DML #6540 Flakpanzer IV Wirbelwind COMPLETE Pics p.17

Whoa!  Whoa!  Whoa!  Tomorrow is your birthday?  Do they know about your birthday wish that you only want to build a model all day without being disturbed except for the birthday cake and opening presents part?   Have a great day buddy.

                                                    Happy b-day Bill       

Thanks guys, appreciate the birthday wishes!

Some good progress this weekend, work continued on the lower hull with Step 2. This step deals with the rear hull plate and calls for the mount holes for the standard turret traverse motor exhaust to be filled with putty and the two retaining strap bolts removed. I didn't bother filling the holes since I'm applying the Atak zimmerit but the bolts were easily removed with a sharp #11 blade. The rear plate received the blanking plate for the exhaust pipe exit and the Atak zim strips were added using Gator Grip glue and strategic amounts of liquid glue applied around the strip edges to insure they tacked town cleanly. I also assembled and installed the rear towing apparatus and based on previous build experience with DML Pz IV family kits, I installed the crank starter port (parts H25 & H24) that aren't called for until Step 5 as it's easier to add them now vs waiting until later.

Step 3 calls for the rear plate to be added to the hull tub along with the nose plate. The rear plate installs easily without any issues, just some finger pressure required at the edges to get a good join. Also be sure to remove the large stubs on the top edge of the hull tub at this point as the instructions don't indicate this is needed and they will interfere with the fit of the fenders later on.

The nose plate has a sub-assembly involving the front tow pintles. I've found that it's easier to install the base plate for these, part A27, directly to the nose plate and then add the angled hook parts A33/A32 after it has set vs assembling the tow pintles off the vehicle and installing as a single part. It's also easier if you add the tow pin A30 to the angled hook parts before you glue them in place on A27 since the pin fits very tight and can break easily if you're not careful. Once the tow pintles were mounted, the Atak zim panels were added to round things out.

Step 4 starts work on the suspension elements but before tackling that, the Atak zim was installed for the lower hull spaces on both sides. The panels fit well and just needed a small amount of trimming around the bump stop mounts and the return roller mounts here and there to sit down properly. Once the panels were dry, I added the final drive housings along with the suspension bases and rear tow hooks. The suspension bases are "keyed" to avoid accidentally installing them on the wrong side, a nice touch IMHO. The bump stops were a two-part assembly and I elected to install the frames for the stops directly to the hull and then added the rubber bumpers vs. trying to assemble them together and then installing.

Work will continue on the lower hull and suspension as there are still several more steps to go for this portion of the build.

Looking good. I am going to start the old Academy wirbelwind soon, so I will be picking up some tips from your build.

Is that Gator Grip glue the one that says "Acrylic Hobby Glue"? And does it work on PE? I don't really like using super glue of PE, it sets way to fast.

Bill, where did you find the Atak zimm?? I've been looking for it for awhile and can't find it anywhere. I've been itching to start my Wirbelwind...

Erik

Bill the zimm looks great, I have seen these sets and they are well worth every penny, super thin. The progress is looking great so far and I'm looking forward to seeing you progress with the build.

Terry.

wildman, yep, Gator Grip is the acylic glue and yes it works well with PE. I use it all the time for just the reason you cite about CA.

Geist, I get all my Atak stuff from Jadar Hobby in Poland. http://www.jadarhobby.pl/index.php?language=en . I usually try to wait until I have a need for multiple items before placing an order as the shipping can be a bit pricey depending but they always have a good stock since Atak is also a Polish company. HTH!

Terry, thanks for the comments and have to agree with you about the Atak stuff. It's my preferred method for applying zim and worth every penny IMHO.

Hey Bill,

Happy belated Birthday old chum

Looking nice, very nice!

I must try some of that ATAK Zim that you use so often. I find that moulded Zim like on Dragon kits is no where near deep enough and is far too uniform and unrealistic. The ATAK stuff you use looks great.

I have a UK supplier so obtaining it is no issue so I must do a WIP that utilises ATAK Zim later on this year!

Keep us posted buddy!

ATVB

Ben

Thanks Ben! Definitely should give the Atak stuff a try when your next project calls for it. Just make sure you get the right set as many are designed as kit-specific in terms of dimensions and included additional resin parts (usually direct recasts of the kit parts but with the zim pattern added) for complex/difficult surfaces. Each set will typically run about $30 or so depending on your supplier's prices.

Thanks for the tip Bill. Could one get away with using standard Panzer IV H zimm instead of the Wirbelwind labeled Atak set??

Erik

Erik,

It's highly likely you could do that I think...I have both sets and the main difference between them is of course that the IV H set includes zim and resin parts for portions of the turret that you wouldn't use. The Wirbelwind set also includes hull roof zim and replacement resin crew hatches for the driver and hull radio op/gunner that aren't in the IV H set. If you just want to do a generic H-hull based Wirbelwind, you should be fine IMHO. HTH!

Well old buddy sorry I missed such an important event as your Birthday. Better late than never so Happy Birthday

Gator Grip is good stuff,I even put it on my corn flakes,sticks to your ribs.

The parties over,get back to work.

Tony lee

happy belated Birthday Bill

That is coming on nicely isee Bill I like the Zim ,i have used thier zimm and really like it.

I wouldnt want to build that vehicle once let alone twice. They must rock your boat.

Dang, turn around and you're a year older.....

Belated condolences......    

Tony, Andy, and Steve, thank you kindly! It was my 35th birthday so it's all "down hill" from here I guess!

Sorry for missing your birthday.

I do wonder why the Germans would waste their time on zimming a vehicle that more or less wouldn't get near enemy infantry, at least in theory.

Thanks Eric! Have to remember that the only reason the Wirbelwinds had zim was because the "parent" hulls used already had it. They didn't receive zim coats as part of their assembly/production so you will see some Wirbelwinds with and some without zim as a result.

Mr. Bill,
May I wish you a happy late birthday?
The build is looking good, the ATAK is convincing.
I noticed you use the same supplier as I for the AM barrels.
My set is Griffon but quality looks the same...really curious about how the Dragon gun builds up.

Thank you for sharing your research and this build log :)

As always
Boarder

Thanks Boarder! Glad to have you along for the ride.

My bench time is somewhat limited at the moment due to the addition of a new member to our family in the form of a 4 month old boxer puppy named "Brenda". Needless to say, I'm not getting as much sleep and the house-breaking exercises are in full swing.

Bill, my friend, you really named the dog 'Brenda'?  Oh, you had to let your wife name her?  If she has allowed you, she would have been given a name like 'Panther'.  No, 'Tiger' would be perfect.  There is always next time... congrats with the new addition to your family.  Having a pet is one of few great things to have beside a wife and kids. 

Actually Brenda was my choice. One look at her and I'm sure you'll figure out why.

Cute puppy!  Now go and work on your Wirbelwind while she is sleeping...

wbill76

Tony, Andy, and Steve, thank you kindly! It was my 35th birthday so it's all "down hill" from here I guess!

And, naahh--wait til you're 45 and you wish people would STOP remembering your birthdays,lol.

The model's looking great, Glad to see a little battle damage there in the rear. Chip some more of that stuff on the front, would ya?--it keeps you young, lol.

Sorry Andy, between Brenda, the yard needing to be mowed and fertilized, having to take care of things around the house including filling the fish tanks, and training my wife on how to handle Brenda while I'm away this week on business, I had no time for the Wirbelwind.

Hey Karl! Nice to hear from you and thanks for the comments and b-day wishes. No battle damage on the rear...what you're seeing there are the surfaces that weren't zimmed because of where the mufflers and other elements mount to the rear plate in later steps.

   Bill, I've got a question, When you begin to paint the wheels I see you take them off the sprue tree before painting, is it easier that way and how do you paint the rubber on the wheels? Do you mask and airbrush? Or do you hand paint? Pros vs cons? I'm still finding my way around modeling after a ten to twelve year break. I appreciate it.

  T(h)anks a lot.

Scott

PS awesome job!!

the doog

 

 

And, naahh--wait til you're 45 and you wish people would STOP remembering your birthdays,lol.

Yeah, I've noticed that there's a lot'a modelers here born in April.......

Chazzer, thanks for the comments and as for your question on the road wheels, I can only speak to my preferred method. I remove the road wheel halves, clean them up, and then will paint them separately by airbrush using wooden toothpicks with small blobs of blue poster putty to hold them on. When I have rubber rimmed wheels, I apply a primer coat of MM enamel Italian Dark Brown and then airbrush the rubber portion free hand using MM enamel Gunmetal. The hubs are then painted hull color using a draftsman's circle template to mask the already painted rubber portions. You can check out the build logs on my site (link in my sig below) to see a more detailed description if you like. HTH!

Steve, it probably has to do with the time of year 9 months prior to April! FWIW, I was born in March but was nearly 2 months pre-mature so I really should have had a b-day in May if things had gone according to "normal".

Almost three weeks... no update.  Looks like you have been busy teaching Brenda all of the new words 'Panzer", 'Tiger', and 'Panther' for the sit, lay and roll trick.  Raising a puppy is not an easy task...

the doog

wbill76:

Tony, Andy, and Steve, thank you kindly! It was my 35th birthday so it's all "down hill" from here I guess!

 

Happy Birthday, Bill! You're entering the best years of your life! Geez, you sure know a lot about Armor for being only 35!?!

And, naahh--wait til you're 45 and you wish people would STOP remembering your birthdays,lol.

The model's looking great, Glad to see a little battle damage there in the rear. Chip some more of that stuff on the front, would ya?--it keeps you young, lol.

Gee Karl I'm only 34 and that was 15 days ago on the 5th. But Bills Whirl Wind does scream out for AM barrels though.

Andy,

Yes, Brenda's training is progressing nicely...but between her and travel for work, haven't had any bench time but should get back to this one soon.

Mikey,

Happy Belated Birthday! Never fear, AM barrels are in the cards for this one.