be sure the fit with the upper hull is correct when I add that later.

I had hoped to get the rest of the upper hull done but working with the fenders took more time than I anticipated, so the upper hull will have to wait until the next bench session.

Looking good....keep it coming

Rounds Complete!!

Hey wbill76

I recently bought this kit myself. Though I'm not a big fan of Dragon kits, I like this one. One of the reasons I'm not a big fan is the directions are sometimes a little ambiguous.

As an example, on step 12, the arrow that points to the placement of part P4 (MA19, MA1, MA3 and MA5) is confusing to me. Does the part remain horizontal or does it attach vertically or at an angle?

As you may gather, I'm rather an amateur at building models. Any pointers would be appreciated.

Rich

Thanks G

I wanted to attach a photo but can't find how to do that from the reply menu.

Rich

Thanks Mike!

rhudson62

Hey wbill76

I recently bought this kit myself. Though I'm not a big fan of Dragon kits, I like this one. One of the reasons I'm not a big fan is the directions are sometimes a little ambiguous.

As an example, on step 12, the arrow that points to the placement of part P4 (MA19, MA1, MA3 and MA5) is confusing to me. Does the part remain horizontal or does it attach vertically or at an angle?

As you may gather, I'm rather an amateur at building models. Any pointers would be appreciated.

Rich

Rich, as Wayne points out, the DML instructions are notorious for their often confusing qualities! To answer your question, part P4 (or the PE equivalents MA19, MA1, MA3, MA5) are the side air intake vent covers. This means they can be positioned either closed (up against the vent) or open (flat on the fender). If you look at the diagram in Step 21, you'll see an example of the covers lying flat on the fender as a visual reference. You may also note in that diagram the presence of little half-wing-nuts that would hold the flaps down when they weren't closed. Those parts are available on the A sprue as part A58 but the instructions never tell you about them as a call-out by part number, they just magically "appear" in that final step diagram as being in place. HTH!

Thank you sir!

Cheers

I juast got mine from Sprue Bros for $30!!!  I must say I was impressed with what was in the box, especially the turret moldings and interior detail...it was also cool how they packed the turret pieces...

One question though...looking at the chassis it seems that the turret traversing motor muffler is missing. They stopped putting the motor in starting with the Mk IVJ chassis, which this appears to be (or at least you have the option of using the proper idler wheel and return rollers for a J)...

My question is this: Was the turret manually traversed on this thing?  And if so, how?  And if so, there would be no way, IMO, it could properly track an a/c...

Good to see you working on the Wirbelwind.  It is really looking good especially with AM zimm.  Can't wait to use mine as I have two but they are from Cavalier for StuG and Brummbar. 

You probably have seen that I am starting up Panzer III GB.  I understand you are not into GB thing but we would love to have your support since I recall Panzer III is one of your favorites. 

Looking forward to your next update...

The progress you are making might be slow in your eyes but the results look great as usual

I am so curious how you will find the FlaK Fierling.
This is the replacement part I got from Griffon for the Trumpeter FF, the kit supplied parts are OK at first glance but lack definition and are out of scale.
The Dragon single barrel FlaK 38 look OK for scale but also lacks definition IMO.



Thank you for sharing your progress pictures Bill

As always

Boarder

Manny, the design of the Wirbelwind turret connected the traverse mechanism to that of the Flakvierling gunner's traverse controls with the same tooth/gearing ratio. There wasn't a secondary motor or set of controls used and the auxiliary motor and exhaust were removed from the original G and H hulls as a consequence. The hull is an H hull (even though there are J-related parts included, they are just extras from the DML molding process), a few J hulls were also used for Wirbelwinds but only a handful and those were produced later in the war as you might expect.

Andy, thanks for the comments and hope your Pz III GB is a success! The Pz III is right up there along with the 38t family in terms of all-time favs for me and with the latest kits being put out by DML, almost all the Ausfs are available in modern kit-form. You're right that I'm not into GBs but I support the concept and effort that others put into them whenever I can.

Boarder, thanks for the support and encouragement. The Griffon barrels have slightly better detail than the RB barrels since the Griffons have the barrel changing grips Once painted you would have to do some very careful dry-brushing to bring that out but otherwise they are pretty close to the ones I will be using.

I've come down with a case of pink-eye (courtesy of my wife who works at an elementary school aka germ factory!) so may be out of commission for a bit but will get back to this one as soon as I can.  

wbill76

Manny, the design of the Wirbelwind turret connected the traverse mechanism to that of the Flakvierling gunner's traverse controls with the same tooth/gearing ratio. There wasn't a secondary motor or set of controls used and the auxiliary motor and exhaust were removed from the original G and H hulls as a consequence. The hull is an H hull (even though there are J-related parts included, they are just extras from the DML molding process), a few J hulls were also used for Wirbelwinds but only a handful and those were produced later in the war as you might expect.

Completely manual, no power used in the traverse. Just one guy cranking away on the hand wheel. . Surprisingly enough, field reports said it was quite effective. The Flakvierling could throw out a huge amount of ammo in a very short space of time and was primarily designed as a defense against low-flying aircraft anyhow, so it wouldn't have to track with pin-point accuracy to score a hit. The whole reason the Wirbelwind came into existence was due to complaints about how much time it took the Mobelwagen Flakpanzers to get into action when under attack for example.

wbill76

The Griffon barrels have slightly better detail than the RB barrels since the Griffons have the barrel changing grips Once painted you would have to do some very careful dry-brushing to bring that out but otherwise they are pretty close to the ones I will be using.

By the way, I was really impressed with the care that Dragon put in packaging the turret parts---what did you think, Bill? 

I was equally impressed with the innovation they showed in not only molding the scale-thickness of those parts but also in the packaging to insure they didn't get damaged or warped. They way they molded it with the weld lines and as a two-halves assembly was a neat way to solve the multiple problems of recreating it accurately IMHO.

wBill:  Your remark here on a G hull with zimm on its crew hatches got me to thinking...  Wow! And here I'd thought : "Zimmerit on the hull roof and crew hatches of a Pz.IV - G - hull Wirbelwind? No way!"

And so I looked at every last Pz.IV pic I have with zimm in it!  I DID find a couple showing zimm on crew hatches of a later H. But zimm on a G? No luck in my search. THAT would have to be a rare beast indeed, I should think!  Unless I have things really confused (always a possibility ... I am far too old to know much, anymore!) - I think Pz.IV - G ended production June 1943 - well before zimmerit was ordered for standard factory-application (Dec, 1943).  Which would mean that a G hull which had any zimmerit on it would have most likely been a field-application - or maybe zimmed during a major re-build / re-furbishment job (at Nibelungenwerk or other refurb depot?)?  IF it were a field job, of course anything might go - even zimm on the hull roof and crew hatches.

As you pointed out, Wirbelwinds were themselves a re-furbishment of recovered or used tanks, and so it is reasonable to find that some had zimm while others didn't. I would be mighty interested in seeing that Wirbelwind pic showing zimm on the top of a G hull, it you would be so very kind as to share it!  It could certes provide a provenience for doing-up the new G-based kit Dragon has released!

Bob

Bob,

Photo posted for discussion purposes only. As with many things in German WW2 armor, very difficult to say "always" and "never". The give-away on this being a G is the add-on armor on the hull superstrcuture front plate. As you can see, there's clearly zim on the crew hatches as well as the rest of the hull.

There's a great article in the newest MMiR on this kit along w/ a build blog...the reviewer notes that most of these were based on G and H hulls, with a few on J hulls...Seems that the kit I received (and he builds) has provisions only for the J-style return rollers...he remedied his situation by robbing rubber-type returns from his Dragon Mk IV G kit and scratching some frontal bolt-on armor to replicate an "early" Wirbel...

Steel return rollers were introduced in the H production run and are not a uniquely J feature, (and the DML kit includes accurate options for 2 different styles of rollers), so those supplied in the kit are accurate for an H hull depending on the timeframe the hull was produced. Having said that, the vast majority of pics of Wirbelwinds show them with rubber return rollers and not the steel type, so a swap out  would be inline with what was commonly seen unless replicating a specific vehicle that had the steel rollers. Interestingly enough, all of the vehicles that DML chose to depict in the markings schemes had the rubber wheels and not steel as near as I can tell from availalbe photos for those particular Wirbelwinds. It is however accurate to model a "generic" H hulled Wirbelwind with zim with steel rollers if you so desire, so DML's not wrong in their choice per se.

What changed from the H to the J was the reduction of rollers from 4 to 3. As with many things in the life cycle of the Pz IV hull production, this is not something that is neat and tidy in terms of cut-off from one Ausf to the next.

wbill76

 

 

Hi, Bill I'm delighted that you posted the above pic's. As I was fiddling through the kit and studying the instructions it was the location of the inner mounting assembly, well i thought the instructions were slightly obscure, (bet you heard that before).

Well  the progress might be slow but the discussion with regards to Ausf's used and technical points is very interesting and an enjoyable read.

Looking forward to seeing you progress and the healthy discussion progressing. As I did mention the vehicle is far from any favourite of mine but alas, I'm finding a new fondness for it.

Regards,

Terry.

Thanks terry, glad the pics are a help along with the other info on the Pz IV family. The fact that the Wirbelwind is growing on you is also a positive sign!

Today's efforts proved just how delusional I was last week when I thought I could get the upper hull done along with everything else accomplished in a single day! I spent the full day working on this area and after some careful study decided the best way to go was to assemble the superstructure first and then add the zim panels.

That meant doing things a bit differently from the instruction order and involved combinations of working through Steps 8 and 11 to get to the desired end result. The Atak set includes a resin replacement for the superstructure front plate and is a dead ringer for the kit part. I took a short-cut with the hull MG since I wasn't intending on displaying the hatches open...instead of doing the full 7 part sub-assembly called for, all that is needed is the actual barrel part j28 which was inserted into the ball mount part G32 and secured in place with the exterior armored cover part E14. The MG is still movable which will come in handy for detail painting later on. I also installed the armored glass insert and used some poster blue-tack putty to mask it off.

Both of the side panels were added using regular glue and a combination of finger pressure to get a good fit followed by careful application of liquid glue along the top edges where DML had molded some excellent weld detail to insure a seamless edge. The front plate was added using CA gel after test fits to make sure everything stayed square.

A small detail worth noting at this point in relation to the superstructure, there are several faintly molded-on locater lines for the schursen mount tabs that would ordinarily be found on a standard IV-H hull and these needed to be carefully removed however the instructions make no mention of these at all. In some of the later step diagrams, you can see these small tabs in place as a "legacy" from the diagrams used in the IV-H kit but they are nowhere to be found on the sprues. Since I'm applying zim, the holes on the superstructure side plates where these would mount are already getting covered up, but if you aren't doing a zimmed vehicle, they would have to be filled with putty. You can see the small tab holes on the rear engine deck that had to be filled as a case-in-point for reference.

Then it was time to zim! The resin panels were added using a combination of Gator Grip glue and liquid glue to tack down the edges and this of course added to the assembly time because there are so many panels to add. The Atak set includes resin replacement parts for the armored ventilation cover on the driver's side as well as replacement crew hatches with zim. These were glued in place with CA gel to avoid them coming loose in handling during later stages.

I also applied the zim to the rear deck plate and installed it to the superstructure. The Atak zim panel didn't include holes for the three spare track link holders commonly seen here so I opened those up carefully using a pin vise and drill bit. The air intakes were also added to the superstructure to round things out prior to installation.

Installing the superstructure to the lower hull is a tight fit and I'm glad I left the front bracing arms loose on the hull insert part D24 as having just that little bit of flexibility was enormously helpful. Overall the fit was good with the lower hull but some help was needed with a couple of rubber bands and finger pressure to get a good join particularly at the rear hull.

Once the join had set, the bands came off and the engine deck hatches were added. These were almost a friction fit and only a small amount of liquid glue was needed to secure them in place. I also added the rear antenna mount called for in Step 12 as I wanted to be sure it wouldn't require any more zim surgery and it fit perfectly. I was going to use the base part from the kit-supplied antenna part E19 but the carpet monster claimed it so I had to go to the backup plan and use the base of part K2 which was marked as not for use. The antenna portion was cut off and the top drilled out with a #76 finger drill in anticipation of mounting a brass 2m antenna later on.

Next up will be a little work on installing some of the fender gear and then it will be on to the Flakvierling and the turret.