8-ton, Sd.Kfz.7 Step by step build of Trumpeter kit #01507. Build step 14 and the sprocket fix

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We are nearly at the halfway point and in step fourteen it’s time to deal with the sprocket fit problem. As already mentioned, it has two issues. The main one is fairly simple to remedy, if not a little time consuming. Trumpeter have not offered a left and right sprocket which was designed with slightly forward offset rollers. The second issue is that the kit's outer sprocket part contains bevelled grooves on the face. Similar marks can be seen on the face in the below resto vehicle image, but they are definitely not deeply grooved. 

 

The grooves don’t show in the Panzer Tracts book or appear in any period reference images of the vehicle.

 

 

Pz.IV Ausf J (Dragon kit #6575) Instruction errors, kit anomalies & omissions, and construction fixes

 

 

Dragon kit #6575 (2012) Panzer IV Ausf J last production. 

This kit still gives many modern Pz.IV Ausf J kits a run for the money. It came out during DML’s golden age in the mid-noughties and is branded a smart kit. It is not an easy kit to track down these days, at least not from the UK anyway, but luckily, I did eventualy find one.

When fully built it an extremely accurate scale representation of the very last Panzer IV variant but like all kits it can be improved on. Its also a rewarding kit to put together so knowing some of the few pitfalls beforehand makes it all the more enjoyable to build. 

Having read through both the kit instructions and the Panzer-tracts Pz IV publication, I thought it might be useful to highlight all the instructional errors; it is a DML kit after all 😊 and list all the anomalies, oddities and fit issues I found along the way. I also created a point of note list and will add my own build tips. These I will list in construction step order. Not only will this aid you build a more accurate representation but also highlights what additional upgrades might be necessary and serves to eliminate potential issues before messy mistakes could happen. I'm not adverse to a challenge but I appreciate being aware of these things in advance. 

Accuracy might not be a high priority for everyone, but a trouble-free construction journey always makes for a pleasurable build.