Small Scale Military Headquarters

I picked up a couple of 1/48 items today. I got another Panzer IVH, in a plain sand color I had not seen before ( #625) plus a Panzer 38t in the regular gray scheme (#525).
Very nice.
However, on the back of each box are pictures of other models. The 38t box shows another 38t but in a green and sand camo pattern. But even more interesting was a picture of another Pnz IV ( tri color camo) but with side skirts on the body sides! They have not made a 1/48 Pnz IV with skirts to date have they?

I think I have one buried with turret schurzen but not on the sides. Can anyone back up my claim? I am not going to go box diving for this one...

I've never seen one.

None of the 1:48 Panzer IVs have had side-skirts on the hull. The picture on the box is the paintmaster model.

tmanthegreat wrote:None of the 1:48 Panzer IVs have had side-skirts on the hull. The picture on the box is the paintmaster model.

21st hopes you'll buy one thinking they are in the box someplace.

I've only seen the one with the turret schurzen myself.

I finally fount the two Marders and 38T and think they look great. For five bucks a piece you can't go wrong. I would like to see them expand this line. Once the CAD work is done on 1/32 scaling the tooling down would be pretty simple.

I would like to see the PzIV-H with the side skirts. What surprises me is the lack of a (21C) Tiger in this scale.

And a Panther.

Rowsdower wrote:I've never seen one.

Ditto here. It should be pretty easy to custom make a set of side skirts for this model though... all you would need is some thin styrene sheet cut to the proper dimensions, carefully score the panel lines with an exacto knife, paint as desired, then glue in place, and presto... you've got your 1/48 Panzer IV side skirts, it shouldn't take more than a couple hours to complete a project like this, depending on how fancy you want to get. I wonder if the Wirbelwind ever carried side skirts...? I haven't seen any pics or references indicating that they did, but I wouldn't be surprised if a few did have them. I have a spare 1/48 Wirbel that would make a nice subject for a Schurzen project like that.

It would be trickier building the frame to mount then on. Toothpicks, the flat kind, appropriately painted, perhaps?

ltcbj wrote:It would be trickier building the frame to mount then on. Toothpicks, the flat kind, appropriately painted, perhaps?

That could be an option, but unless you absolutely must have them removeable, I'm not sure it's worth the effort. Another option would be to use tiny little strips of adhesive Velcro, a couple of strips on the hull, and a couple on the skirts would hold on a set of 1/48 skirts with ease since the weight involved is so small. On the subject of 1/48 scale..... I wish 21st had produced this Wirbelwind in 32X, IMO it's the nicest scheme of any Wirbel that 21st ever sold...

I hadn't meant for them to be removable, necessarily, just more realistic.

Yeah, I guess you're right, I had not thought of that... I suppose the Panzerwaffe didn't have any Velcro did they... Anyway, the flat toothpicks are not a bad idea, then you just need to figure out some kind of slotted hangers for the skirts.

Or you could just glue the skirts to the framework. Make the skirts as described, then the framework, glue the them together, then glue to the chassis, one side at a time. I picture the tank on its side during the glue setting period.

I think I personally would skip the schurtzen framing. In 1/48 it would be super fragile and my big sausage fingers would end up breaking them.

Most of my 1/48 is Corgi anyway.

Hmmm- paper clips could also be bent for framing, crazy or Gorilla glued to the skirts, then the chassis.

And I know what you are talking about regarding "sausage fingers."