Inexpensive Panzekampfwagen IV in 1:18

[Forward Observer]

I couldn't find mention of this anywhere, but while browsing the 1/16 radio control tanks available on EBay, I came across this relatively in-expensive Panzer IV available that is 1:18 scale and it is also RC.

It's not a 21st century or New Millennium, and it's not labeled as a Pz IV, but it sure looks like an Ausf F or H. There aren't any track skirts, but it does have the external plates around the turret. There are also some side fenders that would have to be cut away.

Here's a couple of the pictures.





and here's a link to the guy's ad.

http://cgi.ebay.com/New-1-18-Radio-Remo ... dZViewItem

It's also not painted correctly and has some bogus decals on it, but it might make a good basis for a re-work.

The guy is asking $43, which includes shipping, so this might be a good alternative to trying to find one of the very expensive European only versions of the Panzer IV , equally rare US versions, or the New Millennium models which seem to only come available in the short barreled Ausf D versions.

Cheers

[vmf214]

Thanks for the link. Free shipping on this is ok, but, their inflated shipping charges on everything else is just down right ridiculous, unless they are another one of those US based sellers that their items are shipped directly from China...

[Forward Observer]

Thanks for the link. Free shipping on this is ok, but, their inflated shipping charges on everything else is just down right ridiculous, unless they are another one of those US based sellers that their items are shipped directly from China...

Agreed about the shipping--especially from California. He has this same item on auction starting at $9.00, but then he has $28 for shipping, so it's
not much of a bargain.

All of these cheap RC units have no proportional speed control, which makes them jerk around unrealistically, but I would imagine if one could rework the guts adding proportional speed control and maybe a flywheel they would run better.

Still for that price, I am going to take a chance and see if the the thing is modable. Regardless of the crappy RC performance, I am more interested the body as a model re-work and upgrade.

Cheers

[scbvideoboy]

how come you didn't take advantage of the the 21c r/c versions marketed in walmart that like filled the isles for a while?

DH

[mediump]

Those (RC panzers) never showed up in my AO, maybe they didn;t at FO's either
I may have to get one of these, but the track gaurds will have to go...
thanks for sharing FO

[Forward Observer]

how come you didn't take advantage of the the 21c r/c versions marketed in walmart that like filled the isles for a while?

DH

I only got back into collecting this stuff a week or so before Christmas, but I have never seen any 21st Century R/C stuff in any of my local stores other than the 1:6 Stuart that they marketed several years ago.

In fact the only RC 1:18 tanks I have seen for sale on E-Bay that are listed as Ultimate Soldier or Extrene detail products come in a box that resembles those put out by 21st Century, but I think they are made by somebody else.

Here is a picture of one that is for sale right now.


I have heard the brand name "New Millenium" used, but somebody more in know can correct me if I am wrong about this. Either way I have never seen any of these in my local stores either.

Cheers

[Jay]

mmm........."21st Century" and "New Millenium" sound related, maybe another rebrand or perhaps an unknown competitor? What next, "Best" and "Better"?!

[kimtheredxd]

"New Millenium" I thougt was just another name 21st sold under?

[vmf214]

Yeah, 21st and New Millenium are one in the same. The ebay seller in question is simply making profit off the shipping and avoiding some ebay fees I'd say, whatever floats his boat I guess. Some of his other tanks look pretty good though.

[Forward Observer]

Well, I just ordered one of tanks from Medeatoys. I waited on one of his auctions, which nobody else was bidding on, and got it for a grand total of $36.98 including shipping.

At that price, I haven't invested too much, and as I said the the remote control aspect is of less interest to me than the actual model for a customization project.

Still, if I want to try an upgrade the RC portion, I do have access to a 4 channel Futaba transmitter and 4 mini servos that an acquaintance wants to unload cheap. (After totaling his last two expensive kit built RC planes, he got disgusted with RC aircraft and moved on to another hobby--lol.)

I'll report back what I think when I get it.

Cheers


P.S.
I have done a little research on New Millineum. I came up with over 2.5 million hits using the terms: New, Millineum, and models. I got bored after about 20 pages, but----

The best reference I coud find was at a web site called Mikes Diecast Tanks and Armor. He was of the opinion that New Millineum was a knock off store brand that could be either contracted by Wal-Mart or 21st Century although he was inclined towards the latter since he had seen these models in a 21st Century booth at a toy show.

Most of this stuff comes out of China anyway and could be actually produced by multiple factories under one brand name or one or more factories marked with multiple brand names. It's a pretty shadowy area of manufacturing and one of the few remaining places in the world that you pay the populace peanuts so you can still obtain hand painted semi-massed produced toys, and not have to charge a fortune like you would if they were made in the US or Europe.

Also a warning--Be sure to not eat any portions of your models because they all probably are finished with lead based paint. Darn it----just when I was thinking about having a kubelwagen for supper.

[scbvideoboy]

I only got back into collecting this stuff a week or so before Christmas, but I have never seen any 21st Century R/C stuff in any of my local stores other than the 1:6 Stuart that they marketed several years ago.

Man, and I thought our area walmarts were bad. But there were like tons of the panzers and the personel carriers just piled up everywhere.

Sort of like the pirates and spiderman stuff piled up now...

DH

[Forward Observer]

To explain a little better, my story is that I only bought one of the 1:18 Bf109's when they first came out 5 or 6 years ago. My wife (now my ex-wife) threw a fit about it and figured we needed to go spend 3 times as much money on either new shoes or another hand bag for her to make things equal.

From that point on I'd go into Wal-Mart or TRU every so often, and longingly ogle the models, but I didn't dare bring one home because they were too damn big to hide and I knew that a $30 Tank or $50 airplane would also cost me another $150 in additional shoes and handbags for the self involved high mantenence bitch I was married to.

Eventually I just quit visiting the toy section when I went to Wal-Mart and I quit going to TRU all together.

We split about 4 years ago, and I did pick up a Stuka shortly afterward, but I was living in an apartment at the time, so I just didn't have the room plus divorces are usually not to beneficial to personal finances.

Now I have a nice size condo with room and I just retired, so since I missed all that good stuff when it was on the shelves, I've had to resort to EBay to catch up.

Soooo, while a lot of that stuff may have been available locally, I'm sure I just missed it at the time.

Cheers

[Forward Observer]

Well, I got it today and it did not turn out as expected.

The listing clearly shows a tank that appears to be a Panzer IV. What I got was a M1 Abrams hybrid. The under carriage and road wheels are the Panzer IV, but the upper hull and turret appear to be much like a modern Abrams.

Looking on the bottom of the box, there are two models pictured--one is the Panzer IV and one is the hybrid that I received. The box has no model number on it to indicate what is enclosed, so it looks like one may get what ever is in the box.

I contacted the seller via E-mail and they indicated that they would exchange it, but their broken English E-mail response leaves me a bit apprehensive as to whether they fully understand.

After reading some of the non-sensical written descriptions I see in RC tank EBay listings, I can tell that most of these Asian import dealers wouldn't know difference between a Panzer and a potato.

Anyway, I sent it back which cost me $18.50 for FedEx ground. That is the same way the shipper sent it, but they over charged $28.50. It's obvious that they the do that to get by with paying less commission to EBay.

I mentioned refunding my shipping costs, but got no response. I guess I'll just see what happens and report back.

Live and learn. Thankfully, I an still not out a lot of dough, and may eventually still get what I want.

Cheers

[mediump]

Aah Haa... Thanks for sharing, I had thought about ordering one but now I probably won't. with all the mods that are required and that is IF you get the Pzkw IV look alike doesn't seem worth it. But there are no other Pzkw Iv's around that I know of.

[Forward Observer]

I included a picture of each tank in an E-mail I sent to the seller. They replied that they fully understood and that the correct item would be shipped out immediately.

At least that's encouraging.

If this works out and I decide to customize another, at least now I have a model number to reference to the seller to make sure that I get the right item.

Cheers

[Forward Observer]

I got the replacement tank today and I am very pleased. It appears to be a fairly accurate model of Panzer IV (late Aust G, I think) and the scale dimensions check out to be accurate.

It didn't come with the Mg34, but I stuck one on for effect.


I am guessing it to be a late model Aust G since it has a single piece commander's hatch cover, a double baffle muzzle brake, and Schurzen armor on the turret.


All the tools, extra wheels, and treads are snap on pieces which will make modifications and re-painting much easier.

The commanders hatch will open, but unfortunately all the other hatches are molded in. That's not too big a deal for me, and could be corrected if I decide I want to go to that much trouble.

The color is molded in, so the only paint applied is the darker camo spots

Anyway at only $37, I figure it will be a good foundation for any kind of rework I may want to try.

If anyone decides they want to order one, just make sure to tell the suppler to send you either model JH-2171-1 (green) or -2 (tan)

JH-2172-1 and -2 is the Abrams hybrid, which of course is totally out of scale.

Cheers

[Forward Observer]

It looks very similar to the 21st century PZIV. It looks as if the same molds were used, but side skirts added to make it look different. A lot of stuff gets repoped in China without the owners permission.

Exactly my thoughts too. The only other change may have been molding all the hatches in, which of course would make the model less expensive to produce.

As I said before, the origins of a lot of stuff that comes out of China are shadowy at best, but they are still the only reason one can get this stuff so cheap.

It still amazes me that I can get a fairly detailed large radio controlled tank for less than $40. This includes the controller, a 9v controller battery, and a rechargeable 8v battery for the tank with an AC/DC charger. Granted, it's not top of the line RC stuff, but hey--it works.

I would hazard a guess that coming from China at least half that price has be shipping. If you subtract normal 100% mark-up, they are producing these things for maybe less than $10.

Hell, you can't buy just an AC/DC charger in the states for less than twice that amount.

It's a strange world we live in.

Cheers

[olifant]

FO, I watched this thread with interest and just ordered one myself. Thanks for the heads up here for us (me)!

[Forward Observer]

Very Good Oliphant. ( and I hope you get the right one)

You will notice that the hull body also has four sets of bracket mount holes on each side exactly where the lower side skirt brackets would have been although there are no brackets nor skirts.

This is just another part of the mystery as to the origin of the mold this tank was made from.

I just got my Johns Stuff decals in along with a really nice Squadron/Signal publication book on the Panzer IV variants. It is filled with war photos, 4 view line drawings, and several color plates of various camo paint schemes. I've picked out the 12th SS Panzer (Hitlerjugend)regiment to model since those unit decals are on the decal sheet I got.

I worried about not having the lower brackets for the schurzen since this model has them on the turret since I didn't want to try to fabricate them from scratch. Fortunately, I have found several pictures in the book that show both the Aust G and H in the field with the upper plates, but without both lower plates and their brackets.

According to the book, all these variants went through both factory and field modifications over a period of time, so it is a bit hard sometimes to tell a late model G from an early model H since many of the changes were internal and not that obvious externally.

Unfortunately, when I went to my storage building I could not find my old airbrush and compressor. My ex-wife used it as much as I did, and I think she may have taken it when we split. Now I am shopping for a new one.

Unless I do more than one model this may turn out to be more expensive than simply paying the high price for one of the originals on Evil bay---but then that's what hobbies are all about I guess.

Cheers

[pcb122605]

Forgive me if this was answered, is this pre-assembled or a kit?

[Forward Observer]

It's Pre-assembled and comes with the controller, 9v controller battery, rechargeable receiver battery, and charger.

You get everything you see in the picture except it has some sort of non-descript 50 cal. machine gun included.

There are 3 screws recessed into the bottom of the tank that will allow one to separate the upper hull and turret from the lower hull, but there are some wires running from a circuit board in the lower half to a speaker, a red pea bulb, and the turret rotation motor attached to the upper hull.

I only did a quick inspection, but I believe all these could be dealt with to be able to work on the pieces separately without harming the RC functions.

Of course as I indicated earlier, the RC stuff is pretty toy like---plus with no porportional speed control or the ability to have a movable suspension
system it may not be worth the trouble to try to upgrade.

I have seen a picture of the controller for the New Millennium Panzer IV and it is a dead ringer for the controller that came with this tank, which also makes me believe this thing came from the same molds.

My goal was to just have a reasonably priced Panzer IV model to customize, and this looks like it will fit the bill.


Cheers