Started on a new project this weekend, DML’s kit #6460 Sdkfz 166 Stu.Pz. IV “Brummbar” Mid Production with Atak zim and MK workable tracks.
A new project means starting at the beginning…so as you would expect with a Dragon Pz IV kit, Step 1 meant spending a lot of time on the sprockets, idlers, return rollers, and road wheels. I found a reference pic of one of the 3 vehicles the kit markings provide for, the Command version #1, and used that as a guide to decide on the style of idlers and return rollers. All of the road wheel halves had their mold seams sanded away with a sanding stick but left unassembled to make it easier to paint them later on.
I also assembled a short run of 8 links of the MK set to double-check the spacing on the sprockets, idlers, and return rollers to make sure everything would play nice later on as well.
Step 2 deals with the rear hull plate and I installed that to the lower hull first and then added the details to avoid issues with stuff getting in the way of a good join. Some light sanding at the base of the plate was all that was required to get a good fit with the weld seam line there. The Atak zim panels for the rear were added using Gator Grip glue and regular liquid glue around the edges to tack things down where needed. I opted for the heavy-duty towing hitch since that was a regular feature on Pz IV chassis at the time the Mid version of Brummbar’s were built.
Step 3 deals with the hull front and the addition of the final drive front base plates. It’s a good idea to install the nose plate first and then add the final drive plates after as they are a tight fit due to the small bolt detail on the one side of the drive plates. The tow points were added and the pins needed some trimming to fit correctly in the openings. Once that was set, I added the bolt-on armor plate for the nose underside from Step 6 and the installed the zim panels. Some slight putty work was needed between the joins on the two plate panels, easily taken care of with some Squadron White putty and a little sanding.
Next up will be the suspension and lower hull sides.
Did not think you were going to start this build so soon but am glad you did. Off to a good start and always good to have all of those wheels cleaned up and done. Nice picture of the real one makes for a great reference. Really like that Atak zim and even though I can not comment from experience, looks like you did a really good job with it so far. This is the perfect build for that zim with those great big flat casemate bulkheads. Looking good [Y]
Cool Bill : ) … isn’t it gonna drive you nuts ? … I mean the lack of an open top or complete interior to do all your great detailing ? Brummbär is a cool vehicle…always reminds me of a mini sturmTiger.
the zimm looks great so far
tread[H]
Bill- I hate to be the bearer of bad news… I already have the kit in my stash. So it means you can not make me go out and buy a kit this time. I suspect you work for Dragon and you make us go out and buy their products. [whstl]
But I will have to buy the Zimm set or maybe use the old school method. Of course please count me in to follow your WIP! [B]
I too didn’t expect you to fire this up so fast.
I think the Atak zimmert is even better then Cavalier, alas at a much higher price.
This should be fun and different, since we don’t get to see to many of these built up.
Hey Tony,
You have to love the Brummbars! Monstrous beasts!
The other Dragon Brummbar (early?) was my first Dragon kit and tested my then, very limited skills, to the max!
It came out really well in the end and was a real learning curve for me. I look at it and am tempted to bring it to the bench again for a makeover. I’m thinking of pulling all the tools off along with the Jack for a repaint and also adding Friuls (it currently has DS one piece tracks on it).
A final freshening of the weathering should finish her off nicely. Back when I built her I knew little about weathering methods and the AK products that I know use with such great results weren’t around back when I originally built this.
I seem to recall you building the other version of the Brummbar (the same as mine) not a year back? Is that right?
Good luck with the build Tony - keep the updates coming [Y]
Ben [:D]
looks good Bill,that Atak zimm looks like good stuff to use.
Rob, I try not to keep the bench idle if I can help it…since I only work one project at a time. I’ve become a fan of Atak zim, good stuff, the only drawback is that they don’t provide any kind of guide as to where the panels go so you have to be aware of that and figure things out on your own. Most of the time that’s not too big of an issue and they do try to lay out the panels on the sheet so that similar areas are grouped together at least.
tread, 
Probably not! The last two projects both took quite a while to complete so I’m looking forward to this one as a relatively simple effort. Thanks for the comments and glad to have you along!
Andy, so sorry to hear this one won’t influence your kit buying! [:(] However there’s still hope for your AM stash to start growing by the sound of it!
Erik, Anthony, glad to have you along as well! [B]
Ben, who’s this Tony guy you keep referring to and his herd of Brummbars? [proplr] Just teasing of course! This is the first Brummbar I’ve ever tackled and Tony did a nice job on his…I believe it was the pre-zimmed kit though that he worked on but am not 100% certain.
Aaah dammit!!! [bnghead] and also a [:$] x 10!
I’m sooo sorry Bill, I don’t know what I was thinking - I saw one of Tony’s posts and just had it in my head that this was his thread! Well, it was a very late night for me and numerous pints of British Ales were ingested which may excuse my stupidness today!
I do recall Tony building the pre-Zimmed Brummbar like my one (I’m sure it was the same one but may be wrong), he may have built both? Tony?
Like I said I built the Zimmed Brummbar which was my first ever Dragon kit and perhaps not the best choice of build for a TOTAL newbie as it wasn’t easy but I still have her in my cabinet with them DS tracks that are super tight like a Sherman-no sag. I’m so tempted to giver her an overhaul as now I have some limited skills under my belt I feel I could do this justice?
No doubt you’ll totally kick butt with this build - it’s right up your street.
Sorry for the mix-up! Keep the updates coming.
Cheers Andy, sorry, Bill [;)]
Ben [t$t]
Thanks for building this Bill. I bought the Zimmed version for around 1/2 price from Dragon not too long ago. I’ll be bookmarking this blog.
Satch
That’s alright Ben after all Wild Bill is my bro.[;)]
Tony lee
Ben, no worries. Give the overhaul a whirl…you never know what you might produce! [;)]
DM, that had me laughing for a while…glad to have you peering in from the shadows! [;)]
Satch, my pleasure. I hope it’s helpful for you when you get to yours. [B]
Tony, aw shucks man…but hey, we both like SPGs so it’s all good. [:)]
Great choice for your next build Bill! I’ve had a soft spot for this vehicle ever since I saw the old Monogram 1/32(?) with Sheperd Paine’s color dio insert. Looking forward to your WIP and eager to see how it turns out!
Looking great as usual Bill. Sure looks much easier han using Squadron putty and a modified zimm tool.
Hey Bill: No commentary, I justed wanted to be sure to get the updates so I can follow along![Y]
Thanks Ernest, glad to have you along for the ride! The Brummbar is one of those big, ugly brutes that has always captured my interest as well. [;)]
Pj, yep, the Atak sets are worth the money IMHO in the time they save. That and the fact that they often include resin replacement parts for difficult areas that are exact copies of the kit parts but with zim added makes them a must have for kits that require zim. Nothing against the DIY crowd of course! [;)]
Steve, glad to have you along as well! [B]
Continuing on from last week, this week’s efforts focused on the lower hull and suspension.
Step 4 adds the base mounts for the suspension along with the bump stops and the rear towing hooks. The Atak panels for the lower hull are provided as a large single piece and some trimming was necessary here and there to get things to fit properly but otherwise no major issues were encountered. From experience, I know that the front piece that curves over the final drive will interfere with the fenders when it comes time to install so I cut that short on purpose to head off that issue.
Step 5 returns to the hull rear and adds the idler mounts and the exhaust. The instructions provide a choice of type of idler mount and after checking reference photos I went with the parts B15/14 as those are the later style appropriate for this vehicle’s production time line. The multi-part muffler was assembled and the exhaust pipe thinned out with a drill bit and some trimming with the tip of a sharp #11 blade. I had to trim the Atak panels a bit more to allow the pipe support trays to fit correctly in this area as well.
Step 6 installs the hull glacis plate and the Atak set includes a resin replacement with separate parts for the transmission/brake access hatches. Those were added using CA gel and the narrow panel for the full front plate zim added along with a little putty to round things out in that department. The glacis spare track run will get installed later after the hull is painted to make it easier to detail it at that stage.
Step 6 also calls for the road wheels and suspension elements to be installed. The road wheels were left off for now but the suspension elements were added. They have just a little bit of play to them so it’s important to get them all lined up correctly so that the vehicle will sit level later on.
That brought me to Step 7 which deals with the assembly of the fenders and their installation to the hull. I added the front mud flaps first along with their zim panels, carefully trimming them to avoid the interference problem mentioned previously with the lower hull sides. The kit designers didn’t build in any tolerance levels for zim interaction in these areas so the added fractional mm that the zim creates causes issues if not dealt with accordingly.
The fenders were then installed using regular glue along the hull edges where they overlap and liquid glue at the rear where they sit flush. After that had set up, I added the rear mud flaps and finally the spacer parts between the schurzen mounts. The spacer parts don’t have a large surface area that they attach to so it made sense to install them after the fenders were in place to avoid them coming loose or getting skewed accidentally during the fender installation. I also did a test fit with the casemate to be sure everything was playing nice at this stage.
Next up will be the upper hull elements!
Looks to be a productive weekend for you Bill[Y]
Have a good week and we’ll expect more great things out of you next weekend.[t$t]
Tony lee[:)]
That’s it! I have to get that Atek set now. It just looks great! [Y]