Others have grumbled lately about the clean up and drilling that they didn’t have to do in the past.
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Yes I agree with you Wade, I think Friul’s molds are getting worn out and their workers are getting lazy! I have noticed that the newer the set, the nastier the cleanup. Flashed over guide horns, blocked holes, and attached pour plugs are becoming the norm, when they used to come out of the box ready for assembly.
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Weather was good enough to paint today! The old Panzer IV J got based coated. Have a few touch ups to to do. Hopefully weather will be OK tomorrow and some color coat will get sprayed.
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Be honest. How does this kit compare to newer kits? When you finish do you think it will be comparable to a newer kit? ( Hint, I think it easily will.)
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Thank you Greg, that’s very kind and encouraging:) I hope the J will the ball park of the newer kits. One of my good friends says this “fix & finish the J effort” has been a colossal waste of time that would have been better spent on a Dragon Pz IV J. So I greatly appreciate your comment:)
The bones of the mid 90’s Tamiya Pz IV H & J are excellent and the engineering is first rate. I think the older kits build with far less hassle than the newer kits.
Tamiya missed many weld seam. & other details on both kits. Even Monogram’s old Panzer IV kit from 1970 has several weld seams on the turret and hull Tamiya missed! Adding basic details like weld seams, bolts, screw heads & wing nuts, is very straightforward and a lot of fun. I think with a little TLC these older kits build up close to the newer kits with out much difficulty.
I built the much newer Dragon Pz IV F1 a while back. Excluding tracks it took ~56 hours - basically out of the box. I found the kit to be nice when assembled but an unpleasant build experience. There are about a dozen Dragon Pz IV kits sitting in the closet. It’s hard to really get motivated and tackle another one.
The Tamiya Pz IV H with added welds seams, bolts, screw heads, wing nuts, Zimmerit decals, tool clamp handles took ~45 hours.
For the time invested and my some what rusty and limited skill level, its easier and quicker for me to tweak an older Tamiya kit than build a newer Dragon out of the box.
I’ve built a fair number of Mark IV’s over the years probably a dozen or so - its my favorite modeling subject. It’s almost a given my view of. preferring the 90’s Tamiya Pz IV over the newer Dragon Pz IV’s is a minority view.
Seems like the ideal time to mention another pet project and its a Dragon Pz IV kit - the old Imperial DML/Gunzy Pz IV F2. Dimension wise its nearly dead on with the new Dragon kits. (Good Bones) so kit bashing and using a pile of left over Dragon parts is pretty natural. Add TriStar suspension, Tiger Models hatches, Aber guns, details copied and resin cast from a wonderful TriStar Pz IV kit, Fruils and a little scratch work…and
Hope to do a build thread later.
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The Pz IV H with some color coat.
Hope to color J here shortly.
Edit the base coat of weathered black wasn’t quite cured in 24 hours so I decided to wait for another day.
Edit #2, 12-4-2020 - Good Weather! The J got based color coat today!
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Looking great! Cant wait to see more!
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Looking great, I am following with much interest. Best regards…Dale
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Nice. Looking forward to the finished product.
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Unfriendly cold weather has kept me from painting this Pz IV J for too long.
Ordered a Pace spray booth today should arrive next week.
Fan is out of air stream and per manufacturer can handle LACQUER and Enamel paints! Floquil Friendly:)
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Cant wait to see you continuing the build!
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Welcome along to a comical foray working on an Old Shelf Queen. One that probably should stay on the shelf and in the past…
27 year old WIP Tamiya Pz IV J.
Disclaimer: Asperger’s - If I rub you the wrong way in word, phrase or a brusque tone I apologize in advance.
Having refurbished two models and completed four others, its time to tackle the old Pz IV J, that was my first attempt at a contest quality model. The experience setting in motion several contest quality models, two decades ago. However, the Ausf J wasn’t completed and got shelved.
Last year model reached this point before weather shut down painting.
In the mean time, RP long time friend and hard-core model builder saw the J a few weeks ago. Shaking head, “I can’t believe you dug out this fossil with all the new state of the art Pz IV kits available.” It seemed various defects had been addressed well enough. With RP’s acknowledgment, work on the Pz IV’s tracks started.
Blacken-It 
disappeared from the market previously much to my surprise. My first attempt tested a Jax formula on a few links. They blackened with very little rust tone. Outside use mandatory due to fumes, not a chemical I want to use.
Here’s an excellent article on burnishing white metal tracks. Armorama: Mike Roof - Birchwood Casey Liquid Gun Blue
Next, I tried Birchwood Casey Super Blue. The first two sets of tracks only turned gray with a nasty white waxy build up. Apparently, I didn’t aggressively agitate the solution sufficiently as the next two sets of tracks developed a nice patina in about one minute.
Here’s the results for my first attempt, four Pz IV tracks turned gray.
Floquil Rail Road Antique Bronze & Floquil Military Color Rust washes to the rescue. Tweaked with sanding to expose metal & pastel chalk dust, they’ll work
Working toward painting, this just washed Pz IV H will be the test bed for tri-color camo tomorrow.
If the H looks OK, the J will get tri-color the next day 
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Wade, my daughter #2 has Aspergers. She’s now 30, happily married, and has her second baby on the way. She couldn’t be happier and neither could I. She has always been my favorite. I’m in your corner, buddy.
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Matt that’s awesome! Very happy for you & #2 daughter! Sounds like she’s is very happy! I know #1 & #2 grand child are well blessed!
My well conceived plan of painting this evening didn’t quiet survive contact with my fiance’s plan for mowing & weed eating.
So the J also got a bath and is drying with the H in the paint booth.
Painting tomorrow 
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Those both look great!
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That’s some great work on the added engine deck bolt heads. Also really like the turret basket screen you added. I like the IV J for the screen armor it used so much so I have 3 kits.
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Most plans don’t survive first contact, it’s 100% fail when the wife is the contact. 
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Oh God can I agree with that! I’m currently doing a kitchen remodel. Guys, NEVER do this yourself if you have a SWMBO! Get somebody else to listen to her plans! I was replacing an unneeded slider with a solid wall when she suddenly decided it was too far to walk the 15 feet to the side door, so she wanted a regular back door in the slider’s place. Well, that “little” change to the FINALIZED plan changed my lumber, drywall, flooring, cabinet design, and granite countertop order!!! Thank God she changed her mind before I had it all ordered and loaded in! Women! I’m now working in fear and loathing for another “modification” to come down from on high…
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I feel your pain.
Doing a bathroom remodel, installing a shower only instead of a tub. Contracted out the work to her contractor so it’s not my fault when things don’t align to the uncommunicated plan in her head to reality. I slow roll all major changes in the house cause I am cheap and cannot afford her champagne taste on a beer budget but also cause she is going to change her mind and that costs real money. The last change I fought for about a decade was painting the trim white from wood cause I understood to total cost of that switch. Still have to redo some electrical sockets cause cream outlet don’t go with white trim and covers. 
Our kitchen is next. 
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