edjbartos Posted March 21, 2023 Author Share Posted March 21, 2023 Hello everyone, a quick update on my Panzer IV, since the last update I started to work on the various tools that are housed on the top of the two fenders. Quite a few had multiple parts so took a little time to complete, no real problems just a little bit fiddly. On the following photo's non of the tools are glued in place, I have used masking fluid to attach for easy removal later on for painting. The first photo shows the jack, axe and some other tools with PE clamp handles, on the glacis plate are PE mounts for the spare tracks, I also added the machine gun... On the other side, quite a few assemblies here with added PE, spanners, bolt cutters, extinguishers are some of the items here along with spare wheels in an enclosure... At the rear there are cleaning rods, spare track, crow bar and a rear light panel... On the other side is a spade and a long bar ( I assume it's some kind of spanner) with good detail showing serrations on the head.... I then assembled the wheels and also the sprocket and idler wheels... So next up is to start assembling the suspension, then adding the wheels and start on assembling the tracks... I'll be back when I have more to show, all the best and thanks for looking in... Ed 17 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlaStix Posted March 21, 2023 Share Posted March 21, 2023 Very impressive modelling, as always Ed! Your patience and skill is certainly on show on this project! Kind regards, Stix 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muchmirth Posted March 21, 2023 Share Posted March 21, 2023 Lovely work Ed! Coming a long nicely. The details looks really good. Paul 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edjbartos Posted March 21, 2023 Author Share Posted March 21, 2023 5 hours ago, PlaStix said: Very impressive modelling, as always Ed! Your patience and skill is certainly on show on this project! Kind regards, Stix 5 hours ago, Muchmirth said: Lovely work Ed! Coming a long nicely. The details looks really good. Paul Thank you both for your kind comments, It's much appreciated.. Ed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maddoxx77 Posted March 21, 2023 Share Posted March 21, 2023 Looking good so far. Crisp detail on the parts. Does the PE come with the kit or is this aftermarket? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullbasket Posted March 22, 2023 Share Posted March 22, 2023 Great progress Ed. There are a lot of individual items added there. Neat work. John. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry1954 Posted March 22, 2023 Share Posted March 22, 2023 On 3/5/2023 at 9:08 AM, Bullbasket said: Oh the joys of Miniart kits. I've used this analogy before. These kits are like a piece of music composed by Mozart. Why use just one note, when half a dozen will do! Completely echo what John has said there. I'm currently building a Miniart T-55. Beautiful kit, amazing detail, and the accuracy and parts fit is mostly exceptional ............. but sooooo complex. No track jig for the T-55 and the instructions suggest you do not glue the pins, but you have to to ensure they stay in. Like Ed, I've found that the tiniest dab of Tamiya Extra Thin works ok, but in my case I'm using the Quick set version (paler green lid) on the end of the pin. The key is not to let the cement travel through to the next link! WWII is not normally my thing Ed, but this Mk IV is coming along superbly. Much credit to you for getting all these very small components to play together!! Also, the German Mk III and IV have always fascinated me, so I'll follow this one for sure. Terry 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edjbartos Posted March 22, 2023 Author Share Posted March 22, 2023 12 hours ago, Maddoxx77 said: Looking good so far. Crisp detail on the parts. Does the PE come with the kit or is this aftermarket? Many thanks Maddoxx, the detail on this model is exceptional, all the PE does come with the model, no need for aftermarket stuff... The only parts that you need to do yourself are the tow ropes... many thanks Ed 2 hours ago, Bullbasket said: Great progress Ed. There are a lot of individual items added there. Neat work. John. Thank you so much John, yes it's typical Miniart lots and lots of parts, but nice to do for me anyway. I'm now having oodles of fun with the tracks as there are quite a bit of flash, some parts of the tracks are solid and quite a few holes are also solid and need drilling out, probably see you in a month...🙂 Ed 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edjbartos Posted March 22, 2023 Author Share Posted March 22, 2023 41 minutes ago, Terry1954 said: Completely echo what John has said there. I'm currently building a Miniart T-55. Beautiful kit, amazing detail, and the accuracy and parts fit is mostly exceptional ............. but sooooo complex. No track jig for the T-55 and the instructions suggest you do not glue the pins, but you have to to ensure they stay in. Like Ed, I've found that the tiniest dab of Tamiya Extra Thin works ok, but in my case I'm using the Quick set version (paler green lid) on the end of the pin. The key is not to let the cement travel through to the next link! WWII is not normally my thing Ed, but this Mk IV is coming along superbly. Much credit to you for getting all these very small components to play together!! Also, the German Mk III and IV have always fascinated me, so I'll follow this one for sure. Terry Thank you Terry it's much appreciated, The T-55 is a lovely kit to do, I did an interior version which is really nice, I found the tracks were ok to do but on the T-54 I did later on which supposedly used the same tracks, I had a lot of issues and went for Masterclub tracks instead which were really nice to do... all the best and thanks for commenting Ed 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrancisGL Posted March 24, 2023 Share Posted March 24, 2023 Hi Ed, A very neat job with those little PEs. Cheers Francis.👍 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maddoxx77 Posted March 25, 2023 Share Posted March 25, 2023 I could't resist..... 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edjbartos Posted March 25, 2023 Author Share Posted March 25, 2023 Very nice Maddoxx, you will enjoy it, it's a nice kit... Ed 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
f matthews Posted March 26, 2023 Share Posted March 26, 2023 On 3/21/2023 at 9:29 AM, edjbartos said: Hello everyone, a quick update on my Panzer IV, since the last update I started to work on the various tools that are housed on the top of the two fenders. Quite a few had multiple parts so took a little time to complete, no real problems just a little bit fiddly. On the following photo's non of the tools are glued in place, I have used masking fluid to attach for easy removal later on for painting. The first photo shows the jack, axe and some other tools with PE clamp handles, on the glacis plate are PE mounts for the spare tracks, I also added the machine gun... On the other side, quite a few assemblies here with added PE, spanners, bolt cutters, extinguishers are some of the items here along with spare wheels in an enclosure... At the rear there are cleaning rods, spare track, crow bar and a rear light panel... On the other side is a spade and a long bar ( I assume it's some kind of spanner) with good detail showing serrations on the head.... I then assembled the wheels and also the sprocket and idler wheels... So next up is to start assembling the suspension, then adding the wheels and start on assembling the tracks... I'll be back when I have more to show, all the best and thanks for looking in... Ed Looking very good-inspiring me to pick mine back up! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edjbartos Posted March 30, 2023 Author Share Posted March 30, 2023 Hello everyone, It's been a while since my last update. I've been busy on the running gear end these past few days, a few headaches along the way.... First off I started to work on the suspension, six parts make up the assembly, a bit fiddly attaching everything together, but once assembled quite a solid unit... Eight in total to make, four each side... Here's how they look with the wheels attached...I've photographed them this way so you can have a better look around... I then glued these into place on the body and added return rollers, drive sprockets and idler wheels... Then came the tracks, I have to say I really do not like these... First off you lose one track with every sprue as the guide horn is solid, so if you want to use them you would need to drill and fettle them out. You just have enough tracks with a few to spare to not have to do this. Secondly there are two tracks per sprue with solid holes where the pins go through, which you need to drill out, no real problem just a pain. Then there is quite a bit of flash on the one end which affects several tracks and need cleaning up along with where the gates have been placed. This just took a lot of time to complete the process... Anyway once all the tracks have been cleaned up I assembled them together...You definitely need to glue the pins into place as they are a sloppy fit, but you need to be careful how much you apply as the tracks become stiff... I then added the tracks to the tank, I've put some foam between the return rollers to add a little sag to the track, but when taking the foam away the tracks are too springy and shoot straight up to the top of the fender. So I will have to glue the tracks to the return rollers when final fitting. The problem I've found with these tracks are that as soon as you start to move the tracks to make them more flexible the pins drop out. If you apply more glue to hold them into place the tracks become stiff... Here's a few photo's of the tracks in place, I don't particularly like the way they sit, they just look too stiff for my liking at the moment, I'll have to have a little think on what to do for this a little bit later on... Next up will be assembling the frame for the side skirts and then the side skirts themselves... That's it for now, I'll be back when I have more to show... all the best Ed 14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stef N. Posted March 30, 2023 Share Posted March 30, 2023 Nice work Ed. I can feel your frustration with those tracks from here. Odd production idea with the solid horn?? I look forward to your next instalment.👍 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamden Posted March 30, 2023 Share Posted March 30, 2023 Nice work on those tracks Ed looking forward to the next update Stay safe Roger 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vytautas Posted March 30, 2023 Share Posted March 30, 2023 Hi, Ed Really nice work! Tracks are always a lot of work, but you can look at it as a good meditative practice Vytautas 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edjbartos Posted March 30, 2023 Author Share Posted March 30, 2023 4 hours ago, Stef N. said: Nice work Ed. I can feel your frustration with those tracks from here. Odd production idea with the solid horn?? I look forward to your next instalment.👍 Thanks Stef, I'll continue to work with them and sort something out that will work... thanks for commenting Ed 1 hour ago, Hamden said: Nice work on those tracks Ed looking forward to the next update Stay safe Roger Thanks for your comments Roger, much appreciated Ed 17 minutes ago, vytautas said: Hi, Ed Really nice work! Tracks are always a lot of work, but you can look at it as a good meditative practice Vytautas Many thanks Vytautas, they were very definitely a lot of work, not sure about being meditative, more like thanks for your comments as always Ed 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keeff Posted March 31, 2023 Share Posted March 31, 2023 I'm enjoying seeing this build progress. Your patience and attention to detail is amazing! Keith 😁 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vaoinas Posted March 31, 2023 Share Posted March 31, 2023 Those tracks clearly aren't the finest example to be found and I feel your frustration here. Wouldn't these be better if you'd use CA glue on the pins like with the MasterClub or similar tracks? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edjbartos Posted March 31, 2023 Author Share Posted March 31, 2023 2 hours ago, Keeff said: I'm enjoying seeing this build progress. Your patience and attention to detail is amazing! Keith 😁 Many thanks Keith, that's much appreciated... Ed 1 hour ago, vaoinas said: Those tracks clearly aren't the finest example to be found and I feel your frustration here. Wouldn't these be better if you'd use CA glue on the pins like with the MasterClub or similar tracks? Thanks Kristjan, you are absolutely correct. If this was a Masterclub track I would have automatically gone for CA without thinking. But being that this was plastic against plastic my mind automatically went for Tamiya extra thin. Bad decision, anyone doing one of these beware. Anyway I have loosened most of the tracks, some have disintegrated which will be replaced with the few spares that I have. If I need more I have another one of these kits in my stash so I can rob a few of those if necessary. I won't be doing that again, live and learn as they say... Thanks for commenting Ed 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muchmirth Posted March 31, 2023 Share Posted March 31, 2023 Lovely clean work considering the annoyances. Looks good! Paul 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davmarx Posted March 31, 2023 Share Posted March 31, 2023 Thank you for your valuable advice, Ed, it will be very useful for my kit, the Bulgarian variant. Ciao Davide 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullbasket Posted March 31, 2023 Share Posted March 31, 2023 My sympathies are with you Ed. Those tracks look to be a nightmare, as do those suspension parts. But you seem to have beaten them into shape. Nice work. John. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edjbartos Posted March 31, 2023 Author Share Posted March 31, 2023 3 hours ago, Muchmirth said: Lovely clean work considering the annoyances. Looks good! Paul many thanks Paul, that's much appreciated Ed 1 hour ago, davmarx said: Thank you for your valuable advice, Ed, it will be very useful for my kit, the Bulgarian variant. Ciao Davide Thank you Davide, your very welcome, I just looked at that variant, looks really nice, you will enjoy it I'm sure. I'll look forward to seeing you build it... Ed 20 minutes ago, Bullbasket said: My sympathies are with you Ed. Those tracks look to be a nightmare, as do those suspension parts. But you seem to have beaten them into shape. Nice work. John. Thank you John, not the best experience I've had with this model, as Kristjan said I should have applied CA instead of extra thin, which would have avoided a lot of the problems. I've been able to loosen most of the links so they don't look so bad and flow quite nicely. The one's that have disintegrated I've replaced and pinned them in with 0.5mm wire instead of the plastic pins and they actually look better that way. I may do that instead when I eventually do the other variant that I have. Thanks for commenting John Ed 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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