Glen B

Has anyone installed upgraded gearboxes in an HL Pz IV, and if so, what did you install?

Max-U52

I put the three shaft low profile black steel boxes in my Taigen Panzer IV, but I really want to put in brass gearboxes (or what used to be the Imex brass gears that Erik's having converted to black steel gears). I really want those for ALL my tanks, if they ever hit the market again.

I have a couple of those boxes (3 shaft low profile) I'm not using but they have the zinc gears. If you think you can use them maybe we can do some horse-tradin'.

Glen B

Thanks, I should have mentioned, I don't currently have a Pz. IV, I am doing research for a future project, the Pz IV is on the list of candidates. I like to see what parts are available before committing to a choice.

Max-U52

What's the project? In the December issue of Finescale Modeler they have a Kugelblitz that's on a PIV chassis and I was thinking that would be a great project to get my feet wet in scratchbuilding. All I'd have to scratchbuild would be the turret, and I just might be able to handle that.

Max-U52

This is what I'm thinking about trying to build.

Glen B

Nothing quite so ambitious.

I am looking at a Pz IV F2 in 1942 East Front colors/markings, perhaps the 11th Pz Div. A Clark equipped IR conversion, set up for our clubs IR battles.

Dusty Steppes

I have the Taigen PZ IV which uses a Henglong chassis and I used TAG120024 - 1/16 Taigen steel upgrade 4:1 (Black Steel) gearbox upgrade set with bearings, 48mm short shaft. I had to replace the new motor leads with the original motor leads because the new leads were too short.

Max-U52

I haven't tried to fit a 4 shaft gearbox in there, but it's good to know it will fit. Now I wonder about the Panzer III. So far those have fit in everything I've tried them in except the Jagdpanther (I've used both the 48 and 58mm shafts and next to the brass gearboxes I think they're the best I've found so far)). Now that I think about it, I should definitely put that on the to-do list. I just got the metal roadwheels for that (I have the TAG12097 PIV BB version) to go with the sprockets and idlers (it came with the metal tracks).

The F2 in eastern front markings sounds pretty cool. Have you picked out a particular tank or color profile you want to use? I hope you'll post photos. I don't like the paint job on my PIV so I want to change it. If I do the Kugelblitz I'll get a heng long to start with. First I'll have to figure out which chassis to use, as the one in that photo isn't quite the same as my Taigen PIV. The hatches in front appear to be angled on the Kugelblitz.

philipat

I'm working on an Ausf G. I haven't gotten to the lower hull yet, but I have a set of the brass gearboxes in the mail from Asiatam (which seems incredibly slow right now). Standard HL gearboxes, or anything that is the same size as standard HL gearboxes, will fit. One caution, though...the sprockets on the HL PzIV are too low. Realistically, they should be raised about 3-mm. If you're going to raise them, the best bet is to use the low profile brass gearboxes. You can just barely squeeze in a set of Speed400s for more torque. If you use the HL gearboxes, you'll have to engineer a way to tilt the gearboxes so that the motors stay at the same height but the sprockets go up.

I'd love to get a get set of steel, flat gearboxes with bearings. But, Erik has no timeline for those being available and I wanted to correct the sprocket height. The Asiatam gearboxes, which are the same as the Taigen ones, are the next best option. I'll try to see if I can get some bears for that box. On that one a question...best to get flanged bearings? If so, put the flanged side on the inside or outside of the gearbox?

Gary...the PzIII will support the same gearboxes as the PzIV. I have the Taigen/Asiatam metal lower hull and that one requires the lower profile gearboxes. You might get the steel ones in there, but I have the brass boxes. The plastic hull will work the same as the PzIV. You can find a kit for what you want to do at Asiatam or www.panzerparts.com. Might be another one somewhere that I'm missing...

Max-U52

Hey Philip, that's a very cool kit, but I really want to try a scratchbuild.

So the asiatam boxes have bushings? I think the Imex boxes are getting pretty close, and if they're not ready by spring there's something wrong. I have just one set of the Imex/Taigen brass gearboxes, and so far they're the very best I've found. If I could get them I'd have them in every tank I own (or at least I'd be getting them one or two at a time till I have enough!) I'll have to look into the flanged bearings and get back to you, but the ones I have are flange bearings with the flange on the inside.

Glen B

Perhaps the 11th Pz (the 1944 is a misprint)

http://www.rctank.de/Panzer-IV-F2-15...iv-July-1944_1

Or one from GrossDeutschland, gery with yellow overspray pattern, would have to make op my own stencils for that one.

However, in a departure from my usual theme, i am also considering a Bundeswehr Leopard 2A6.

Max-U52

Those are some good lookin' masks. I'm gonna have to go back and check out that site more thoroughly. I have a couple of tanks that are purely fictitious, but I'd like most of them to represent real tanks, and I'm thinking about tying some of them in with my 1/32 scale static aircraft just in that they could have been seen together in the same area. For example, I have an FW190 (that one's actually 1/24th) that's based on a plane flown by Emil "Bully" Lang and it would be cool to find a tank to match (One that Bully might have flown over at some point). I like those little connections.

philipat

Do post a build thread. I like watching the builds happen.

Good luck with the scratch build.

The Asiatam boxes have bushings for all of the gears except the drive shaft. That one rides on bearings. I'd like bearings for all of the shafts. I was thinking the flanged bearing would be the way to go and with the flange on the inside. Seems like that is how the set in my PzIII is setup. My PzIII set is a few years old. Maybe the new ones will surprise me and have bearings for all of the gear shafts.

Max-U52

I seem to remember Erik posting here that he was trying to get bearings on all the gearshafts, so we'll have to ask him about that, as well as when the darn things will be on the market!

Glen B

I highly recommend them, most of my tanks "wear" their products. They are good quality and easy to use. They are made of clear material so it is easy to lign up successive layers of color, including the intricate 4 color Tiger Abt. 506 unit emblem (looks good on my Taigen Tiger I )

The downside of doing up a Leopard is they don't make masks for them.

Max-U52

There's a guy right here on the forum that can make masks, I just can't remember who.

Glen B

We have a guy in the club that can, I have offered to pay him for them and suggested he do it as a business on the side, but so far he has not gone into it on a regular basis.

Green Amphibian

Airbrusher makes great masks.

Herman

philipat

I've used masks from rctank and Airbrushler. Both are awesome.

Glen B

Back to the gearboxes, as I recall with the Pz Iv. the thing is to make sure the front of the gearox is narrow enough, or notched to clear the hull mounting posts.

Dusty Steppes

No notch required with these. They drop right in.

Glen B

Are those gears steel, or cast?

They look a bit grey for steel, which could just be the picture, or gear lube.

Dusty Steppes

Those are the TAG120024 - Taigen steel upgrade 4:1 (Black Steel) gearbox upgrade set with bearings on the final axles, 48mm short shaft with white lithium grease applied. You might want to wait for the newer Taigen 4:1 gearboxes if they come with the 48mm short shafts. Looks like those have bearings throughout and not just on the final axles like mine.

They're mentioned in this thread:
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/rc-t...ial-deals.html

Glen B

Thanks, they look good.

Strato50

The regular black steel 4:1s fit nicely in the PnzIV, and you avoid the massive hassle of fitting them AROUND the center post for the hull attach point because they have a more rounded shape, & dont get in the way.

They're a bit sluggish in a IV but they will give you the torque. The steel geared "normal" ratios fit nicely too.