2024 Sdkfz 7 - First time build

[neil graham]

Hi Colin, I'm impressed by the solid start you have made.

My wife was horrified when she found out what my first kit cost, but she now thinks they actually provide reasonable value considering just how many hours go into making a kit....and it keeps me off the streets. She was impressed as everyone else at the first test drive of my (turretless) Tiger.

My Sdkfz 7 arrived today, very exciting! It's my third kit, I wont be starting anytime soon as I need to finish my Tiger, but I am pleased to see your detailed thread, I am sure it will help me out with potential issues. Good luck and have fun.

[Colin Stevens]

Hi all, I have now made a start on the road wheels. I have fitted together two of wheel "A", gets boring very quickly, 21 nuts and bolts each wheel. When I finished the two I suddenly thought it might be a goo idea to check the fit on the axles, as there are 2 bearing, 1 in each half of the wheel. One spun lovely, the other didn't. I fact it really didn't want to go on the axle at all. Scratched my head a bit, and came up with.............
Loosen the nuts and bolts,
Put a nut onto the thread of the axle,
put the axle into my very ancient and battered vice,
then put the loosened road wheel assembly on to the axle,
it now spun easily,
now go round and retighten the nuts and bolts. problem solved. I shall do this for the rest of the road wheels "A"

Also have the tyres on to road wheel "B".
The bags are getting empty and lighter.

[Colin Stevens]

So, I have got to the point where some obvious truths have hit me.
This thing is heavy, I knew it was heavy, I carried the boxes in to the garage. So why am I building it on my workbench. Not a hope in hell of being able to lift it down to the floor once its completed!! No I'm not buying a motorbike lift, her in doors would have a fit! (I did tell her I wouldn't need to spend any more on extras, didn't mention all the Loctite's, paint and extra tools, servo, batteries for drive and my radio, that's assuming my radio still works!) Got round it it by using pulleys and a lifting strop, seems to work.

2 cans of primer, not enough.
2 cans of colour not enough. More ordered.

Any way, I have just realised that apart from road wheel "B" the chassis are done!
Steering is on, but I think the bump stop may be in the wrong way round, as the front axle doesn't seem to hit the stops. Closer examination needed. You can see from the photos that I also had issues setting it up as paint has been scratched off from where parts are fouling.

The sprocket assembly was fun, very cautious fettling needed to get it all to fit nicely. I had a major melt down on getting all the rollers to fit and "spin" freely. They all spun nicely till the fixings were tightened, then some, not all, started to bind. After much assembling and disassembling, I have got there, bar a couple that turn but don't spin, if you get the difference.

[Colin Stevens]

I am wondering about the position of the front bump stop for the front axle. When the axle is at maximum travel it doesn't hit the bump stop centre to centre, it hits on the tangent. I am thinking of relocating the stop so it hits centre to centre, unless there is a reason for it to hit at a tangent. Advise please.
Still all going well, did a dry run of putting the road wheels I've finished on the the chassis. That didn't go so well. I ended up taking of the outer rim of road wheel "A", then the assembly was a whole lot easier.
This does mean I am getting closer to the job I've been dreading, the tracks! Still haven't made up my mind on how to go about this, or even whether to paint.

[Colin Stevens]

Hi, I decided to relocate the bump stops as the axle bridle is hitting the frame at maximum deflection. After moving the stops forward a bit I found that it didn't make any difference. The answer was to build up the stop. I used a piece of plastic, all I have, shaped to the shape of the stop and refixed. Now I'm a happy bunny.

[Colin Stevens]

The wheels are now on. As I thought I have no chance of lifting this. So I used the pulley system, old climbing tackle, and rope to hoist it up so it was standing vertically, then the idea was to lower it back down the right way up. As per usual my thing was flawed, as per usual I should have known better. I did not have enough height to get it completely up right with all the lifting tackle. so I did end up man handling it to the vertical, and the I realised that the sling would not allow me to lower it. I did manage it in the end with the wife's help. I didnt get any photos of that. But I then had to relift het to get the base under.
I do need to have a good examination as she doesn't seem to roll very easily. I know she's heavy but even so.

[Dale jordan]

Looking real nice Colin . Great inspiration for me to move forward your dark grey looks fantastic she should roll very smoothly check your axle bolts might be a bit tight keep up the good workmanship . Dale

[Colin Stevens]

Ooopps, made the mistake of looking at previous builds, Simon Manning and David Bradley, in particular. Now I just have to do the rivet detail on body work that they have done. Any idea on what size rivets to use? I do have a idea but I would like it confirmed before I order lots of rivets only to find they look to small or to big. Plus the boss will kill me, again, for what she doesn't see the point off!

[Derek Attree]

Hi Colin
On my 2014 build I used 1.6 mm or 16th of an inch copper
rivets.
I got them from polly model engineering supplies but EKP also do them.
Not started the current kit as working on my Jagdpanther at the moment.
Ivan sure Simon will respond too with what he has done.

Hope this helps

Regards Derek

[Colin Stevens]

Hi Colin
On my 2014 build I used 1.6 mm or 16th of an inch copper
rivets.
I got them from polly model engineering supplies but EKP also do them.
Not started the current kit as working on my Jagdpanther at the moment.
Ivan sure Simon will respond too with what he has done.

Hope this helps

Regards Derek

Thank you for the reply Derek, can I ask, is that 1.6mm head, or 1.6mm shank?

[Derek Attree]

Hi Colin
Shank
D

[Colin Stevens]

Hi all. here I am again picking the collectives brain/experience. RE the tracks, is it better to paint the individual tracks before assembly, or assemble the tracks first and then spray?

[Colin Stevens]

Spent a pleasent morning in the garage opening plain brown paper parcels, such fun. I only wanted a few of the parts, but I have been patient to long, and just kept opening parcels. Then I just hade to see what they looked like on the chassis, then, well couldn't stop there, now had to rub them down and clean them. After all that effort they were just crying out to be sprayed. Just a little bit of filling needed on the back rest (white bit).

[Colin Stevens]

After spending a many happy hour cleaning and priming, here is the start of the upperworks. Yes, I know I shouldn't be doing this until the motion pack is here, and the motors installed, but as I am going to add some rivet detail, (really shouldn't look at other peoples work) I wanted to see how it was all going to come together. My hope is that I can do the rivets, fix the the body sides on to the deck/body rear/front bulkhead and mudguards, blend it all in, prime and then bolt the whole assembly down on to the chassis. The assembly in the photo is only held down by a few nuts and bolts to check for fit/alignment, I will see what access is like for the nuts to chassis fixings when I remove it.
Any tips on how to close the ga at the front, I have tried "sneezing" the side on to the mudguard but it isn't having none of it.

[florian rudolf]

Close it with solder