The PzKpfw IV is a popular machine in the modelling community, and many companies have produced kits in 1/72. The weak point on the majority of those sets are the tracks and wheels.
OKB Grigorov produces over 30 different sets for the Pz III and IV family of vehicles. There are tracks, road wheels, idlers, return rollers and sprockets. With the recent additions to my collection I was looking to replace the vinyl and DS tracks with a more detailed, durable, and easier to work with option, so below you will see images of
Using OKB Grigorov’s resing parts has been very easy. In fact with the help of a hair drier I was able to bend the track run around the wheels and get some sag on the track. The track run retained its shape so well it could hold the wheels in place with no glue whatsoever!
After the track was painted I started weathering the wholes assembly, and added some “volumized” mud on the hull, which requires some pigment powders to look like the real deal (dry mud).
A small detail – Albion Alloys copper tube used for the exhaust pipes:
OK, after showing what’s in the box let’s see how to build this beast of a kit.
First, I glued together the hull halves and added the main fenders. They are way too thick for the scale and after being measured were chopped off.
Next step – fill the trenches where the former fenders join the upper hull, and sand the sides down until they are smooth.
Hull filled and sanded
Details will have to be restored…
Fabricate the new fenders from scrap metal – here 0,1mm brass sheet cut to size and bent. The bend is sort of uneven, which is fine considering this is a tank.
