Tamiya 1:35 Panzer IV build

[mrtintheweb]

I'm putting in the completed section now as it is 'finished' but it still needs weathering. I've added some basic weathering to wheels, exhaust, gun barrels etc. but the meaty stuff still needs doing. I'm waiting on supplies from eBay as my stocks are low and I'd rather wait to do it properly. I also need to redo the commanders face (what I have makes him look jaundice) as my flesh paint wasn't put away properly by one of my kids and dried out (I was almost out anyway).
There are a few custom pieces on this born out of errors due to unclear instructions (their way of presenting the 3 optional variants was terrible and unclear). These are the drivers viewing port, not having the driver and loader visible, adding the tow cable with mounting hooks to one side, and the most stupid thing of glueing a piece in the wrong place that was too well glued and delicate to move. In its place I added the antenna and antenna bracket.
T

[Guest]

There are a few custom pieces on this born out of errors due to unclear instructions (their way of presenting the 3 optional variants was terrible and unclear).

I’ve just been looking at the instructions (available on Scalemates), and I wouldn’t call them “terrible” though I agree they could be clearer. They seem to suffer mostly from poor English (and equally poor German) phrasing.

In any case, nobody who hasn’t built the kit as well is going to know from looking at your model

[mrtintheweb]

Thanks Jakob.
The other weird one is about 10 parts labelled as “unnecessary” which is odd. I think they are there if adding an r/c motor and batteries?
Despite the ‘errors’ I’m happy with it. It’s only my 5th build since lockdown and there was a 25 year gap between then and the last kit I did.

[Guest]

Thanks Jakob.

Who?

The other weird one is about 10 parts labelled as “unnecessary” which is odd. I think they are there if adding an r/c motor and batteries?

It looks like it. There are two sets of final drive housings, for example, one of them with a large slot — that would be to accommodate a steel axle for the drive sprockets, that you don’t need (or even want) for a static model.

It’s only my 5th build since lockdown and there was a 25 year gap between then and the last kit I did.

TBH, I would suggest going for a slightly more modern kit next time Though these old Tamiya kits fit well enough, if you buy one that came out in the last 20 years or so instead of the last 50, you’ll end up with a much better model.

[spanner570]

Toby, No negatives from me, just deserved encouragement. Personally I think after such a long model making gap, your model looks great.

Always remember, it's a learning curve until we all go 'Toes Up'. Anyone who thinks differently, avoid!

Well done, and here's to your next build.

Ron

[mrtintheweb]

Sorry Jakko. My iPad autocorrect decided it knew better lol.
How do I know what kits are new or old. I just went to the tank museum website and looked at what was on offer. I use them to support the place. Maybe I will do a bit more research before the next one unless people have some suggestions. I'd like to stay under £30 per kit though if possible and keep to 1:35 kits.
I'd really like to do a British WW2 tank (European campaign) but not a Sherman variant as I know my wife has me the Italeri Fury kit for fathers' day.
Thanks for the positive vibes Ron

[Steve Jones]

Scalemates is a good site. If you put the details of the kit into the search engine, they come up with a timeline of how old the kit is and any updates it has received. See HERE

[Steve Jones]

Scalemates is a good site. If you put the details of the kit into the search engine, they come up with a timeline of how old the kit is and any updates it has received. See HERE

[Steve Jones]

Oops! My advice was that good the system posted it twice :tears-of-joy: :smiling5: :smiling2: :smiling2:

[Guest]

Sorry Jakko. My iPad autocorrect decided it knew better lol.

I’ve had people call me that in real life too, when they misheard (and weren’t used to Dutch names) so no worries

How do I know what kits are new or old.

With Tamiya it’s fairly easy: look at the stock number. The higher it is, the newer — and anything below 35150 or so is decades old at this point and really not up to modern standards anymore, especially if the third digit is a 0. With other manufacturers it may not be so easy to tell, so Steve’s suggestion of Scalemates is generally your best option.

I'd like to stay under £30 per kit though if possible and keep to 1:35 kits.
I'd really like to do a British WW2 tank (European campaign) but not a Sherman variant

That kind of limits your choices, I think. The principal British tanks of the North-Western Europe campaign were the Sherman, Cromwell and Churchill.

Tamiya makes a 1:35 scale Cromwell, and though it’s a very good kit, I suspect it’ll cost more than £30. [ICODE]/me checks before continuing[/ICODE] Oh, John sells it for £26.99. You could also go for a variant of it, the Royal Marines Centaur CS (Close Support) with 95 mm gun. Same kit, with just a few changed parts. Most people build that one because they like the look of the turret numbers, I think

Tamiya also has a Churchill Mk. VII, and though it’s a decent kit, it’s a bit long in the tooth — but easy to build. Much better Churchill kits are the ones by AFV Club, but they’re also much more complicated to build, with many more separate and fine parts than the Tamiya offering. They’re probably also more expensive. I know which one I’d pick, but as a less-experienced modeller the Tamiya kit is probably your better choice.

as I know my wife has me the Italeri Fury kit for fathers' day.

That’s not a British one In any case, with Shermans (and also M113s), the thing is that you can build them for the rest of your life and not make the exact same variant twice. As an extreme example: the tank from Fury is a very late M4A2 with 76 mm gun and HVSS (horizontal volute spring suspension); if you were to also build an early M4A1 and put the two side by side, people who don’t know much about tanks might not even realise they’re both Shermans. Compare:

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[Jim R]

Hi Toby
Looks fine to me. As Ron says we are always learning. All part of the fun.
Jim

[mrtintheweb]

Thanks Jakko. I know my tanks pretty well and appreciate there were 100+ variations from 1941 to the mid sixties. I do like the idea of doing one of the “funnies” though, so a Sherman flail May be on the radar. Always wanted a Crab.
T

[Guest]

Take my advice and do not start on a Crab yet if you’ve only built a couple of kits straight from the box in recent times … Get some more experience under your belt, including with simpler conversions, before starting on one.

Your only options for it in 1:35 scale are a Resicast conversion, a Legends conversion, an out-of-production Verlinden conversion, and scratchbuilding. The Verlinden kit is typical Verlinden quality, by accounts: well-cast but not overly accurate. The Legends one … well, the only one I’ve seen pictures of had parts curved like bananas. The Resicast kit is well-made but not the easiest to put together (I’m linking to partway down the thread, where the actual exterior Crab work starts). Scratchbuilding … well, you’d be braver than I am

[mrtintheweb]

Trust me! I will not be doing it from scratch. Maybe a bridging unit or something like a Churchill AVRO which seems more accessible.

[Guest]

Churchill AVRE is simple: just buy an AFV Club kit You even get the choice of Mk. III, Mk. IV, with fascine cradle, with carpet laying apparatus etc. depending on which one you go for. I built a Mk. IV and found it an excellent kit, but like I said above, these are rather more involved to build than the Tamiya Churchill Mk. VII or Crocodile. Of course, you get a better model for the effort, so it’s a bit of a trade-off