Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.H, GPM 1:25
- Thread starter snake7
- Start date
- Apr 5, 2013
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Beyond words!. Back in my plastic modeling days, I'd scrape rust off of metal, mix it with Clear Flat paint, till it was almost a paste, then paint the part, voila, rusty parts.
How do you do this?
How do you do this?
That are reaky small parts how are you able to cut all these parts without breaking them up.
Those are laser cut track parts
Snake7 - You could do a small tutorial of how to do the tracks with separate links.
Hi Tino. Of course, I will. It is a part of my building process. when I finish some steps, I'll post everything.
Hi everyone,
All this time, I've been working on the tracks.
I'm using a laser-cut track kit from Anamera. I ordered it many years ago in advance, but unfortunately, his site is now down, and I’m not sure if he’s still producing these kits. I always liked his kits—they were detailed, reasonably priced, and featured some interesting design solutions.
I also have a set of Tiger tracks in my stash.
The kit I’m working with includes track links (inner and outer sides), track shoes, and track teeth. It’s specifically the Type 5a, which was used from 1942 on vehicles like the Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. H, StuG III Ausf. G, StuG IV, and StuH 42.
Here's how I approached the build so far:
Step 1:
I removed all the components from the sheets, just like with regular plastic kits.
Step 2:
I started assembly like on a conveyor belt. The first task was gluing the two halves of each track link together. For positioning, I used 0.3 mm solder wire pins. I assembled three links at a time, leaving the pins in place until the glue dried, so they wouldn’t fill the pin grooves. Then I removed the pins from first one and vice versa.
Step 3:
I glued the two parts of each track shoe together.
Step 4:
Next were the ground holders. Since they’re tiny, I used a reverse assembly method—glued the shoes directly onto the holders while they were still on the alignment sheet, and only then cut them out.
Step 5:
I assembled the two halves of the track teeth.
Step 6:
I trimmed the edge corners of each track link. This will allow the chain to bend properly during final assembly. Did test stripe from several links. Connecting them was fairly easy.
Final result, about 230-240 links and their components
So far, this is only half the work. I still need to connect the links into two chains, add the track shoes and leading teeth—but I’ll do that after I finish assembling the bogies. That’s because I’m still not sure how many links I’ll need for each side.
Painting is also on the horizon. I’m hoping to borrow a friend’s airbrush and go with acrylics.
All this time, I've been working on the tracks.
I'm using a laser-cut track kit from Anamera. I ordered it many years ago in advance, but unfortunately, his site is now down, and I’m not sure if he’s still producing these kits. I always liked his kits—they were detailed, reasonably priced, and featured some interesting design solutions.
I also have a set of Tiger tracks in my stash.
The kit I’m working with includes track links (inner and outer sides), track shoes, and track teeth. It’s specifically the Type 5a, which was used from 1942 on vehicles like the Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. H, StuG III Ausf. G, StuG IV, and StuH 42.
Here's how I approached the build so far:
Step 1:
I removed all the components from the sheets, just like with regular plastic kits.
Step 2:
I started assembly like on a conveyor belt. The first task was gluing the two halves of each track link together. For positioning, I used 0.3 mm solder wire pins. I assembled three links at a time, leaving the pins in place until the glue dried, so they wouldn’t fill the pin grooves. Then I removed the pins from first one and vice versa.
Step 3:
I glued the two parts of each track shoe together.
Step 4:
Next were the ground holders. Since they’re tiny, I used a reverse assembly method—glued the shoes directly onto the holders while they were still on the alignment sheet, and only then cut them out.
Step 5:
I assembled the two halves of the track teeth.
Step 6:
I trimmed the edge corners of each track link. This will allow the chain to bend properly during final assembly. Did test stripe from several links. Connecting them was fairly easy.
Final result, about 230-240 links and their components
So far, this is only half the work. I still need to connect the links into two chains, add the track shoes and leading teeth—but I’ll do that after I finish assembling the bogies. That’s because I’m still not sure how many links I’ll need for each side.
Painting is also on the horizon. I’m hoping to borrow a friend’s airbrush and go with acrylics.
I always had a love/hate relationship with tracks, I loved how easy rubber tracks were, but hated how they looked...... And I loved how individual link tracks looked, but hated assembling them.