My German, Panzerkampfwagen IV, Ausführung H, in 1/16 SCALE:
*The Mother of Models “Sd.Kfz.161/2 Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausführung J” in 1/16 Scale:
First off, this was a great kit, perhaps reaching the limits of my ability. I deliberately took my time, and I pushed myself into scratch building or modifying existing parts like the upper hull so I could take it apart. I admit my model is far from perfect, but I’m really happy with how it’s coming along. It’s cool to me and a lot more than a drawing 3/D, but you can hold it! (Dropping it, however, is a terrifying thought.) This set of pictures goes from the beginnings of fitting and construction, to the final phases and the button-up! I thought I knew all about the Panzer 4s, inside and out, a bit of a fixation on armor, and I had to make it. There is a lot there, and then some.
Whether I can take it apart again without breaking it is a bit questionable, but I managed to do so. I’m not sure my ability to take pictures does the model much justice. I did primer much of the model bit by bit, and they came together, with a finished color, making none of it match In the end, so it received too many coats of paint, taking away from the details. I did scratch-built some stuff I felt I could make fit better, or something was overlooked, and I added by myself. Again, there are far better modelers than I am, and my old-school methods are limited, but that doesn’t stop me from pushing forward; they inspire me, and I learn from those who are better modelers. Still, I can’t always do as they can, but it keeps me busy.
It is a Trumpeter kit, a 1/16 scale giant of a model, Panzer IV Ausf. J., Some of these pictures are from the construction of the kit. There were several fine parts and resin detail parts that I bought and attempted to add to the kit, along with some scratch-building, such as piping, wiring, and weld marks. I suppose I did do a bit. But it is a very good kit, I thought I could do it, but I hesitated for some time. However, I took on the challenge, and it came with an organized kit that included a lot of parts and several options. Decent decals came with the set and were packaged in several separate boxes. I bought the crew extra, as they took a lot of work out of the process, and were pretty easy to make. Some details were missing or overlooked, and I had a problem with a few of them, but I have my limits, and I broke and fouled things up as I went. It took well over a year, and I was happy with it, working on it in summer and winter. It did not, however, fit well in the model case, but I’ll work that out.
The challenging kit is very well designed. I tried to modify the upper hull so it comes apart differently, and was successful to some extent, but something less than perfect, it is a great project, and was done over the Covid time, which kept me home and out of trouble.
*I missed taking pictures of the inside of the turret. I’ll have to update that!
Let me introduce you to my Panzerkampfwagon IV, Ausf. “H”, 12th SS-Division “Hitlerjungen”, Normandy Area, June 1944:
The finished model, calling it good! finely! I started sometime early on the start of COVID, and hid in my house! Like, well over a year ago now. This was my biggest challenge to date, I think, next to my T-34/85 in the same scale. I've been working on this thing, it’s a 1/16 scale Haswaga Model of the Panzerkampfwagon IV Ausf. H with the complete interior!
The crew was separate, and other small bits were ordered separately, some custom work, and finished off with some stuff cut out with a laser printer. It was a game-changer; this will change the industry in detail, and you don't have to solder it all together. All I bought was a fire extinguisher!!! MG ammo…The crew, some small bits, but there is a lot of fantastic stuff out there. I grabbed stuff that would be used, I hope now, in other kits I have. The kit though is very well designed, I was limited by what I can do, my skills and age worked for me to some extendt, but my yes and hands are giving me hell, so there again, I’m happy with th outcome, but maybe my eyes are giving me the benifit of the doubt, its probably the best I’ve done.
The faces on the figures have been repainted too many times, and it isn't getting better! Any more, I'm going blind obviously, and shaky as hell, and these small pieces and details are getting hard to super glue together without making a mess, so many little details, and even the new stuff has to be modified to your own particular model. Being retired, I could stay away or work all night on it; that is a blessing, I suppose. I modified a lot of stuff, I don’t know if I had lost my touch, or just kept mucking it up. Each step of the way was two steps forward and one back to fix or change something. I wanted it to be easy to open up, but it’s still complex, and when I pick up my models, I break something every time, hence the need for a showcase, to keep them from myself. Happy modeling, think it’s becoming a lost art, now that it’s at its peak in details and the amount of stuff out there. People will keep painting, but modding will go into 5-piece 3/D stuff, I should think. I don’t know if people have the patience and drive to build and design stuff; everything is computerized, people might get into the Diorama thing more, or comic book figures, or something.
