Heres my custom Panzer IV in 1/18 scale from Ultimate Soldier. Its a hybrid Panzer IV D,E. Panzer IV H turret with an E or D hull. Ultimate Soldier kind of goofed on research here. Stock electronics. I had to fill all the wheel centers and holes in the turret and body and remove the turret skirt armor. The MG-34 belt is photo etched brass in 1/35 for .50 cal. the size is perfect for 1/18. The 3 MG 34 barrels are drilled out. The German crosses are 1/48 airplane decals. The numbers are from a 1/35 Tiger. The "Ghost Division" decals are from a 1/18 sheet I found on Ebay. There should be some vision ports in the turret and hull. I decided not to build them because they would have had to be scratch built and I simply didnt feel like doing it. The tow cable is real metal. I rusted the muffler by adding baking soda to rust colored paint. I did the weathering with a dark wash, drybrushing, my airbrush and pastels.

wow, thats a nice looking tank

good job mate

-Jeremy

I have one of these coming in the mail. I was going to stick Heng long electronics in it. What are the tracks like? How durable

Oh great job

Great looking Pz IV. I have 3 and you can do a lot with them. I also routed the radio antenna to the side and ran in up through the molded antenna mount near where it come out the engine compartment. As long as it's there, why not use it. Been wondering if HL RC stuff would do better. I have a set I took out of an M-26.

Nice idea on the cal 50 belt...looks great.
Bill

I still plan on running a flexible wire up through the original antennea mount and then use the rigid one on top. It wont be accurate for an early panzer though. The early panzer had a folding anntenea on the side. Thats why mantlet has the frame work to push it over when the turet rotates.

The tracks are vynil and held together with 2 rivets. So far they seem OK. I have some static 1/18 tanks I've had since 2000 and the tracks still are pliable. These tanks are more like toys and I think with hard R/C use they would eventualy give up the ghost.

Nice looking tank! I recognized the Florida sunshine right away, and of course your house. What city ya in?

I'm in Ft.Myers.

Excellent work [sm=thumbup.gif]

Roger the antenne mount. The fold up antenne was changed over in mid '43 I believe and placed at the rear. Why they kept the antenna guard on the gun throughout the war is a mystery. I have another coming in and will do this one with the foldaway antenna and stowage on the right where it originally was designed. Great looking tank. Have you tried any other RC stuff with these? They look so good, it's a shame not to use them. The minute diff between 1;16 and 1;18 isn't enough to bother.

Bill

Agreed. I plan on using 1/18 Ultimate Soldier tankers in my 1/16 Heng Long Tigers. I bought a pile of them on Ebay and the price is right. pattoncommander did you crew them in the service? I spoke with an old Brit tanker a while back and he told me he drove Centurions and the big Conquerer. It was an interesting conversation. He gave me several photos from the Bovington Tank Museum. I'm also lucky to have as a neighbor the son of the late Colonel Michel Aubry. The former curator and founder of the Cavalry Museum, Musee Des Blindes in Samur, France. Home of several running and restored German tanks including the worlds only running King Tiger.

Here's a video of the King Tiger at the museum. It shows how they start it and driving down a street. Just plain awesome. I love the jerky steering! http://youtube.com/watch?v=nSmgMzFdv4M

Thats a great job youve done there.
Do you seal the pastels?

Yes, I sealed them with a flat coat. Unfortunatly this tones down the pastels a great deal. I used Model Master Acryl Flat. Oil base enamel is my paint of choice. I only use acrylics for the flat coat, sometimes washes and maybe some odds and ends.

Top job mate... really jealous!

Nice work. The paint and weathering are incredible!

Love that gun-belt! Model puts Bandai to shame.

Great job!

Unbelievable Shadopilot. That is very sharp. Nice job.

Here's what I did to the back of the tank. I made 2 hooks out of metal rod and drilled the holes to mount them for the tow cable. The tow cable is picture hanging wire and the eyelets are looped over and wrapped in heavy lead foil. The cable has that bent and battered look from towing out his buddies!! I painted the cable silver followed by black and rust washes.I added baking soda to Polly Scale Zinc Chromate Primer to get the rust effect on the muffler. The camera doesnt capture the weathering very well on the tank.

Thats nice work, I have one of these that I am about to get on with. Probably desert colours. I have a static H version to do, do these come RC also then? The figures are great and One went straight into one of the Tigers.

Below is my research, lots and lots of lovely pics, actually 101 panzer IV pics for you all.

http://news.webshots.com/album/375961412VcUmDh

Yes, This one is R/C. They make them that way now. Engine sound, turret turns. cannon elevates, recoil effect when firing.

Martin G, excellent photos of the Panzer IV! Many of them I have never seen before and I have just about every book published on German tanks in my home library including the expensive Speilberger series and the excellent Fedorowitz books.!! The Combat History of Panzerjager Abteilung 653 is my favorite. I have the rare hardbound version.

Shadowpilot, really great job... I use rustall but you've found something just as good and cables are exactly what I do with my 1;35 stuff. I'll have to update my Panzers. Check out my early antenna on the Pz IV I got yesterday.
Bill

The antennea looks spot on!! Now I wish I had done mine that way. Next time.

is this a century 21 Pz IV? They did such a nice job on them, it's too bad the RC is such cheap junk. I intended this last Pz IV as a battlefield knock-out, but am thinking of just doing is as a very early model.
Bill