Stokesy's Desert Clanker - Trumpy 1/16 Pz IV Ausf.F2

[Stokesy44]

Thanks Guys

After work sessions during the week have been limited to jumping forward in the instructions and building stuff in prep for later.

Running gear and suspension is done and dry fitted. Excellent fitting of the parts continues (I'm beginning to sound like a broken record here ) Good common sense engineering and nice detail





I've started on the wheels too. The black rims are plastic not rubber. They fit so well you I have not used glue. The great thing is they can be removed when the base coat goes on and can be painted separately. I will use a rough sanding stick on the tread to remove the seam and create the surface texture I want. At the moment they are just sanded for the sprue gates.



Nice detail on the walls



Test fit





Final drive and sprocket. Very large pieces of plastic but the detail is still nice and crisp.





Test fit again



And I started on the shells. Ok I know, but at least its s start!



The only painting I did was the controls and seats and the 2 fume extraction pipes. All rather clean at the mo but not to worry



Fired up the airbrush this morning. Primed the chunky bits for the interior. Good old Ultimate Primer.



MM Red Oxide for the engine compartment



Rear wall interior - I didnt bother with the injector pin marks like I did for the firewall. You will not see them once the upper hull is there and all the bits are in. Can you spot the tracks? I've been building them up with sessions here and there. They're an absolute doddle to be honest. Thanks Trumpy



I'll let the primer cure than I'll paint the engine, genny, drives and transmission tomorrow

[BigWall]

It's looking great with the paint going down!

[Garion77]

Really nice build ! Huge too at that scale ! Interior is also great ! Armor is too intimidating for me
Nice work ! Can't wait to see the following posts

[Twokidsnosleep]

This is really well detail painted
Nice work David

[Stokesy44]

Thanks Guys

Really nice build ! Huge too at that scale ! Interior is also great ! Armor is too intimidating for me
Nice work ! Can't wait to see the following posts

Intimidating? Surely not. You know, deep down, there lies a brute of iron within you.....



Seriously though, if you're interested in tanks, what do you fancy building? There's loads of good manufacturers out there now and there's plenty of us on here who could give you a steer as to which kits you might like.

Fired up the AB again this morning. Various Tamiya and Mr Hobby colours. The main colour for the engine and genny is a black grey mix as flat black would have been too dark. I love these paints, they spray beautifully and cure so quickly.



I have a feeling some work will be required for a fan belt as I think the engine hatch (when open) is of such size it will be seen. A cunning plan is beginning to take shape and no, it doesn't include spending £50 on a resin AM fan belt



Transmission and brakes





I also painted the little engine and transmission instruments box but forgot to take a picture. It needs its decals before I can show it off anyway

Everything needs to fully cure then its on to weathering before putting it all in and sorting out the fan belt stuff.

[Stokesy44]

I had a go at adding the fan belts. I used strips from an elastic band, superglued together and then painted black once mounted.

I also added the exhaust pipes that feed out to the rear wall of the engine compartment. I used sprue from the kit, bent to shape with masking take added for detail. The exhausts will be weathered with rust pigments and the whole engine still needs work.





I made the mistake of looking at another build of the Pz4 and there is a lot of stuff missing in the engine compartment I will have to have a look at adding some scratch built stuff, particularly some plumbing for the big radiator that sits over the genny.

[Kevthemodeller]

More nice work mate. One of the real downsides of this scale, is the opportunities to add detail. Like you say you could almost replicate every pipe, hydraulic line, wire, bulb, info sticker, nut, bolt and screw

The question is how far are you going to go ?

[Stokesy44]

More nice work mate. One of the real downsides of this scale, is the opportunities to add detail. Like you say you could almost replicate every pipe, hydraulic line, wire, bulb, info sticker, nut, bolt and screw

The question is how far are you going to go ?

Thanks Kev. If I can create some rudimentary pipe work for the radiator that will do me. Also, for £10 I can buy a resin fuel tank for the genny that mounts on the back wall. The issue I have is that other than sprue I have no materials for the piping. Any thoughts?

[Casper]

level of detail on these kits is outstanding
forgive my ignorance but is the lettering/numbers on the running gear casing part of the kit detailing.
mark

[bfrd]

Looking good Stokesy!!

[RangerNeil]

Those drive belts look excellent - cracking good idea there!!
For the additional plumbing - what about investing in some plastic rod of various diameters?? That is easily warmed and bent/formed to the required shape....

[Stokesy44]

Those drive belts look excellent - cracking good idea there!!
For the additional plumbing - what about investing in some plastic rod of various diameters?? That is easily warmed and bent/formed to the required shape....

Thanks Neil. I think that's the way I will go.

[Kevthemodeller]

The issue I have is that other than sprue I have no materials for the piping. Any thoughts?

Copper or lead wire or here mate You could even just strip appliance flex.

I've used it works a treat

[Stokesy44]

I started weathering the front end today. First up with chipping using a sponge and Vallejo black. All the white surfaces got a good going over then it was on to oils. All the white surfaces got a staining with a mix of black and light and dark brown. The transmission and brakes had the same plus some red brown for a hint of rust and oil.

There's some detail work still to do and I need to do the oil work on the red oxide surfaces in the fighting compartment but the transmission and brakes are in now and its filling up nicely.













Hoping to do some more tomorrow so I may have everything in by close of the weekend.

[Stokesy44]

The issue I have is that other than sprue I have no materials for the piping. Any thoughts?

Copper or lead wire or here mate You could even just strip appliance flex.

I've used it works a treat

Thanks Kev. I'm going to work out exactly what is visible with the upper hull on then see what I can do. I think the rad will definitely need some form of plumbing so I'll see when the time comes.

[digger303]

The issue I have is that other than sprue I have no materials for the piping. Any thoughts?

Copper or lead wire or here mate You could even just strip appliance flex.

I've used it works a treat

Thanks Kev. I'm going to work out exactly what is visible with the upper hull on then see what I can do. I think the rad will definitely need some form of plumbing so I'll see when the time comes.

Just scrolled down to your latest pic's and my jaw dropped absolutely AWESOME work....
Just the right amount of chipping and the color blends look very realistic.

[Stokesy44]

Just scrolled down to your latest pic's and my jaw dropped absolutely AWESOME work....
Just the right amount of chipping and the color blends look very realistic.

Thanks Digger,

The clanker is really taking shape now. The rear wall with the idlers is only test fitted but the final drives at the front are glued in. Beautiful fit (as usual )



I made the pads for the seats for the radio op and gunner (or loader, not sure), out of DAS clay and very wet filler. You can get resin pads for the kit but I'm not spending £20 on them.

These are primed, I used the seat from the turret for the shape as its exactly the same as the radio op's seat.



Painted with a mix of Vallejo black and chocolate brown







Started on the engine compartment with oils. Its a bit iffy to be honest but most of it will not be seen









I needed to paint the main vent pipe in the forward compartment having 'forgotten' to do it before I fixed the transmission into the hull. I tried to get my head around how I would mask it but in the end I took the lazy way out and just brush painted it

I also put a wash on the instruments box as it was looking decidedly clean



Still need to work on the engine and genny but I'm thinking of repainting them a lighter shade of grey before I do any weathering anyway.

Stay safe y'all

[digger303]

[Quax]

amazing work Stokesy, is the deck going to be removeable so as you can see all this crazy detail when you finish?

Paul

[Twokidsnosleep]

Boy that is some tight quarters in there
Really glad I never had to be part of a tank crew

[Kevthemodeller]

Coming along very nicely mate , you can really get stuck into the detail weather in this scale

[Stokesy44]

amazing work Stokesy, is the deck going to be removeable so as you can see all this crazy detail when you finish?

Paul

Thanks Paul. The upper deck looks like it will need to be stuck down. The good news is all the hatches can be posed open, even the maintenance hatches over the brakes and transmission. Same for the turret with the side hatches that were phased out on later models.

[Stokesy44]

Boy that is some tight quarters in there
Really glad I never had to be part of a tank crew

I've heard the radio op's position described as an 'afterthought'.

[Stokesy44]

Coming along very nicely mate , you can really get stuck into the detail weather in this scale

Cheers, I gotta say I like working in this scale. Its a real project and there's so much to do.

[Kevthemodeller]

Fill your boots mate, there's no rush

[bfrd]

You are absolutely rocking this!

[Stokesy44]

Fill your boots mate, there's no rush

You are absolutely rocking this!

Thanks Gents. I'm certainly having fun with this monster

Did some detail painting on the engine and finally glued the beast into position. I then did some dry brushing with silver then medium grey on both the engine and the genny (still only dry fitted). I really went for it with the grey on the genny. The whole unit was way too dark after the base coat I gave it. Oils will be next.









Its starting to get rather heavy now. I hope the running gear will be up to the job!

[digger303]

Still wowing...and those fan belts came out rather well.

[BigWall]

It's looking really great!

[Stokesy44]

Still wowing...and those fan belts came out rather well.

It's looking really great!

Cheers Gents. I'm still boggled at how much there is still to do!

[Parker]

Oh for gods sake. This build is insane!
amazing work.

[RangerNeil]

I had an e-mail from the Scalemodel shop in which they listed a range of German jacks in stock - thought one might be suitable for you - then noticed they were all 1/35, not 1/16.

[Stokesy44]

I had an e-mail from the Scalemodel shop in which they listed a range of German jacks in stock - thought one might be suitable for you - then noticed they were all 1/35, not 1/16.

Close but no cigar! Thanks anyway mate.

My only criticism of the kit is the lack of detail in the engine bay. You get an engine, a genny and a radiator but there's nothing to connect them with. You can argue that once the upper hull is on you dont see it but with the engine deck hatches open (which they will be) there should still be plenty of piping from the rad to the engine on show.

You can buy aftermarket stuff for the engine bay, its mostly junction boxes which cant be seen AT ALL, but no pipe work. I very rarely scratch build on my kits because 1, I'm crap at it and 2, if I have paid good money for a kit I expect to build it out of the box and have something I can be proud of. However, the engine bay screams out for plumbing so here we go.

I've seen pipe work extra detailing done to the kit and the main stuff is piping running from the top of the rad to both ends of the left and right cylinder banks. That's what I'm targeting.

Support lugs and connection points added to the rad using plastic card.



Started on the rear piping using sprue from the kit



Masking tape and lead wire for connection points, plastic card for the tap handle





I've drilled another connection point in the rear pipe for a smaller bleed pipe.



The pipework at the front end is more detailed but I've got some candles now so I'll be able to heat and manipulate the sprue much better tomorrow, both in terms of bending and turning but also for stretching so I can make smaller diameter piping where needed. All good fun and I'm please I've had a go at it.

[RangerNeil]

I'd say that looks pretty damned good - well done!!!

[BigWall]

Well, for someone who's crap at scratch building, it looks friggin' awesome!

[Stokesy44]

I'd say that looks pretty damned good - well done!!!

Well, for someone who's crap at scratch building, it looks friggin' awesome!

Thanks Fellas. I didnt get the chance to get anything done today but I should get back to the pipe work Monday night. I'm going to have to move the tap as it needs to be horizontal, not vertical. Also, now I can stretch and thin the sprue properly I'll try to add a little more finesse.

[digger303]

awesome work Stokesy. What are you going to use as hose clamps and did they provide a battery too ? One other question between the engine valve covers and near the fan belts is that a grease nipple I see ?

[Tomcat64]

That's come along stunningly well mate - love the extra detailing your packing into the engine bay too - that looks really tidy

[Stokesy44]

That's come along stunningly well mate - love the extra detailing your packing into the engine bay too - that looks really tidy

Thank you Sir.

After studying pipe work on other builds and kits I reworked the piping to the rear of the engine and detailed the stop cock attachment. I then put the pipe work together for the front end and made sure I could attach it once the rad was properly attached. Thankfully the piping can be attached after the rad is in place.









I had an epic Facepalm moment. When I was test fitting the rear piping the lower piece fell into the engine bay and nestled on the hull floor. I immediately tipped the kit over to get it out and in a second it was raining shells and ammo bins because all that stuff has never been glued down.

I added the taps using plastic card. They're the best I could do with the tools I have and they'll look ok when painted. Considering I started with nothing at all, I'm pleased with how its turned out. A bit of clean up to do then I'll prime and paint everything.







As already mentioned, its been a little disappointing the pipework wasn't included in the kit, especially since I've seen 2 new releases of the PZ4 in 1/35 with full interior and both those kits include the plumbing. Oh well, the rest of the kit is great so its only a minor gripe. Onwards and upwards as they say

[BigWall]

Very nice ! It looks awesome! That is disappointing that the plumbing isn't included on such a large scale model.

[digger303]

[Kevthemodeller]

The engine detailing begins

[RangerNeil]

Is it possible that this kit was one of Trumpeters early forays into 1/16 scale?
If so them "feeling their way" so to speak might account for why this one lacks the plumbing details and the later Pz IV includes it???

[Stokesy44]

Is it possible that this kit was one of Trumpeters early forays into 1/16 scale?
If so them "feeling their way" so to speak might account for why this one lacks the plumbing details and the later Pz IV includes it???

I dont know if the later kits have the plumbing. The examples I looked at were in 1/35 from RFM and Mini Art.

The best reference I found was a post from the AFV Modeller FB page where a guy had super-detailed my kit using the AFV resin engine bay upgrades and scratch built plumbing. Incredible work that makes my stuff look VERY amateur!

[Stokesy44]

The engine detailing begins

I swear for every part I put on the kit, 2 more magically appear on the sprues!

[digger303]

The engine detailing begins

I swear for every part I put on the kit, 2 more magically appear on the sprues!

You can measure that very scientifically by counting the number of rums or whiskies ......

[Kevthemodeller]

I swear for every part I put on the kit, 2 more magically appear on the sprues!

All the joys of building in 1/16 you could just have a kit for the engine

[Stokesy44]

Radiator and plumbing painted and installed. Oil work still to do but its all there.







Having forgotten them weeks ago, I finally put the front covers on the shell bins. Nice bit of latch detail but more importantly, all the ammo that goes in here will only need the shell cartridge painting and decaling, not the warheads!



Started on the front glacis plates. That detail is disappearing....



But then its back again! I drilled out the hinges and made them workable.



I drilled the hinges from both ends (just like channel tunnel!) to ensure I didnt stray too far off course. Pilot drill bit first then slightly bigger for the proper hole. Its lead wire at the moment but I may substitute it if needed.



Test fitted the lower glacis plate.



Starting to look like a Pz 4 now.

[digger303]

I like the way the plumbing and taps worked out....very nice. Not to take anything away for the transmission,engine or any other details added which are all top class too.

[BigWall]

Very nice work with the hinges! the whole thing is looking great as usual.