Hi there,
last weekend I started with the Trumpeter Bergepanzer IV, it's going to be OOTB. Nice interior with lots of parts. If someone is interested I will post some pics of WIP.
My question is about painting the exterior, the box art shows it in panzer grey? From what I know therer were only a few converted in late 1944, so could it be dark yellow or more a tri camouflage?
It would be nice if someone could help me.
Thanks and greetings
ro

Please post the WIP.......I have one in the stash......

Hi Robert - I don't know if this helps much but Saturday I picked up Dragon's version and theirs showed 2 paint schemes. First one of the infamous "Unidentified Unit" is solid "dunkel gelb" with no unit markings or national markings. Second from a different unidentified unit is also "Dunkel Gelb" with over sprayed spots of khakigruen und rot braun. It also has no unit markings but 3 national markings on the sides about where the driver &radio operator would be and one on the rear up and to the left of the muffler. Hope this helps and please post your efforts I'm curious to see how the two kits differ. Tom

G'day Robert

Beregpanzers were from what i could gather recycled/obsolete Panzer IV hulls so take your pick, they could've been panzer Grey for probly a ausf F/F2 or even battle a damaged ausf H's they were refitted and resprayed their original colour (H and J are the only variants in photos i could find both appear to be dunkelgelb, check over the vison blocks and running gear (drive wheel) to find out which panzer IV was recycled to make it. then depending on the hulls year of production would determine the overall colour. the dragon kit looks like a Ausf H so my bet would be dunkelgelb as the overall coat without any camo. while trumpeters looks like a converted ausf F hence the panzer grey

Cheers
Mat

Hi guys,
thanks a lot for your help. Maybe I will go with the 'dunkelgelb' but it's still time to think about it. Pics will follow.
greetings ro

I got the new Trumpeter kit of the bergpanzer IV last week. My feelings are that the interior detail is very extensive and beautiful, for what is there. However, I cannot help but think that it is all but lost if the upper decking is not left removable to see it in there. Only a little would otherwise be visible through the two open crew access hatches. Mine is missing the chain for the hoist that should have been in the kit. Have to find a source for that from an aftermarket company. I found several companies that make chain, but have no idea of what sizes they are saying...what would be a correct replacement. I don't know how Trumpeter's customer service is, in China....if they'd send me one or not?? Just my humble oppinion.

On another note, I think I'm going to go for the dunklegelb overall on mine.

Big Ray in Ioway

Hi to all,
today some shots of the interior WIP, it's completely OOTB, painting was done with Tamiya acrylics, chipping with vallejo and washings in oil. I don't know if the colours are right. Next will be the engine.
Ray you are right, in the end there won't be much to see from the interior through the hatches, but it's nice to know.
About your missing chain, why not try Trumpeter's customer service? It would be nice to know if there is any service?!
good evening to all
ro

Robert,

Nice job, on that interior. However, I notice that the instrument panel on top of the transmission hasn't had the instrument dial faces painted. Is that yet to be done. Nice weathering and wear patterns in there that you did.

Glad to hear that someone else agrees about the visibility of all that detail if the top is glued on the tank. I also notice that the details include ammo racks and some rounds. I wonder if the bergpanzer IV carried ammo. I'm thinking that those are common parts for perhaps another Trumpeter kit of the fully turreted Pz.Kpfw. IV?

I will perhaps go and try to contact Trumpeter for that chain and see how it works out.

Warm Regards,

Ray

Ray,
I agree with those ammo racks, the bergepanzer wouldn't have them. On the third and fifth picture in opposite of the battery there is an option for three ammo bins, so I choose the small wall with some equipment (not painted yet). Yes and I forgot to paint the dials. If interested I kepp on posting.
greetings ro

Thanks for that information that the vehicle would not have the ammo racks. I will leave them off. I needed confirmation as I was not sure about that.

I am currently finishing Trumpeter's 1/35th scale Soviet B-4 howitzer. It turned out very nice and is ready now for the airbrushing and weathering. It is an ex-Pit Road brand mold from Japan that Trumpeter got the molds of. However, Pit Road included a gun crew in their kit. Trumpeter chose to sell the crew as a seperate kit, which I purchased. The good news is that Trumpeter added 2 more figures to the set that Pit Road did not have. Only negative is that these figures are all wearing cartridge belts, but they have no rifles or other personal weapons.

I am also trying to find someone that has some German style vision flaps in their spares box that they are willing to part with. I got a Bronco Sd.221 armored car as a gift. However, it is the Chinese version and I want to Germanize it. I have all the things I need to do that except the right vision flaps. The type I need have the slots in them at the peaks of a triangular rise. The exported Chinese ones had perfectly flat flaps with the slots and no rain channels above the ones on the sides of the turret. Trumpeter also makes the German version of this kit, but it is rather expensive and a little beyond my wallet....sigh.

Keep up the good work. I would like to see your model when it is finished.

Ray

Hi Robert, You have a great start there, excellent chipping and wear and tare. It makes me wish I would have bought the Trumpeter instead of the Dragon one. Anyway your pictures inpired me to start my Dragon, TODAY! Keep up your good work and am looking forward to your next posting. Thanks! Tom

Hi to all,
tonight only a small update. I added the engine compartment and did the painting. Still have to do some washings and chippings. As said before there won't be much to see through the hatches,besides they have no detail inside.
Next will be the running gear. I think the Trumpeter kit is not right here because as far as I know the later versions had steel return rollers, Trumpeter only offers rubber rimmed ones . Luckily I have the old Panzer IV Wheels Set from Tristar in the stash so I think Ican change them.
Tom and Ray,
thanks for the kind words, much appreciate it.
Thanks for looking,
ro

Great work on that engine compartment. I like your weathering a lot. It almost brings tears to my eyes when I realize how little of that will be seen after completion of the kit.

I sent an e-mail to Trumpeter for that missing chain. No reply as yet. Only been a couple of days though. Keeping a candle lit in the window for the mailman anyway...ha ha.

Ray

Robert, nice engine compartment ! If the Tristar return rollers don't work out there were 2 styles of steel ones in the Dragon kit so you could have the extras if needed. Please keep us posted. Tom

Good evening to all,
today I moved on with the running gear and the tracks. Trumpeter offers indy link tracks, each track link has three attachment points at the sprue, no sink marks but I had to do a lot of sanding (over 200 links). I'm not very experienced with the tracks but it looks okay for me. The wheels are only dry fitted and I will do the painting separately. As mentioned before the rubber rimmed return rollers will be changed.

Tom,
thank you very much for your offer, I will try the Tristar ones first.

greetings ro

Should the exterior have zimmerite?

James,
interesting point, I'm not sure about it, in Sept '44 they decided to stopp the application of zimmerit, in Sept/Oct started the rebuilding of the Bergepanzer IV. I don't know if they have left the zimmerit or not. No pictures are known to me.
greetings ro

Robert,

Treadwork looks good. You got the realistic sag there. As far as the steel return rollers, you might want to check out this review of the kit on the Perth Modellers site:

http://www.perthmilitarymodellers.com/reviews/vehicles/trumpeter/tr00389.html

Some aftermarket brass ones are shown that look super. However, the author of the review never tells who carries that brand or where to get them....sigh.

I agree that the time period that zimmerit was dropped probably meant that the Bergepanzer IV did not have any on it.

I am going to use balsa wood for that unditching beam on my model, rather than the unrealistic looking plastic one in the kit. I think that would be better looking.

Big Ray in Iowa USA

It's Orange Hobby the brand, and as this is a newish company I guess Terry didn't have a list of distributors available but figured giving the name with pictures would be helpful enough and leave the reader to use their own initiative and find out if their favourite retailer carried or intended stocking the brand.

Zimmerit.....debatable

The time period may well be correct for the order to apply Zimmerit to have been withdrawn but as these were made up from existing tank chassis's returned for repair and refurbishment there is a good possibility that the existing zimmerit coating was left on. Would serious manufacturing time be spent on removing all traces of it from the chassis. After all it's put on pretty strongly, it's not like stripping wallpaper.

Alan

Ray,
thank you very much for the link over to perthmilitary, very nice return rollers, the ones from the Tristar Set are working fine for me and my plan was to build mostly OOTB.
You are right with that beam, I didn't noticed, it doesn't look that good.
Alan,
as I said before I'm not sure, sounds logical that it was not that easy to remove the zimmerit.

Tonight I finished the lower hull, did some priming with black and a first coat of 'dunkelgelb'.
Pics will follow the next days.
Happy modelling
ro

Hi to all,
after some basic painting I dryfitted the running gear, the fit was okay. Next will be some weathering and moving on to the upper hull.
Thanks for looking.
greetings from ro

Robert,

Bergepanzer IV is looking great so far. I finally got my chain. I decided to canabalize an old Tamiya kit for the vision blocks I need to change that Chinese version Sd.Kfz. 221 back into the Whermacht version. I bought Tamiya's 222 kit about 30 years ago for 5 dollars, so no great loss to kit bash it for things I need.

I hope my Bergepanzer turns out as nice as yours. I also have a conversion kit here to turn a Pz.Kpfw. III into a berge.

Cheers,

Ray

Hi there,
today another small update. I moved on with the construction of the upper hull, busy with the nice jib crane. Everything is just dryfitted. Now it's nearly ready for the paint job.
greetings ro

looks great so far. one question, what will you do with the ammo racks in the sides of the hull. as im not sure a begepanzer will be carrying ammo. ( sorry if any typos, i cut my typing finger pretty bad)

James,
I agree with you. So I closed those ammo racks in the inside with plastic card, nothing special. I can make a pic of it.
Thanks for watching.
ro

thanks for the Info Robert! i think i may leave mine " open" for storage, so no racks, and a space for more stuff

Hey Robert,

Your Bergepanzer IV is turning out great. I have to get busy and do mine now.

Always have liked what are refered to as SPECIAL PURPOSE AFV's. Want to get my bridgelayer panzer built soon too.

Regards,

Ray

Hi friends,
tonight the next update. I finished basic painting with acrylics. This was followed by first filter, gloss coatand now I started with some chipping also by acrylics.
greetings ro

Looks to me like the machine gun ball mount is upside down.