I'm looking at (lusting after!) one of Vandra's 1/16th modification kits, the Mobelwagen self-propelled anti-aircraft vehicle on the Panzer IV chassis. I ran across this spectacular video from someone in Germany, I believe. A basic mod using a stock MFU would yield the traverse and elevation, but not the sides dropping, the cyclic recoil, muzzle flash and synced sound. It sure looks cool! Anybody gotten their hands on one?
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Twenty six tanks, and not done yet!
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Update/bump; DAK RC has a Mobelwagen kit enroute to me, hopefully picking it up at the March 14th San Diego tank battle. No Flak 43 yet, but I'll jury rig something in the meantime. I bid on a static Heng Long Panzer IV from Toucan/eBay for $80, and it's being shipped now. This way I won't have to dissect my Panzer IV and potentially make a mistake on it. I'm thinking of installing the HL machine gun LED in the Flak barrel. If one holds the MG button down for about 5 seconds, it can activate an IR receiver, but not as strong as the main gun (tested with LegoDEI's target module).
From Vandra's website:
Twenty six tanks, and not done yet! -
That video was awesome. Waiting to see how yours comes out and how you built it.
GITankerComment
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I think we are going to kill Toucans supply of Static IVs haha.Comment
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Yeah, mine will be nowhere like that video - I wish! I'm trying to do it on a budget, using available HL parts. Hope to use the stock motorized traverse and elevation and as I'd mentioned, the MG LED to make it IR battleworthy!Originally posted by GITanker View PostTwenty six tanks, and not done yet!Comment
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I just received my "static Panzer IV F1", the basis for my conversion. Some observations and some questions...
Interestingly, the components differ from a static Sherman I bought for another project. This has plastic gears as opposed to zinc, which is not a problem for my purposes, I won't be thrashing this conversion. This has a speaker and smoker, which the Sherman did not. The MFU is the old Mhz type (27, 49?) but a newer version, "7.0".
My questions relate to the speaker and smoker. Will they work with my spare TK 6.0 2.4ghz MFU?
Twenty six tanks, and not done yet!Comment
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The speaker should work OK, not sure about the smoker. Does the smoker have a small circuit board on it?
SteveComment
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yep.Originally posted by Sureshot View Post
edit; confirmed, the speaker works fine, even has the same connecting plug.Twenty six tanks, and not done yet!Comment
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I know the 6.0 MFU sends two different voltages to the smoker, 6v to the heating element and 3v to the pump/fan motor if I remember right. The 5.3 just sends one voltage to the heating element and I think the circuit board reduces the voltage to the motor.
You might try hooking the smoker to a 6v source and see if it works.
Is there a switch for the smoker under the tank?
Here is some good info on the earlier units ; https://www.rctankwarfare.co.uk/foru...pic.php?t=4555
SteveComment
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Hmm. It's not a needed thing, so I'll wait until a buddy upgrades his stock 6.0 smoker.Twenty six tanks, and not done yet!Comment
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I've started construction on this vehicle, as I'm on hiatus externally with the M3 Lee project. I'm blogging both of these so that those contemplating Vandra's conversions will know what they're getting in to. Overall impression: nothing fits out of the box, there's a lot of cutting, filing and fitting involved. I think Vandra may do some of this purposely, as it's better to have too much on a part and be able to remove stuff than to not have enough. You do end up with a unique AFV, and I enjoy the shop work.
So, the first step is to remove the front top deck of the Heng Long Pzkfw IV. Let me tell you, that's one tough mutha! HL's plastic is strong. Cutting discs, circular saws and sanding cylinders on a strong dremel type tool are all needed.
This is where the fitting work starts, seating the new deck on the hull:
All done? Not so! The new deck is a solid block, whereas the original is hollow. The gearboxes sit slightly higher than the hull.
You'll have to trim some off the gearbox frame, and make a recess on the new deck, to ensure the gears themselves don't hit the deck underside. Also, since there is no underside room on the deck, relocation of internal components is necessary. The stock speaker originally sat on the side of the hull, and hit the new deck. I removed the smoker and put the speaker in it's place. I'm using a 6.0 MFU and that didn't fit vertically in the hull either. It now sits on the battery box after I removed some protrusions.
I'm also starting the hinge work on the box sides; very fragile, tiny holes need to be drilled. More on that in a later post.
Are we having fun yet?Twenty six tanks, and not done yet!Comment
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Well I think I'm going to end this project. It's a lot of work for not enough result. This post is for the benefit of anyone contemplating this conversion.
I encountered a number of issues, all of which could have been overcome. However, without major effort I would have ended up with an AFV that would sit on a shelf as a motorized display model. First, the issues: My previous post described the modifications necessary to place the superstructure. Once it was in place, there would be little to no room for mechanisms to have the gun articulate or function in any other way. Also, the resin castings do not lend themselves to the precision needed to have the sides hinge well.
Here is the body ready for the box sides.
Sides attached. Note the tiny magnets I placed to hold the sides together when folded up.
Sides folded up. here's where the problems arise. Notice that the sides don't match up. One piece will line up out of one adjoining piece, but inside the other adjoining piece. Some is warpage, but some is the hinge work.
To articulate the hinges, holes need to be drilled with a 1mm bit. You can see that it's difficult to access the needed points and drill a straight hole.
Also, the hinges don't line up at all, so filing is necessary. There are dimples where the holes should be drilled, but look at the upper left hinge. That's after a bunch of filing and it still stands proud. And notice the gap in the side hinge.
I did not break any of the resin, it's pretty strong, but I doubt it would hold up in outdoor exercises. Finally, I'd have had to find a way to mount an IR receiver, and alter the gun for an IR emitter, and place traverse and elevation servos on the gun, which meant a Clark board & a compatible transmitter.
Fortunately, all is not a total loss. Vandra makes a StuG IV conversion. More conventional - room inside for mechanics, amenable to IR battling. I can migrate the chassis to that project.Twenty six tanks, and not done yet!Comment
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That's a shame, as it's such a unique project. To be honest, I hope you'll pick it up again at some point.
The warping looks disheartening yes. Maybe it would be possible to replicate the front and rear panels from sheet brass, with added styrene interior details, while salvaging the support flaps?
The hinges would probably be better replaced with some brass tubing. Probably a lot of work to neatly align, but it would hold up better.
Articulating the gun, could probably make it rotate? Up and down would be difficult I guess.
Concerning drilling holes in those tight spaces parallel to a wall: A trick would be to mount the drill bit tightly in a length of styrene tube, elongating the reach without getting the pin vice, dremel or your fingers in the way.Comment
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Hi QV, thanks for the comments. I’d thought of ways to redo the hinges, I’m not a brass worker but that’d be good! Regarding the gun, there’s not really enough room to place a servo or other rotation mechanism under the deck. Not one problem, but a bunch, so ya gotta know when to fold ‘em!Twenty six tanks, and not done yet!Comment
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you could mate a thinnish large diameter gear, such as a modified turret gear to the gun pivot shaft and use the stock Henglong turret rotation motor. placed aft under the engine deck.Comment
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That's what I would have done, but that's where the speaker and 6.0 MFU had to be relocated! All of these ideas COULD be done, but then again, it wouldn't be something I would use on a battlefield, and that's my focus. Good thinking, though.Originally posted by Vaseline View Post
I guess I could make it into a "munitionschlepper" (sp?)
However, the body will be recycled as a Sturmgeschutz IV. Vandra's photo, not mine.
Twenty six tanks, and not done yet!Comment
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