Jagdpanzer IV L/70 (V), 1:35 DML

[Kuba]

Dear All,

I started this project time ago. Old DML Jagdpanzer IV L/70 kit (Johann Huber boxing). I am trying to correct its shortcomings with some Aber photoetch, own details and aftermarket stuff like new Aber barrel, friul tracks etc.
Few problems I managed to solve myself, with other I still need some research. Unfortunatelly I do not know the subject well so I kindly ask for any help and suggestions.



















This is the progress so far. I have a big dilemma with exhaust covers.
I am completely misled by photographs of museum vehicles, wartime photos and drawings that are inacurate I am afraid.
Please take a look and verify if I caught its shape correctly. I based on some wartime photos of a vehicle with Flammvernichter installed.
The tubes are made of cooper sheet and put into exhaust cover for dry fit only.
I do not know if there were four or three metal mounts inside the tube, fitted to the exhaust pipe. Could you please advice?
The pipe itself will be made of metal pipe and installed inside the tube.

Many thanks for any advice, if you see some incorect details or any mistakes please do not hesitate to point it out. It will be of great value for me.

Best regards,
Kuba

[gibsonfndr]

hi. This is my favorite Panzer !
About the mufflers, each tank at the Saumur tank museum has only three "wings" when drawings by HL Doyle show four ... I'd go for four.
About the road wheels ... are these Tristar wheels ? they look like it ... too narrow ...

[Instructorrob]

Yo Kuba,

can't help you with your question, I'm afraid.
I like the work so far. Nice job on the PE parts and scratched add-ons like the various weld beads. Very subtle work.

Robert

[Kuba]

Laurent, Robert - thank you for your input.

There are also four "wings" in Aber set so I will use them if it will fit. I am still looking for brass or aluminium tube to make a exhaust pipe. What was the width of the original exhaust pipe?

The wheels and suspension is Tristar kit. Are the wheels inacurate? I am a little bit amazed. Please write something more about the problem.
Is it only steel wheel that is to narrow or the standard one too?
Please share with your oppinion.

Many thanks!

cheers,
Kuba

[holmerz]

Hi Kuba

Great work so far, I really like your attention to details, so as the partly weldings on the rear flange, nice detail . I did this kit sometime ago, and I have some reference material, so let me know if you need some information. Regarding the diameter of the exhaust, I'll take a look at my 1:35 scale drawings and let you know.

Whether the Tristar Panzer IV wheels are to narrow, I don't know, but I certantly don't hope so (I'm using on the kit I'm building right now).

\Erik

[gibsonfndr]

Originally Posted by Kuba

Laurent, Robert - thank you for your input.

There are also four "wings" in Aber set so I will use them if it will fit. I am still looking for brass or aluminium tube to make a exhaust pipe. What was the width of the original exhaust pipe?

The wheels and suspension is Tristar kit. Are the wheels inacurate? I am a little bit amazed. Please write something more about the problem.
Is it only steel wheel that is to narrow or the standard one too?
Please share with your oppinion.

Many thanks!

cheers,
Kuba

Yes they are inaccurate as they are too narrow. As you already might know Panzer iVs saw theyr tracks beeing widenened so the rubber tires were widened too on the later versions. What Tristar did is to just take the wheels they made for Pz IV A to Es and claim they're good for any panzer IV type. In fact they're unusable for any later version. Of course nobody will shoot at you if you decide you can live with it. I couldn't. When I built my L/70 a couple of years ago I ended up using Tristar suspension and Tamiya road wheels whic despite they beeing less detailed are of the correct size.
The Möbelwagen at Saumur has got some of his wheels replaced by earlyer narrower wheels and you can tell the difference as seen on this pic mshot by a friend of mine :

Now about the pipe heres a pic you might enjoy :

It gives you an idea of the appropriate diametre of this pipe.

[Kuba]

Many thanks Laurent, now I see the point.
To confirm if I understand the issue - original wheels differed only with width of the rubber tyre, the rim is the same on both early and late design (besides the wheel hub of course)?
As I see the later wheels should have the rim verge less visible, covered with rubber tyre, right?

I am trying to find the solution how can I fix the problem. I do have Tamiya wheels (in IV Ausf. J kit) so I will compare both.
The difference is only 0,5 mm on each wheel but it is in visible place if I understand it properly...

This wheel problem goes together with track problem. I bought a time ago Friul set ATL 28 which is incorrect for the kind of tracks often seen on late Jagdpanzers. Now I have to learn how to live with not precisely chosen tracks or buy Modelkasten set.

Misery loves company


Dear Erik, thank you for your input. As you see, I will have to pay for another aftermaket if I will pay attention to those small details.

Regards,
Kuba

[gibsonfndr]

What's wrong with ATL-28 ?
I have a spare set around somewhere .... correct me if I'm wrong but these are the tracks with the "chevrons" ?
You can see on this pic of a late war Jagdpanzer IV that different links are mixed on the same tank (look at the guide horns, the ones with hollowed horns are "atl28")

Look at this cat :

I have a better pic somewhere ... not sure I'll be able to find it. Stay tuned.
about tracks : here are two Jagdpanzers from the very same unit, pisture shot the same day and look at the tracks :


Not the same.
I usually can be a real pain in people's necks but here I wouldn't throw away my set of ATL-28 ... maynot be the most often seen tracks but far from impossible.

PS : I hope you'll like this one :

[FireflyRK]

Kuba, that is some very nice work you're doing there. ALmost as much metal as a real tank

What is the brown material you are using for weld lines?

[Kuba]

Originally Posted by gibsonfndr

What's wrong with ATL-28 ? ... ATL-28 ... maynot be the most often seen tracks but far from impossible.

Many thanks for info and photographs, I followed the instructions posted on our polish FMR board in this thread

and this type:


I thought was more accurate as I saw it on large number of Jagdpanzers.
If I can use a pattern depicted in ATL 28 - I am more than happy. Mostly because I prefer metal tracks.

Maybe next time with L/70 I will try Modelkasten.
I found a photographs of L/70 abandoned (knocked out?) in March 1945 in Rogow, Poland, Southern Silesia (Rogau, Oberschlessien) about 10 km from Wodzislaw Slaski, a place where I grown and used to live for 20 years). There are at least three photographs of this vehicle taken in 1947 (as reffers to the note on the back side of original photo I saw). It is a grat modelling subject.
Besides L/70 there were at least two T-34 76 and 85 destroyed and one Panzer III. I hope that I will get more photographs of Panzers destroyed in this area.
There are two small scans on the website of Rogow - please find them here:



I have located a place where Jadpanzer was photographed, today there is a bus stop

Originally Posted by FireflyRK

Kuba, that is some very nice work you're doing there. ALmost as much metal as a real tank
What is the brown material you are using for weld lines?

Thank you.
The brown material is just a tamiya styrene, a stretched sprue from StuG kit. It is the best styrene for this kind of job I found, because it quickly softens when treated with Tamiya Extra Thin and a weld texture can be made without damaging the surrounding area.
Try it, it is easier than one may expect.

Best regards,
Kuba