Tamiya Pz IV Ausf. D - FINALLY COMPLETE!

Hey I'm finally back with another update!  I had to slow things down because I'm back to working 6 days a week, 10-12 hrs a day .  Though slow, progress was made on the kit over the last two weeks, focusing solely on the tracks:

As I mentioned earlier, the kit's vinyl tracks are inappropriate for an Ausf.D.  These represent the 40cm wide tracks with the sold guide horn and chevron pattern ice cleats that weren't used until the Ausf.H, mid to late production IIRC.  It makes sense why Tamiya did this as their old Ausf.H has the same tracks.  The Ausf.D tracks should actually be 36cm wide with hollow guide horns and smooth track faces.

Digging around my stash I found some old Model Kasten indy links that I thought might work as a replacement.  Here's a comparison photo of the kit tracks and the sprue with various Pz. III/IV track links.  Included are the same mid/late Ausf. H links, Ausf, H early 40cm links without the ice cleats and 36cm links that are correct for Ausf.Ds.

But the kit sprockets will not work for the 36cm links as the sprockets are waaay too wide!  Scrounging around a Dragon Ausf.D Vorpanzer kit I found that it has an extra set of sprockets (??) so I put one together and compared it to the kit sprocket....big difference!

Checked the Dragon sprocket with the MK 36cm links:

Looks like I had a winner!!   UNTIL......I counted the MK 36cm links and realized that there are only about 100 links included with the set!!  HUH??  Pz IVs usually had 90-100 links PER SIDE!!  DOH!!   So the MK links were ruled out along with the Dragon sprocket!

Back to square one!  I decided to take a look at that entire set of leftover Dragon Ausf.G Magic Tracks that I used a few for the spares; there are easily enough links for both sides.  Here's a look at the links (taped to a piece of wood) compared to the kit tracks:

They're the same width as the kit tracks, but the holes for the sprocket teeth look too small...I'll probably have to modify the sprocket a bit.  They have the hollow guide horns, which are a plus.  And the raised cleat can be sanded down to make it look more like the 36cm links!  OK, NOT perfect, but I think they'll work pretty good in improving the look of the kit. 

First step:  Sanding down the raised cleats.  To do this I laid some double sided tape onto a wood jig I used for T-34 tracks and arranged 10-12 links cleat side up and used a medium grit sanding stick to sand down the cleats.

And after they're done, cleaned up and compared to a MK 36cm link.

Here's the modification I had to make on the kit sprockets.  I had to thin out about 10 rows of teeth so that the Dragon Links would fit.

A few links dryfitted onto the modified sprocket and compared to the vinyl tracks.  I think its a big improvement!  Not only will the track faces look more appropriate, they hollow guide horns are more accurate and I can put some sag on the track runs which I would have a hard time doing with the vinyl tracks!

With my limited bench time, modifying 200 links and the sprockets took an entire week.  When ready I used the "doog method" of installing the indy links.  For each run I layed down 102 links onto a stretch of double sided tape with a metal ruler to keep the run straight.  Then I brushed on Testors liquid cement for the entire run, let it sit for an hour and then gently removed the track run from the tape and wrapped the still pliant track run around the suspension.  Balls of tissue paper held the upper run in place and helped form the sag. 

Here's how she looks now with the tracks finally done and installed (to be removed before painting)

Yeehaw!  Assembly done and now on to the paint booth!

Geez, great work there Ernest. Nice save on the tracks.

lot of effort going into this,looks good.

Hey, that "doog method" looks pretty keen there, Ernest,..lol. I'm impressed with the time and research you've pit into the tracks, Ernest. That's something that honestly, I wouldn't have even known or thought about.

Very nice work, Ernest.  Very persistent,... I think that I would have just bailed out, opened the wallet and purchased a set of Friul ATL-02. 

Don

Ernest, very dedicated work on this one, particularly the tracks.

Are they still somewhat pliable after the glue is set?   I'm assuming both idler and sprocket are just in position for now, so you call remove the tracks for painting, but what about the guide horns in between the road wheels and behind the return rollers?

regards,

Jack

Nice job on the track adjustments/modifications Ernest! Will definitely up the accuracy level to go with the rest of the detail you're putting into this one.

It is coming along nicely!  Can't wait to see her get a coat of paint on!

Brian

Eric - thanks buddy!  Those tracks turned out to be more of a pain that I anticipated! 

Tojo - I'm glad you like it so far!  Thanks for stopping by and checking it out!

Karl - Yesiree, you taught me that track technique some years ago!  Actually I had a problem that perhaps you could shed some light on:  For the first time with this technique the Testors liquid cement didn't "bite" very well and several sections broke loose on the first track run.  At first I thought I just didn't apply enough cement and on the second run I was quite liberal with the cement and could definitely see the cement running down between the links, but the same thing happened with the second run.  I had to use Tenax liquid cement between most of the links and Tamiya Extra Thin on the sections with sag.  Everything turned out fine in the end, but I was quite surprised that I had to do this.  Never had that problem before and I've used your technique (and the same bottle of cement) several times.  Could the cement be getting "old"?  Is there something different about Dragon's Magic Tracks that requires a different cement?  Just curious.  I love your track technique and will continue to use it!

Don - LOL!!  I thought the same thing, but frugality won out!  (is frugality a word? )

Jack - Thanks for the comments!  Yes, the tracks still remain pliable for at least an hour (probably more) after being removed from the tape because Testors liquid cement dries quite slowly.  All the suspension components are removable (Tamiya poly caps!) and each track run is just taped together at one end under one of the roadwheels.  Although now dry, the track runs still remain flexible enough to lift up to install the return rollers when the time comes.

Bill - Always a pleasure to hear from you, the Master of the Armor Forum Blog! 

Brian - You and me both!  I'm itching to try out a couple new painting techniques on this one!  

Well, I'd like to post a painting update, but I haven't had a chance to get the AB out with all the extra time I'm putting in at work (I'm actually at work typing this up!).  Looks like the earliest I'll get some paint on is Sunday. 

Have a great weekend all!!

Awesome build Ernest,  Loved the OOB build....lol   Does anybody really build em straight from the box anymore?   anyway  awesome work, loved the pics and Thanks for the few tips I picked up along the way. Every time I see someone doing a build like this I want to pull something out of the stash and build it....no wonder I have so many "started" kits. Excellent work,   Dave

bufflehead

 

Don - ... but frugality won out!  (is frugality a word? )

 

You betcha!!  And you even used it correctly as a noun.     Now if you had said that you were practicing frugalism, .... then all bets are off. 

Don

Ernest,

Hmmm, I can't say I could say for sure what might've been the problem you had there with the cement? Did you press the links together after gluing them? I usually use a straight-edge ruler to press them all down into each other, and the let them sit. for a while to bond. I"m pretty liberal with how much glue I use.

The only thing that I can think of is that maybe the new "Magic" tracks indeed are of a different plastic type? I will let you knwo if I encounter any problems in the next build where I use them.

Talk about an EYE for detail and an "EE" for EXTRA EFFORT! My hat off to you!

Hey Dave, thanks for taking a look at my onceuponatime OOB build!  Yeah, with the detail and accuracy of newer kits, its hard to build an older kit straight OOB!  I'm very glad you found something useful from the blog!

Karl, to be honest I didn't really push the first set of links against each other very much, just used a ruler to push them down against the flat surface, but I did push them on the second set and had much less problems.  However I also used Tenax and Tamiya cement to help create a better bond....not sure which helped more, the cement or the snugging of the links?  I've got another set of Magic Tracks I'll be using soon, so I'll see if the Testors still works with a little "snuggling"!

Ibuild, thanks for your kind words!  The 'extra effort' was NOT what I intended when I started building it, but you know how these builds take on a life of its own! 

I don't have much of an update on this post.  Today was my only day off work so I was super busy with chores and stuff.  I managed to get some primer on and shoot it with a basecoat of Tamiya Acrylics:  60% Panzer Grey, 40% Light Grey, 10% Medium Blue.  Normally I just use straight Panzer Grey, but I wanted to try a lighter basecoat to start off...all the washes and filters have a tendency to darken the basecoat.

Primer:

Basecoat.  Removed the tracks, idler and return rollers and sprayed separately.

I forgot to set my white balance on this pic so it looks a bit lighter than it really is.  Hopefully tomorrow I can start with some shading and highlighting! 

Always good to see the gray make an appearance Ernest, any progress is good progress!

Has it really been almost a month since my last update??    I guess that's what happens when you get sidetracked and when work takes over your life.

Right after Thanksgiving I stopped working on the Pz. IV to do a quick 48 hr build for stikpusher's Weekend Madness GB, which was a lot of fun!  But since then I've been making very slow progress with the old Tamiya kit.  Working 6 days a week, 12 hrs a day sure takes its toll, but I'm finally coming down the home stretch.

I tried to do some color modulation with the panzer grey base coat, but it looks like I still need some practice with the technique.  After that I painted the details with Vallejo acrylics and painted the wood with oil paints.  A few thin coats of Future to get a nice gloss base for decals and washes was applied next.  I used decals from a Dragon Pz.IV Ausf.C kit.  The turret numbers required 3 applications of Solvaset to get them to snug down over the details.  Unfortunately the Solvaset puckered the paint around the number and when I tried to gently sand the blemish I went down to the primer, so I decided to wait until the flat coat was applied until I tried to correct it.  I used two washes: first was an overall applicaton of ProModeler's Dark Mud wash, which is water based.  I followed this with a detail pin wash of MIG Enamel Dark Wash.  Finally I gave it a few light coats of Vallejo Model Air Matte Varnish to seal it up and eliminate the gloss.

Instead of several individual photos I put them all together in one pic, with some text to help explain what I did.  I apologize for the changes in background colors and lighting.  I've been experimenting with different backgrounds, lighting and camera settings to get better pictures.  I've pretty much got everything figured out...I think!!

The roadwheels, sprockets, Idlers and return rollers were treated the same as the hull and turret. 

The tracks were first painted a black/brown color with Tamiya acrylics and then given an overspray of Tamiya Dark Earth (enamel) from a spray can.  I think I'll give them a very dark wash next and see if they'll be read for weathering.

I'm hoping to complete this one by year's end!

That's looking great. And I like the idea of putting all those pics in one, its a good way to see the process.

Going away from the model a touch, I do like the background in the last two, taking better pics is something I have been trying to work on, and backgrounds is a big part if it.

Agreed, that is looking really good, Ernest, and I like how how you've showed the  transition of the panzer grey colour through that single comparison photo.

Question on the Pro Modeller wash - did you wipe any of it off after it dried?  

regards,

Jack

Thanks Bish!   For years I've been using just poster paper for my background, hence the bright blue and white backgrounds.  Both of these had a tendency to throw off the colors of the models I built, probably because of the high contrast.    I finally invested in a roll of actual photographic background paper in light blue (as recommended for miniatures).  But getting the light blue background color to show up correctly required changing some camera settings:  changing the white balance from "Auto" to "Preset"  for each photo session (which I never used to do) and changing the Metering from "Spot" to "Matrix" did wonders for the whole color balance!  I didn't do that in the second to the last photo, but I think I finally got it right in the last photo!

Jack, yes I wiped off most of the wash from the upper hull and turret, less on the lower hull and even less around the suspension.  The gloss coat made it pretty easy.  I've used the wash on tank models without a gloss coat and found that it noticeably darkened the paint , which I didn't want with this model.  Glad you liked the transition photo and the build!

Before I move on I need to fix this boo-boo on the turret!  Anyone have any advice on the best way to approach this?  I accidentally sanded down to the primer when I tried to remove the blemish caused by the Solvaset.  Should I try to fill the area first BEFORE sanding again or just try to blend primer and paint while sanding.  I've got some pretty fine sandpaper....finer than 2000 grit.  I just don't want to ruin the areas were the markings are.

Not sure how to best fix that turret blemish.  Not just the sanding, but getting the colours and washes laid down without creating an edge with the numbers in close proximity like that, hmmmm....

If it were me, I'd try painting in those two bright spots, and then hope the sanding will blend everything together.

regards,

Jack

Or... you could make it part of the weathering of the vehicle. Paint it to look like a gouge in the armor, maybe?

Moving right along with this one Ernest! The turret gouge is a tricky problem to solve, you could probably get away with a spot touchup and very careful blending back into the rest of the paint then re-weather that area to blend further. Hope you can get this one done in 2013!

Thanks guys!  I followed Jack's and Bill's suggestions and just painted in the gouges with a few coats of gray paint, allowed to totally cure, and then very slowly and gently sanded it smooth with some very fine grit sandpaper.  I don't actually know what grade it was, finer than 2000 grit for sure.  Then I airbrushed the area with matching paint and blended it all together.  When that was all done I noticed another area above that was affected by my earlier heavy-handed sanding, but its only noticeable under bright lights and at a certain angle, so I left well enough alone.

With that done, its time to turn my attention to finalizing the weathering.  Next up: filters, pigments, streaking and rusting (muffler still unpainted).

Nice fix there Ernest! You'd never know it had a problem before.

That looks great, Ernest! I can't see any evidence of a problem there either!  YOu won't even see that under the weathering. :)

Thanks Bill and Karl!  I was a bit worried at first, but its all good now!

Before I start any major weathering I wanted to take care of some stuff first:

1. Fix a couple of boo-boos - knocked off a couple of half-wing nuts and broke one of the lifting hooks on the turret (really...I TRY to be gentle ).  These were easy to replace.

2.  Applied MIG Dark Brown filter to the lower hull and Grey filter to the upper hull and turret.  However, I didn't really like the look after the Grey filter was applied....it lightened the grey, not darkened it like I expected.  I may not use this MIG product again.

3. Painted the main muffler with LifeColor acrylics using their Rust set.  Started with the lightest rust color and applied progressively darker rust colors, all in thin coats to allow the colors underneath to show through.   In the first photo I applied the two lightest colors and then added dots of dark brown to represent the mottling effect of the heated exhaust.  Then I applied the darker rust colors over that.  The spots almost disappear, but you can still see them if you look carefully.  After the acrylic paint was dry I applied a couple of dark washes and then MIG Black Smoke pigment at the exhaust tube.

Because the smaller traverse muffler wasn't used as much I didn't want to rust up the entire muffler.  For this I used MIG Rust pigments.  I reversed the color application process, starting with the darkest rust pigment and ending with the lightest.  The pigments were applied dry and very lightly, building up the colors.  I saturated the pigments with paint thinner to set them and then finalized with the same dark wash I used for the main muffler and Black Smoke pigment for the tube.

I'm going to add just a little bit of chipping before I hit it with an oil dot application.  Then a bit of touch up on the tools, paint the rear lights and dust the whole thing with pigments before I add the wheels and tracks.

Very gooood!

I liked the gray color filters and the rust in the muffler.

Turned better than mine.

Good morning.

Ernest, she's coming along nicely.  Details look great, really impressed with that cover on the gun cleaning rod, looks just like cloth/canvas.  That in progress shot of the spotted muffler would of looked interesting too.

regards,

Jack

She's beautiful. The detailing is outstanding. That rust and soot on the exhaust is gorgeous!

Very cool!  I can honestly say your exhaust is one of the best one's I have seen done yet.

Brian