Panzer IV Ausf. E

Aghis Barberopoulos
I am tuned in Christian, I like riders!

Christian Meyerhoff
THX Aghis! The Figures are "Winter Tank Riders " from Dragon.

Christian Meyerhoff
Little Update. Upper hull finished, tracks on.

Frank Krause
@Christian: Das schreit nach einem Projekt. Da kannst Du dann auch die verwendeten Bausätze aus Deinem Stash hinzufügen.

Christian Meyerhoff
Just a little update. Hull completed.

Christian Meyerhoff
Completed. Ready to paint.

Holger Kranich
Looks absolute great, Christian! Love the riders!

Mike Kryza
👍 - 😄

Christian Meyerhoff
Thx. Mates! This one got together like a piece of cake. Next step will be some paint Keep you informed

Wim van der Luijt
Tuned in for the painting!

Lionel Marco

Nice job so far. just a little tweak: the protective part on the pilot vision block doesn't look well to me: it seems to be upside down.

Christian Meyerhoff
@ Lionel: Thanks for looking. The vision protection is a movable part. You can`t do anything wrong with it, cause there is only one way to fix it. But it`s very good to know that there are mates who look very closely 🙂

Aghis Barberopoulos
I wonder, are the tracks glued on ? When do you paint them, before or after positioning ?

Christian Meyerhoff
Hi Aghis! Yes You are right, the tracks are glued on. I allways do it this way if Im working on Dragons Magic Tracks. Painting them is a little bit tricky, but fixing them after painting is difficult and can spoil the paint job. But anyway when it comes to tracks my first choice is Friul, but not for this one.

james johnson
Thanks for posting Christian, look forward to further pics and information!

H K
Looks great. I don`t get it, why this kit got such a bad reputation on the internet, while other Dragon kits with missing parts- so that they are even unbuildable like the recent Jagdpanzer IV ( A)- get all the praise.

Christian Meyerhoff
@ HK: I´m following Dragon since the early 90th. They produced very nice kits and a lot of junk as well. Kit no. 6264 is one of the best they ever made. There are allways some self made experts ( rivet counters ) who "know" what`s right or wrong. I just stopped listening to all of them...

H K
Well, I am a " camo counter", I laugh at the rivet counters with their tanks in red primer especially red barrels 🙂

Christian Meyerhoff
You exactly understood what I was talking about... 🙂 Modelling is a hobby and should be fun.

H K
That`s rule Nr. 1!

Mike Kryza
@H K & Christian - you bring it exactly to the point...👍

Roy McKenzie
love the build so far

Frank Krause
@Christian:
"Modelling is a hobby and should be fun." 👍
"...(rivet counters)... I just stopped listening to all of them..." --- Why not listening to them? It helps, especially when you can't sleep "1 rivet, 2 rivets, 3 rivets, 4 rivets, 5 rivets, 6 rivets......"😉

Christian Meyerhoff
@Frank: Very good idea! I will try this tonight.😉

Markus Kutsch The Plastic Bench
TOP build !Very clean! Thumbs up!!

Christian Meyerhoff
Thx. Markus! Try to do my best one this one. Started painting the "Riders" today. Keep you informed.

james johnson
Christian,
I?ve been watching this post because I?m at about the same place with a Dragon SU-85/100 that I?m building.
I mounted the port tracks this morning
All day at work I pondered whether or not to try your method of painting them while they were mounted. It seemed like an easier method in one way but more difficult in another.
All day long I found it difficult to focus on little else at work.
Got home from work and gave the front wheel a little tweak with a #10 xacto blade and off came the tracks (in one piece!)Jagdpanzer 38(t) Hetzer; late Production Academy - Nr. 13230 | Album by winterfritz (1:35)
So I?m going with convention.
Anyway I do have a question Christian (or whoever else can answer). What is that glue product in the blue bottle? I?ve seen it used quite effectively on YouTube and can?t seem to find it at any of my usual purveyors here in the United States.
Thanks for the post and information in advance!
WF

Frank Krause
Hi James,
the blue bottle is a simple plastic glue, Revell product:
modellbau-koenig.de/..5_g__i241_9335_0.htm

Christian Meyerhoff
@ James:Fixing the tracks before painting is a good idea if you want a vehicle painted in "Panzergrey". In this case I use flat black as a primer, which is perfect for the tracks and wheel bandages. After painting the whole running gear black I apply the grey color where it is needed. Next step is to highlight all prominent areas with a lighter shade of grey. Then the tracks get brush painted with heavy thinned rust. I let the paint flow in all areas that can`t be reached with the brush. Last step is belnding all colors with washes. All this works very well with "Panzergrey". But if you want a different color like green or dark yellow, I would paint the tracks and rubber parts seperatly.

james johnson
Interesting approach Christian??
I was thinking of doing sort of a similar thing with the ?heavy wash? technique you describe;
but I was going to use pigments.
Regarding the Panzer Gray?.
I?ve got a Panzer 1 build coming up, but it has rubber band tracks.
I?ll keep your advice in mind should the situation arise, I like to try new techniques!
Thanks for the tip!

Christian Meyerhoff
Little update: Started the paint job today. Painted the tracks , the running gear and the lower hull flat black. Did some preshading on the upper hull. Next step was a layer of light grey exept for the tracks and rubber bandages. Tomorrow I will apply some thin layers of panzergrey. Hopefully it works and the effect comes out in the way I planned it.

Mike Kryza
Hi Christian - I think you have no problems... 👍

Joerg R.
Hi Christian
nice work I love the Pz. 4
But one thing is wrong, not you but Dragon did: the drive sprocket is way too low. normally it must be in line with the returnwheels.
best regards Joerg

Christian Meyerhoff
Hello Joerg! Thx. for looking. I know this issue, but it`s hard to correct. In their later Panzer IV kits dragon adressed this problem.

Oliver Peissl
Hi CHristian,

looks good up to now!
Hope to see more impressions soon...

james johnson
Looking real good Christian! I really like your shading of the gray tones.
I'm not really seeing what is meant by the drive sprocket being low...maybe a little.
For comparison, here's my shot of Dragon 6363 MK IV G Dragon Mk IV #6363 | Album by winterfritz (1:35)

Christian Meyerhoff
Hi James! Thx for your kind words. I used dragon kit no. 6264 for my model. This was the first of the new panzer IV series made by Dragon. For a review please follow this link:
perthmilitarymodelli..es/dragon/dr6264.htm
This review covers all the "problems" this kit might have. I`m no "Rivet Counter" so from my point of view it is nearly perfect.

Christian Meyerhoff
Little Update: Sprayed the inner parts white. Finished the paint job on the hull and turret with two very thin layers of panzergrey. Until now i only used my airbrush. The effects are several shades of grey due to the preshading. This is hard to see on the pics, but it`s all there. next steps will be the decals, detail painting and weathering.

james johnson
That panzer grey sure is dark, isn't it? From what I've read and seen though, that is correct.
Looking good!
Ever thought of hitting that with some oil dots?
Thanks for the post, watching with interest!
WF

Roy McKenzie
The gray looks good. I love the figures.

Christian Meyerhoff
Small update: Turret finished.

H K
👍

Christian Meyerhoff
@ HK: Thx for looking.

Frank Krause
Looks very promising, Christian! 👍

Lionel Marco
I agree with Frank

Christian Meyerhoff
Thx for looking! Next step will be completing the figures.

Mike K
Very impressive Christian. I like your style.

Christian Meyerhoff
Managed to finish the Panzer IV. Still working on the figures.

H K
Looks great 👍

Christian Ristits
Looks really great, Christian, well done!

Dieter Bihlmaier
Hallo Christian. Dein Panzer IV gefällt mir sehr gut. Im Besonderen die Farbgebung deiner Ketten. Der Rostansatz wirkt nicht übertrieben.
So sollten Panzerketten ausschauen, wenn das Fahrzeug auf der Strasse bewegt wird (im Gelände ist das etwas anderes).
Was mir aufgefallen ist, sind deine geöffneten Lukendeckel am Turm. Diese wurden meines Wissens schon sehr früh in der Gefechtsfahrzeug
Entwicklung in der Aussenfarbe bemalt, um im aufgeklappten Zustand keine Unterbrechung der Tarnung zu haben. Ich kenne dies noch aus meiner "Panzerzeit" bei der Bundeswehr. Im Tankograd Heft "Panzerkampfwagen IV im Kampfeinsatz" findest du auf den Seiten 28,29,30 und 33 entsprechende Beispiele. Ich möchte hier aber nicht als Nietenzähler dastehen, denn letzten Endes sollten wir alle Spaß an der Sache haben. Gruß Dieter.

Christian Meyerhoff
Many Thanks mates!
@Dieter: Danke für den Tip! Das hat nichts mit Nietenzählerei zu tun. Ich bin für jede Kritik dankbar. Wie soll man sonst besser werden ? Die Turmluken kann man schnell nach arbeiten, da gehe ich doch gleich nochmal bei.

H K
Laß ruhig Christian. Gibt genug Fotos, wo die Luken innen ganz offensichtlich hell sind ( trotz des offiziellen Befehls diese in der Außenfarbe zu streichen). Ich habe hier sogar Bilder von DAK Panzern, die offensichtlich mit Afrikabraun übermalt wurden, und die Luken innen weiß gelassen wurden.

Joerg R.
Das stimmt, dass manche Luken bei Afrika Panzern wieder weiss gemalt wurden. Allerdings nachträglich. Die Gründe waren zum einen die Tarnung wäre auffällig gewesen und eine dunkle Luke erhitzt sich noch mehr. Original Aussage eines Afrika-kämpfers

H K
Interessante Info Joerg, danke.

Christian Meyerhoff
Hallo Joerg!
Danke für die Info. 🙂

Choppa Nutta
Yep Christian, you are definitely getting the hang of this modelling lark ! 😄
really nice

Christian Meyerhoff
Many THX Choppa! I like that you like it! 🙂

Choppa Nutta
it's top quality mate, I envy your skill 🙂

Christian Meyerhoff
THX again Choppa, but my skills are rather limited. Allways trying to do the best, but so many bugs....
But anyway, 48 years of modelling and still having fun !

Es-haq Khosravi
Great job!

Christian Meyerhoff
Thank you Es-haq!

Christian Meyerhoff
Finished the fuel trailer. Ready for painting.

Joerg R.
Hallo Christian, ganz gut soweit. Was mir gerade auffiel, ist, dass die Decals etwas arg silbern schimmern. Benutzt du einen Setter und Weichmacher? Das solltest du, um solche Effekte zu vermeiden

H K
Probably bad decals. I had this problem with my Dragon Hornisse. Looked fine on the carrier, but extreme silvering on the model. Micro Sol did not help at all. I had to cover the decal with extreme weathering; ruined my plan to depict a relativly new vehicle.

Dieter Bihlmaier
Maybe DACO RED will help.

Patrik Spett
Did you paint the tracks and wheels after they were glued in place?

Holger Kranich
Wirklich geile Arbeit! Da gibt es nix auszusetzen, ausser die Marke des Bieres... (Just kidding)😢

Holger Kranich
Sind das Magic Tracks? Der Durchhang ist echt sehr realistisch!

Christian Meyerhoff
Many Thx Mates!
@Parik: Everything was glued in place before painting.
@Dieter: Was ist DACO RED?
@Holger: Das sind die Magic Tracks aus dem Bausatz. Die lassen sich gut verarbeiten.
@Holger: "Zwei Freunde sitzen am Tresen und werden gefragt was sie denn trinken möchten. Ein Jever Pils sagt der erste. Der zweite bestellt ein Glas Wasser. Möchtest Du denn kein Bier ? fragt der Erste. Nein, wenn Du keins trinktst möchte ich auch keins...

Holger Kranich
Daco ist sowas wie Microsol und Jever ist Bier! LOL

Christian Meyerhoff
Danke Holger und prost!

Dieter Bihlmaier
Holger hat recht. Daco Red ist so ziemlich die stärkste Weichmacher Variante. DACO macht auch Decals für Flugzeugmodelle etc.

Christian Meyerhoff
Danke Dir Dieter! Das werde ich mir doch mal besorgen.

Christian Meyerhoff
Some small upgrade ... Painted the fuel trailer and prepainted the tank riders. Hope that you like it.

Hunter Cummins
I love it!!!
Whats the best color to make chipped paint with ??

Christian Meyerhoff
Many THX Hunter! In my opinion there is no special color which can be used for chipping only. I think the key is applying it the right way. This can be done using a sponge or an old brush. I used the brush method on this one... modellversium.de/gal..-109-e-4-airfix.html
small scale but good result. (Only to my limited skills...)

Mike Kryza
@Hunter - The chipping colour from AK (AK 711) is very helpful... But you can use other similar colours too.

Mike Kryza
@Christian - Ich bin immer wieder erstaunt über Deine Vorgehensweise. Na ja... das muß man Dir schon auch life erleben. 👍

Es-haq Khosravi
Well done!

M.Julian Marles
looks great so far! 🙂

Fabian D.
nice one, Christian... Where is the fuel trailer from?

Christian Meyerhoff
Many THX Mates for your kind words!
@Mike: Was ist daran so besonders?? Halt so wie immer.

Gábor Bélik
In my opinion old chipping should be a bit rust colored. New chipping should be dark metal and on planes it shoud be silver.

Christian Meyerhoff
@Fabian: The fuel trailer is from Dragon. This is the kit:
Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. E Tauchpanzer (Dragon 6402, 1:35)

Fabian D.
Thanks, I only knew the one with a single barrel which comes with one of Dragons 38(t)´s

Christian Meyerhoff
First two "Winter Riders" finished. Some more to follow.

Holger Kranich
Wow the guys look really cool!

Christian Meyerhoff
Danke Alter! Nur die Fotos sind echte Schnellschüsse. Vor 10 Minuten unter der Schreibtischlampe gemacht. 🙂

Holger Kranich
Daher kein Blick auf deren Gesichter?😉

Die Stiefel der Landser sehen megagut aus!

Mike Kryza
Das wird ja wieder was...

Christian Meyerhoff
Genau Holger! Wenn die Besatzung komplett ist mache ich bessere Bilder mit Gesichtern. Da fehlen aber noch 4 Mann.

Choppa Nutta
"Thank you bro! Only the photos are real quick shots . Made 10 minutes ago, under the desk lamp"
Common tongue please otherwise some of us might feel left out of the conversation 😄 😄 😄

ah, so thats why it looks so bleached on the lighter bits.... looking good though 🙂

Christian Meyerhoff
Well Choppa, many thx for the quick translation. Some better pics will follow when the crew is completed. Four comrades still need some paint.
@ Mike: Ist noch lange nicht fertig und bietet nach wie vor jede Menge Potential das Ganze zu versemmeln.

Choppa Nutta
lol 🙂
"Is not finished yet and still offers plenty of potential for the whole thing to versemmeln"

versemmeln ? I wonder what that means ? 🙂

Christian Meyerhoff
Well Choppa... This is a bit difficult to translate from it`s original meaning. It`s a german term for scrapping or spoiling something. Sorry but no betterexplanation. (:

Choppa Nutta
hey no worries, Christian but I appreciate the insight 🙂
I take it is a weathering technique (or when you have ruined something and need to start again)
one of those two must be the tight answer 😄

Christian Meyerhoff
No Choppa. If you have"versemmelt" something it`s lost and can`t be brought back. After such an action you are the "Master of Desaster"

Choppa Nutta
haha I see now 🙂 so it is almost like a swear word ?

Jonns Pfeiffenberger
wow, eben erst wieder gesehen, tolle Fortschritte! Nur der Kanister hinten, bleibt der in dieser Position, oder will der gerade runter fallen?😉 Wobei der Eine vorne wohl auch beim ersten Ruckler auf dem Boden liegt 😛 👍

Christian Meyerhoff
Danke Dir Jonns!
Die Kanister liegen lose auf. Ob die so bleiben weiß ich noch nicht. Es fehlen auch noch ein paar Figuren.

Acki
Top, bis auf das Krombacher. 🙂

Christian Meyerhoff
Danke Dir Acki! Das mit dem Bier hatten wir hier schon...Jever Pils? Prima! (Aber nur als Additiv für die Scheibenwaschanlage)

Christian Meyerhoff
Finished!

Choppa Nutta
a nice feeling, especially with a result that you can be happy with such as this 🙂

Patrik Spett
The soldiers look a bit palefaced, they must be freezing 🙂

Hunter Cummins
Beautiful, but for spring, winter, wouldnt there be alot more wet, caky mud?

Acki
Toll. Machst Du noch ein Dio dazu?

Jonns Pfeiffenberger
Toll gemacht bisher, nur für Winter ist das Dingens zu sauber! Wenn du das beim Diobau mit erledigst, biste raus aus der Nummer!😉 👍

Mike Kryza
Schließe mich Acki und Jonns an... 🙂

Frank Krause
Toll gemacht, Christian! Na dann mal her mit dem Dio...

Es-haq Khosravi
Great job!

Christian Meyerhoff
Many Thx Mates!
@ Jonns: Hast recht, etwas Modder am Fahrwerk könnte nicht schaden. Mal sehen was da noch geht.