1/35 Tamiya: Panzer IV Ausf. D

[AridTalons]

Hey peeps! It's been awhile since I did a build (a little over a year) so I may be a bit rusty. My last build was a Panzer IV Ausf. D from Dragon and it stumped me. I was unable to continue the build past Step 5 as it seems like it was missing a part. I looked through the kit to see if it was there but I couldn't find it. If I continued there would be a giant hole in the chassis. So I gave up. If any of you have completed DML 6779 please PM me on how you passed Step 5!



But now is a new build using the same tank so I'll cannibalize some parts from the Dragon kit onto the Tamiya one. The Dragon kit has better details seeing as its not that old. The Tamiya kit is all the way back from 1975. There's flash. A lot of it. Oh well.

I haven't decided weather to make it a DAK or standard Panzer IV on the Polish front. I'll get to that when I hit the selection step but I'm leaning towards DAK.



So, I finished Step 1 and now its time for the road wheels. Step 1 was very straight forward. No complaints. Went together easy as will most likely the rest of the build. Tamiya's classic kits are pretty simple which is a nice break from Dragon.

The parts look already painted but they are not. Indoor lighting gave them a desert yellow appearance instead of panzer grey.

Step 2 was a bit tedious as doing wheels always is. It took me about two and a half hours to complete the road wheels. The kit comes with poly caps but I didn't install them since the model isn't going to move. The drive sprockets and idlers were assembled along with the support rollers.

Step 3 is the suspension system which is all in one piece, so that is simple enough. Step 4 is just gluing the road wheels, etc. to the lower hull. I will probably wait to attach the road wheels until after I have painted as that is always the route I have gone through.

Anyways, thanks for looking! Comments and criticism welcome.

[AridTalons]

Back again with an update! I finished construction of the lower hull and ran across some problems in the process. I did not install the poly caps which was most likely a mistake as the road wheels and drive sprockets were loose while fixed to the lower hull. So, I went ahead and glued them on which is a first for me. Normally I attach the road wheels after painting.



One of the drive sprockets were particularly loose on the hull so I had to use gap filling super glue. Thank the Styrene Gods I bought some because Tamiya Extra Thin wasn't doing the trick.


The muffler looks crooked but it isn't. My hand was slightly crooked when I took the picture.

Overall, the construction of the lower hull was simple. I ran into problems most likely because I didn't install the poly caps. Nothing against the Kit itself.



The upper hull looks very straight forward to build. I shouldn't have any problems on that front. Maybe a few small pieces will need acute attention but other than that it should be a breeze. I went ahead and looked in my old Dragon kit for replacement parts but they wouldn't fit onto the Tamiya hull. Oh well. Would have been nice if I could have used the Dragon upper hull but maybe I'll be a bit more fortunate with the turret.



I looked at the Tamiya turret and it looks a bit flat. The Dragon one is much nicer so it will be awesome if I can get it to fit on. I will also try to use the Dragon DS Tracks as the Tamiya ones are very old and ask to be melted together for a bond.

Anyways, that's it for today's post. Thanks for looking.

[InitialProduction1]

AridTalons great start, you are really taking me back to my childhood. I've built so many of that old kit, heck I have one partially worked on now, haha. again great start.

[AridTalons]

Wah-Whooooo! Major construction is complete!

So it took four days to do the upper hull and the turret but now its almost all complete. There are a few things I still need to work on like the back of the turret, which is all glued up and ready to be fixed to the turret. There is a back bracket for jerry cans and a hook for extra road wheels. Also the sponson ladder. I'm still figuring this stuff out.

Its the glue, I tell yah. I'm fried.

But, yeah. The upper hull wasn't too bad. I omitted some small, frustrating parts that wouldn't work without serious effort. I'm building this for fun, not an exhibit show. I just can't be bothered to be frank. I'll be doing two figures as well which is a first for me. A driver and a commander. I'll be painting them as SS soldiers since I'm fond of them. I don't think the SS was in Africa but who cares. Not to mention Tamiya only provided European Theater figures.

Anyways, here's some pics to drool over. Hope you enjoy!

[AridTalons]

Sup peeps! I took a little break after construction but now I'm back at it. Adding extras to the tank was not as easy as it seemed. I wanted to set up a rack with jerry cans but the muffler is in the way. That scratched off tow cables as well. So the tank is rather bare except in the front where I added tools and tracks for armor.

Yesterday I primed the model with Tamiya XF-16 Flat Aluminum and let it cure for about twenty hours. Afterwards I preshaded the model. I thought about doing the front underside where the bottom tracks rest but it was an awkward angle and I didn't want to mess things up. I chipped some of the paint off on accident during photography which is annoying.

And that's it for today people. I'll apply the base coat tomorrow and maybe post some pictures afterwards. I still have to do the figures but I'll probably do that last.

Thanks for looking!

[Tomi]

Hi there! I' waiting for same kit to arrive (got it from fellow modeller very cheap), so I'll be watching this one. Even though it's old kit, it seems reasonably well detailed. My plan is to go with DAK version also, already ordered some aftermarket stuff (tracks, barrel) and probably use tools from Dragon with molded clasps.

[AridTalons]

Hi there! I' waiting for same kit to arrive (got it from fellow modeller very cheap), so I'll be watching this one. Even though it's old kit, it seems reasonably well detailed. My plan is to go with DAK version also, already ordered some aftermarket stuff (tracks, barrel) and probably use tools from Dragon with molded clasps.

Its a good kit. The detail isn't spectacular but its fine for the amount of money you spend on it. I tried using some Dragon parts on this build but it wasn't compatible. I didn't think of using the Dragon's tools but the tools provided is enough to please me.

Anyways, have fun and thanks for watching!

[InitialProduction1]

Your coming along very well. What theater of operations is your vehicle going to be serving? Afrika, Balkans France, Russia,. Also are you going to be doing a vignette or diorama? really nice build, look forward to the next update.

[chalkyw]

Very nice pre-shade Arid......hopefully its gonna be Afrika Corp??

[AridTalons]

Your coming along very well. What theater of operations is your vehicle going to be serving? Afrika, Balkans France, Russia,. Also are you going to be doing a vignette or diorama? really nice build, look forward to the next update.

Very nice pre-shade Arid......hopefully its gonna be Afrika Corp??

Thanks guys!

Yes. It's going to be an Afrika Corps build. I already applied the base coat and it looks pretty good. Some of the preshading was a bit too bold so I covered it with more paint. Off camera you can still tell its preshaded in some spots but it's hard to see on camera. Right now I'm letting it cure so its less chip happy. Once I do some detail painting I'll post some pics.

Oh, and I'll be doing a vignette once its finished. Still a lot of work to do.

[AridTalons]

Hey peeps! Back again with an update.

So I applied the base coat a couple days ago and let it cure for 48 hours before I started detailing. I only applied Tamiya X-10 Gunmetal onto metallic parts and I'm pleased with the results. The detailing took about 45 minutes to an hour which surprised me. I found a new appreciation to figure painters because of this. I will continue with the detailing tomorrow using different colors.

Some of you may notice that I didn't completely paint the wrench. I left it open for perhaps a wood color. I haven't made up my mind on that yet but we will see.

Below you'll see that there are two different tones on the base coat. This is because of room lighting and outdoor lighting. The first pictures show it closest to Tamiya's XF-60 Dark Yellow which I used as the base coat.

Anyways. Hope you like what you see. Until next time...

[InitialProduction1]

Hey AridTalons really awesome build. love the old kits Takes me back. Please don't shoot the messenger, I hate rivet counters, but you had a miss fire on the spaced armor Vision block, I was hoping someone from ISM would have said something, it's a quick fix, here's what the spaced armor should look like. Again cool build.

2016-07-08 18.13.10.jpg

[AridTalons]

Hey AridTalons really awesome build. love the old kits Takes me back. Please don't shoot the messenger, I hate rivet counters, but you had a miss fire on the spaced armor Vision block, I was hoping someone from ISM would have said something, it's a quick fix, here's what the spaced armor should look like. Again cool build.

Wow! I didn't even notice. The instructions were vague so I just slapped it on without any thought. Damn it!

On a side note; I completed the detailing of the model. I will let the paint cure for 24 hours before putting on a clear coat and then applying decals.

Stay tuned...

[InitialProduction1]

still on board I do like watching kits come together, looking forward to the next update.

[AridTalons]

Sup peeps? Back again with another update. Sorry it took so long. Had to let the clear coats cure.

I got done with detailing and the decals. Detailing took a couple of sessions as it was fine work and letting the clear coats cure took a few days. I left the wheels in Dark Yellow and will cover the wheels with a black oil wash in my next update. I'm hoping this will give the wheels a proper appearance but time will tell.

I don't like doing decals. Just something about it I don't like so I applied them one at a time and took breaks in between. They came out pretty well. I just used the Tamiya decals and didn't go aftermarket. Tamiya makes good decals. No silvering and they went on easy. They were a little stiff on the turret so I applied decal softening solution and accidentally tore the decals but I was able to make it look clean in the end.

Anyways. Here's some pictures of my progress. Hope you enjoy and until next time.

[InitialProduction1]

Good build, I do love Dak builds. Yeah decals can be a pain, I find if I add a gloss coat, add decal use solvaset it go's a lot better. If you paint the muffler rust, and you add a light dusting of baking soda, and after it drys, paint it again with rust paint it looks better. Just say-n. Again nice build.

[watchman]

Hello,Arid With regard to DML kit 6779 can u be more specific as to the giant hole u mentioned. I have that kit but unbuilt; I reviewed the instructions and parts sprue to try and figure it out.
By the way,good job on the Tamiya build.

[AridTalons]

Hello,Arid With regard to DML kit 6779 can u be more specific as to the giant hole u mentioned. I have that kit but unbuilt; I reviewed the instructions and parts sprue to try and figure it out.
By the way,good job on the Tamiya build.

I got stumped on Step 5. I went and dry fitted the panel where the muffler rests onto the chassis. As shown in the photo below, there is a gap between the rear and under-chassis circled in red. If you can figure it out let me know. Dragon does not include instructions on that part. I like Dragon kits but the instructions can sometimes be like this. It's unfortunate. I had high hopes for the build.

Thanks for the kind remarks. I'll continue the Tamiya Panzer when I get my mojo back for it.

[watchman]

Hi,Arid Me thinks mystery solved.DML 6779 part missing is D71;in the instruction sheet it is listed as not being used (blue shaded piecies).An old DML kit 6301 provided the info.The hulls are the same.I would send u a picture but Iam computer illiterate;I can surf the internet and turn it on/off.Do u plan to do some weathering to it.Keep-up the good work.

[digger303]

Hi,Arid Me thinks mystery solved.DML 6779 part missing is D71;in the instruction sheet it is listed as not being used (blue shaded piecies).An old DML kit 6301 provided the info.The hulls are the same.I would send u a picture but Iam computer illiterate;I can surf the internet and turn it on/off.Do u plan to do some weathering to it.Keep-up the good work.

can always check this site , chances are high that the instructions are there...just checked they are
http://www.intscalemodeller.com/viewtop ... 43&t=18069

[chameleon]

Hey AridTalons really awesome build. love the old kits Takes me back. Please don't shoot the messenger, I hate rivet counters, but you had a miss fire on the spaced armor Vision block, I was hoping someone from ISM would have said something, it's a quick fix, here's what the spaced armor should look like. Again cool build.

2016-07-08 18.13.10.jpg

What reference material is that may I ask? Unless it's just the instructions, then don't tell me!

[InitialProduction1]

This help.?

2016-08-04 13.50.18.png

2016-08-04 13.45.53.png

[digger303]

This help.?

2016-08-04 13.50.18.png

2016-08-04 13.45.53.png

That's as clear a pic as can be.....

[InitialProduction1]

Just trying to help. I wont anymore, your build your fun. Anyway cool build.

[SteveAFV]

I have this kit as my second build after just getting back into building.

[digger303]

Just trying to help. I wont anymore, your build your fun. Anyway cool build.

You did good...great pic's.... Verified or corrected the instructions.

chameleon ....!!!

[AridTalons]

Hi,Arid Me thinks mystery solved.DML 6779 part missing is D71;in the instruction sheet it is listed as not being used (blue shaded piecies).An old DML kit 6301 provided the info.The hulls are the same.I would send u a picture but Iam computer illiterate;I can surf the internet and turn it on/off.Do u plan to do some weathering to it.Keep-up the good work.

Thanks so much! I took a look at my Dragon kit and it looks like a match! Now I won't have to buy a new kit.

I have this kit as my second build after just getting back into building.

You'll enjoy it. Its not a hard build. Some of the parts are very small which is a pain to fit. I got too frustrated and just omitted the parts. Kit still looks good, even with my mistakes.

[AridTalons]

Hey peeps! Back again. Sorry it took so long. I lost my mojo for the build before picking it back up and calling it done. I could have done more with the weathering but I don't feel like it. It looks good as is.

I did a dark wash on the whole of the model and then swabbed most of it off. Then I washed it again on the upper hull and turret. Afterwards I applied rust colored pastel to the muffler and sand color pastel for the tracks. Once the pastels were applied I dusted most of it off with a fluffy brush to give it a more natural look.

Overall I'm happy with the result. I could have done more with the kit but don't feel like it. I was considering chipping and rain streaks but whatever. It looks good as is. The camera doesn't catch the grime as much as it should, which is a shame. But again, I'm pleased with the finished kit. The only regret I have is not installing the poly caps. Since I had to glue the road wheels onto the chassis I was unable to paint the road wheels with black.

Thanks for looking! Comments and critique are welcome.

[SteveAFV]

I have this kit as my second build after just getting back into building.

You'll enjoy it. Its not a hard build. Some of the parts are very small which is a pain to fit. I got too frustrated and just omitted the parts. Kit still looks good, even with my mistakes.

I'd be happy if mine turned out the same. I'll be sure to read through your build. I have a few build logs bookmarked.

[chalkyw]

Top paint job AT ...looks good in desert colours

[Morgoth62]

Not bad, but where are you Afrika Korps palm trees? I thought they had them on the sides or on the front.

thomas;)