What’s wrong with this model?

[Jim Nunn]

Dam you guys are good.

I expected Charlie to have the answer. Charlie has the first correct answer for the exhaust system. The small horizontal pipes are the input to the exhaust so they should be facing towards the hull. The vertical main exhaust pipe is correct. It was mounted off center at an odd angle facing upward and away from the hull. Some of my books show what appear to be covers where the horizontal pipes are located. To fix the problem I will cut them off and put the covers were the pipes were located.

Cmdrted found the other error. IV’s through the J model had an auxiliary motor/generator. This allowed the turret to be operated when the main engine was not running. And of course all of the assultgun versions of the IV would not have the auxiliary generator.

As for the tensioners they are mounted per the instructions . . . as we have seen that does not mean that they are correct. I have not started on the suspension system so I guess I’ll just have to wait and see.

I don’t want to get into the roll of a hyper critic of paper models so I am not going to list all of errors I have found. But if any one is building the Brummbar and would like to know the other errors just drop me a Private Message.

Jim Nunn

[Stev0]

I'm staring at the back of my cover and flipping around and you built it according to the book right. But if the book says to put warp nacelles on it then no doubt that doesnt mean your model is going to be accurate, lol.

So your saying that brown tank with the 2 horizontal plugged pipes and the angled pipe upwards should NOT be included? Also I hope to see more pics of the GPM 248 build. I'm so-so on the method that is used to portray Zimmerit by having a psuedo embossed page. I'd rather take the time to emboss the rear face of the areas by hand.

[cmdrted]

here is an alternative to the printed zimmeritt. I read once in fine scale modeler; there is a dinner napkin that has the embossed pattern at the edges. The more expensive the napkin the more embossed the pattern is. You can then spray it with a sealant, krylon matt or suchwhat, then cut out, then paint it up. After sealing the stuff it's pretty robust and takes paint and washes faiirly well. It is keeping with the spirit of paper modeling and does very well. I have the article buried somewhere in the basement, but from what I remember it looked darn good.

[rjm]

Hi, Jim

I'm looking at GPM 237 PzKpfw IV Ausf.H.

The last page of the book shows the back of the
tank and it shows the same thing, that is the
inputs pointing away from the tank. However, if
you look at the plan view and rear view on the
first page, they are not to be seen!

From this I think they knew what they should
have been but the designers and whoever built
the model on the back cover missed it!

The photos in side the back cover at the top also
show them as they should be.

It may be that the instructions mention it but it's
in Polish and that's "Greek" to me.

Bob

[charliec]

I'm not surprised by your findings - it seems that some designers don't necessarily have a handle on the engineering/mechanics of the vehicles being modeled. Unless you know what the function of a part was in the original (I guess) it's easy to make inadvertent mistakes.

Many of the Brummbars were built from reconstructed Panzer IV hulls so it isn't safe to generalise about the Brumbar from a single hull type.

I did some checking and certainly the Brummbar didn't have an exhaust for motor-generator set on the rear hull. In it's place were some brackets to store the crankhandle. The small circular plate under the main exhaust muffler is the port for the crankhandle. I believe the starter motors weren't particularly powerful in the Maybach engine so crank starting was fairly common when the engine was cold.

I notice that some Brummbars seem to have had a curved extension on the end of the exhaust pipe so the exhaust was ejected horizontally. I don't know whether this was standard but it makes sense since you don't want to announce the presence of a vehicle with plumes of flame rising above the vehicle if the engine backfired. There's a video around the Web of an engine start on a Tiger II - the amount of flame coming out of the exhaust pipes during startup is quite startling.


Regards,

Charlie

[Jim Nunn]

Stevo, Yes they should not on used on the Brummbär.

I was very impressed with the embossed Zimmerit parts that GPM included in the kit. The effect is quite good and if you consider the scale it is about the right height. The main point is that GPM has produced a very convincing Zimmerit effect.


Jim Nunn

[Jim Nunn]

Charlie,

What I find suppressing is that GPM was originally a publisher of technical military books like Osprey and yet they make some very basic mistakes in the models.

I haven’t seen any examples of a curved extension on the exhaust the only photo I have of the rear of an early Brummbar is the one I posted above. But when you consider that when the gun was firing you would have the rear doors on the crew compartment open it would make sense to direct the exhaust away from the doors. I would rack that up as a field mod.

Jim Nunn