lposter

Hello

I have a question or two on teh PZ IV suspensions. I dont own a Pz IV so cannot check.

How does teh Pz IV work on models ? Is it torsion bar and the stuff on the outside is just fake?

RCTank sell as set like this: https://www.rctank.de/Panzer-IV-Roll...Set-aus-Metall

Is rotation of teh bogey or whatever its called controlled by the visible torsion springs and is that leaf spring (for splaying of the two bogey arms I guess) actually functional?

How does all this work on the HL or Tamiya versions? Ive seen pictures of metal lowers but they always have an aluminium tub covering up where I should be able to see torison bars or whatever.

In teh example from RCtank linked above.....how robust are these setups? Is it just white metal and weak springs?

Any help would be welcome.

P

jarndice

The Panzer4 suspension on 1/16 scale rc models is mostly dependant on the centre mount freely swinging and the single sprung steel leaf spring at the base of each unit absorbing and deflecting abberations on the surface that the Tank is driving over, At the end of each unit are the wheels.The printed leaf springs above the steel leaf spring are there purely for effect.
Between the swinging of the unit and the working of the steel spring you have a working suspension,There are 4 units on each side of the Tank each unit operating independently of the other units.
Sounds crude, Well it was pretty rough on the real thing,
It was reliable and easy and cheap to maintain which is why it remained pretty much unchanged from 1938 to 1945.
The PZ4 Prototype was fitted with Torsion Bar suspension but the bean counters said No Way so the pz4 has horse and cart suspension,
Most of what you see on your model is really just there for effect,
The actual suspension on a PZ4 is a 1/4 elliptic spring system which is almost impossible to replicate in 1/16.

lposter

Thanks for that!
Do you think that the currently available "metal" aftermarket versions would stand up to ...an an example..... a 12 kg tank? Both structurally ...in terms of whatever the metal bits are made of .....and in terms of the leaf and spring used?

I dont want to fork out for a hull and suspension, build a tank, and then find that the whole thing collapses or something....

p

jarndice

I am not familiar with any metal upgrades for the PZ4s suspension, I have built many PZ4s trying to cover everyone of the marks from Aus B to Aus J except those marks that have no discernable exterior differences,
I have not noticed any problems with the suspension on the standard fit except the metal clamp on the sprung steel leaf spring tries to slide off but a touch of Loctite 243 Threadlock keeps it in place.and with the exception of Tamiyas hull you will have to drop the rear roller on each side by 3/5mm,
If you must buy Taigens metal hull be prepared for a lot of work to bring it up to a decent standard,
The Asiatam metal hull is a disaster and is best avoided.
The Tamiyas Metal/Abs sandwich hull is the definative as far as accuracy goes but i would doubt its longevity if you use it on a battlefield.
Overall whichever makers PZ4 you buy it is a sturdy little machine but the more you get involved with it the more you find needs work...
The Heng Long/Taigen Body from turret to tail is flat but should slope by 5 degrees most people avoid the mod just as the front sprocket needs it's hight adjusting and until the arrival of Taigens most recent Turret upgrade the turret box on the Heng Long and earlier Taigen were grossly inaccurate primarily to accommodate the main gun mechanism the later Taigen version fixes it but makes converting the tank to an Aus H or J very difficult whereas Tamiyas PZ4 is a very accurate Aus J.
If you have no objection to paying £800 + go for the Tamiya otherwise get ready for some long nights in the workshop..

lposter

I was thinking of building Dicker Max or some other thing based on the Pz IV chassis and the bit I m going to need is the suspension setup.

The metal version I linked to......the suspension, not the hull......looks awfully brittle with skinny little springs

P

jarndice

The "Dicker Max" was based on a Panzer 4 Hull BUT it was projected to be fitted with PZ111 suspension as it was both shorter and stronger,
In truth I know almost nothing about Panzer 111 suspension.

jha13

They use the hull with suspension from early PZ IV - the PZ III have komplete different suspension.

jarndice

I do not know your source I only know what I learnt from a brief look at wikipedia,
When I typed "Dicker Max" it told me that the project had a PZ4 Hull and PZ111 Suspension.
I have no reason to doubt that source..
I know very little about the PZ111 which is why I have walked away from the question,
If the vehicle did have PZ4 suspension then the information I have provided should be enough.

lposter

That looks like a heavy tank. Is the Pz IV suspension on that metal (and where to get it) or plastic?

And how is it holding up?

P

jha13

Hi,
the suspension is metal.

You get the suspension from Heng Long Panzer:
https://heng-long-panzer.de/de/Metal...Heng-Long.html

or as comlete hull:
https://www.rctank.de/Panzer-IV-comp...-and-gearboxes

lposter

Thanks for that!
P