PANZER IV BUILD no 012

[Nick Farrugia]

Hello to all
Received my pz iv on thursday it is number 012 off the production line,so to speak.
I wasnt going to make a start on it until after the newyear but as soon as i opend the box,s i couldnt help my self ,so here goes. I am going to try and do an ausf j version ,but will have to wait and see ,i dont think their was mutch of a difference visually from the H version . In fact i think the early J,s were H versions just modified up .I have a book on ausf J , topdrawings , Krzysztof Mucha, that lists early J,S too later J versions that list the differences in the H to the J so i will be using this book quit a bit.Here are some pics of the floor pan and hatches .

[John Fitzsimons]

Nice to see one started. Good luck.

[Nick Farrugia]

Hello to all
did a bit more today ,work on the bogies ,all arms fitted nice and snug so only needed to pass the file over their faces a bit to get a nice loose fit perfect.Did the same on the inside of the bogies body where the arms go so that i have got a smooth move ment up and down.

I then screwed the axles in place with lock tight ,i just needed to deber the holes for the pins to fit through to the arms. I then driled the holes for m3 bolts, for the fake bolts in the face of the bogies. I just sprayed one up to see how it looks, im happy happy with the way it looks so far.

[Mr Michael Shaw]

Hi Nick,

Thanks for the inspiration. Mine arrives tomorrow.

I like your paint color (or colour for you Brits). What paint are you using?

Best,

Michael

[Nick Farrugia]

Hi michael
you will be very pleased when it arives ,the paint i used is a car spray and filler combined in one this is not the top coat its just the under coat for now .good luck with yours when it arrives .
all the best
nick

[leesellars]

Hello Nick

For best results use a etching primer like upol.

Lee

[John Fitzsimons]

That yellow primer looks like the one I used but I used over etch primer. I have started using Army painter desert yellow as a base. Takes the dark yellow better. PS. great work there. Kit looks great. Can't wait

[Nick Farrugia]

Thanks Lee and john ,i have some etch primer on order but just couldnt wait to see what it looked like with some paint on i find it gives a better look than plain metal .Thanks for the advice keep it coming its always welcome,
regards
nick

[Nick Farrugia]

Hello to all
managed to finish the bogies off tonight ,sprayed and then fitted the springs .The colour is the final base colour i will be using ,its the same as the pz111 and my halftrack so i know its ok

Etch primer arrived today but they sent grey instead of the tan or yellow i wanted ,i kept one can sent the rest back will wait for a new supply.Next on the list is the lower hull build ,looking forward to this .
best wishes
nick

[Robert E Morey]

Nick,
Its great to see some photos of the new P4. Thanks for posting them. I'm looking forward to getting mine as well. Are you going to add additional detail to yours, or build it stock? Does it come with Armorpax parts?

Best regards,
Bob

[John Fitzsimons]

Nice colour. What type of paint is it?
Bob, Mark said it comes with set of Armorpax detail parts. Looking forward to seeing what is in the kit though. What about headlight? Are the etched footboards the right pattern? Lots of scope for detailing on those bogies.

[Nick Farrugia]

Hi Bob and John
Bob you will not be disapointed this is agreat kit,it does come with a very comprehensive set of armorpax parts a stunning headlight great tow hooks and lots of other things that i havent looked at yet, dont want to get side tracked too mutch.I wont be doing a great deal to the model ,so i would say it will be mostly a stock build, i will leave the very fine detailing to you guys and others on the forum .This is not to say i wont be making any changes or altering anything ,its just i will do what i can.
Hi John the colour i had mixed up when i did my pz111 the paint code is
BS 361 LIGHT STONE MATT+ 2g 102 this is whats on the label on the can when i had it mixed up i have found it to be very good .if you need any more info on this let me know.
Here,s some pics of what you both asked about sorry theirs not more just yet


all the best
nick

[Nick Farrugia]

Hi to all
Just a small modification to the coverplate end caps that run under and between the bogies underneath the tank they had gaps running up the edges so they could be folded as you can see in the pics,so i took them to work and weded up the slots to make them stronger and to stop anything getting caught in them.
hi john heres a pic of the plating




thats all for now all the best
nick

[Steve Lewington]

Hi nick

Loving your build pitchers she`s looking good
I’m looking forward to the day my one arrives.
I shall be watching your build with great interest as you are the first to build.
Looking forward to the next lot of photos.

Kind regards and happy building

Steve

[John Fitzsimons]

Thanks Nick, exceeds my expectations. Looks like Steve's headlight. i did'nt expect to get those bogie guards and the footboards look great. Thanks for posting. I have some iseful books on the Panzer IV. Let me know if you need any details.