PzKpfw II Ausf L "Luchs"

[DavidN]

So nice to see you that you have accomplished the run. Looks awesome. I will document your steps and your work on this project after my injured fingers recover. There are so many little parts in this project that it is kinda difficult for a "handicapped" to do. I am working the big parts KT and jagdpanzer IV project at this time.

[SoCalBobS]

Major Milestone Achieved!

After painting the lower hull & suspension, I installed the wheels, plugged in a battery and tested the operation. Success! Here's a clip for proof.

https://youtu.be/ZChtNAzkjdQ

How I did it. Actually, I have a few tips for anyone contemplating this project. Some things have to be changed for true mobility. First, I still haven't secured the torsion bars to the body, good that I didn't. The connection between the torsion bar and swing arm requires a hole drilled then a slot cut in the plastic for the bar to fit in. This makes it very fragile. Three broke off or became unglued. Use enough CA to give the joint strength. This in turn may require reaming the body hole the swing arm fits in. Use a 4.5mm drill to ream them as well as holes on some of the wheels. The system for attaching the wheels to the swing arms requires a careful application of glue. Too much in the wrong spot and it's jammed. This is why I haven't glued the torsion bars in yet. I may have to do some maintenance or repairs and once the wheels are attached to the bars, that's permanent.

On to the superstructure, sound and turret..

[The43rdHammer]

Mmmmmmm …. Cookies ….

[Rob1970]

The Luchs is a favourite of mine (not as favourite as Centurian 😎) and that model in the YT video is suberb, I love the main gun!

I've been resisting a tank, but if either of the above ever got released then I would trade my green light sabre for a red one and turn to the dark side.

[The43rdHammer]

The Luchs is a favourite of mine (not as favourite as Centurian 😎) and that model in the YT video is suberb, I love the main gun!

I've been resisting a tank, but if either of the above ever got released then I would trade my green light sabre for a red one and turn to the dark side.

[SoCalBobS]

A tiny tease...

I successfully connected the MTC to a 4-channel Spektrum receiver. Only plugged the motor leads for now, not the turret. I'd love to say it was a one minute job, but getting the MTC plugs into the correct sockets was a fuster cluck. Anyway, for anyone setting theirs up, Plug 1 goes into the Aileron socket and Plug 2 into the Elevator socket. Once I get the wheels painted and installed, I'll have a chassis I can drive around!

Another detail; the idler wheel axle assembly isn't really engineered for actual operation, and sits loosely in it's location. To secure it from falling, I added a small screw inside.

[DavidN]

Ok! I got all the bars through. I did not glue the gearboxes yet.

[OKC_Jim]

Interesting project, Bob. Looking forward to following your progress.

[SoCalBobS]

Time for a break!

With the torsion suspension done, it’d be time to attach the wheels. But! There are 20 pie plate road wheels. Because they are “interleaved”, they need to be painted beforehand, as well as the hull sides behind them! This in turn means detail parts have to be glued before painting. I’ll be back when this is done.


One last point: the wheel to axle tolerance is tight. I used a 4.8mm drill to ream the holes to make the wheels spin freely.

[DavidN]

I am heading to Apple Valley with my RC Tiger for the Pro-line By the Fire Event tomorrow. I will continue these next steps from your pictures on this project Sunday.

[SoCalBobS]

Torsion bar assembly: original plastic with rod, swing arm drilled and cut for steel strip, strip inserted. Swing arm in place.

[SoCalBobS]

My torsion bar suspension considerations are in RCTW but notice the sides are not symmetrical. The gray and black supports have to be placed correctly and precisely to allow torsion bars to twist. Don't glue in the gearboxes until this step is finished. I did glue the transmission covers onto the hull and the metal adapters onto the sprocket wheels. Those are needed to properly position the gearboxes when the time comes.

[DavidN]

Got it! Thank you for the tip on track links. That helps significantly.

[SoCalBobS]

Hey David. I’ll post some details later, but don’t glue in the gearboxes yet. Dry fitting only! Not clear in the instructions, but the torsion bar assembly is Germanic in its complexity, and needs to be done before securing the motors.

Regarding the tracks, a tip is if a particular link is harder than usual to connect, put a second rod in temporarily from the other side to help in alignment.

[DavidN]

I am slowly crawling behind you Bob by checking your picture and the manual. So grateful to have a leader :-)

[DavidN]

Thanks Bob! I will just have to follow you as I did with the Lee and Stug IV.

[SoCalBobS]

First step, preparation for the gearboxes. I'm posting a more detailed build thread "PzKpfw II L 35rctanks conversion construction" on the "RC Tank Warfare" forum.

[DavidN]

I received my order too. I haven't gotten the time to assemble the track links yet. Daughter started school. But I tried to few links and they were difficult to work on :-(

[SoCalBobS]

Got mine today - 6 days, not bad! Now the work begins.

OK, to details. Here's what you get, from top left:



Turret rotation assembly. Rotation motor, mounts for elevation and recoil, a PCB to control it. A humungus speaker! Turret ring - this is run by a motor on the rotation assembly. Cannon recoil unit - solenoid operated with a spring return. The MCU, main control unit. Two motor/gearbox assemblies. Assorted small parts to complete it.

Needed to add is a 4+ channel receiver. Their manual shows a Spektrum Rx.

[DavidN]

My order went through. I made payment. SK confirmed payment received and the item was shipped. I am waiting for it to arrive.