1:35 Panzer IV steel return rollers with welded base late pattern

Panzer IV, the welded mount of the steel rollers in the late pattern

The late pattern of the welded mount of the steel rollers for a model of the Panzer IV in 1:35 scale. The name identifies it not by a serial number but by the period in which such a piece was made on the vehicles. It replaces the parts from the base kit, but it will not replace the kit itself.

Late production and its traces

The longer the war lasted, the more German vehicles took up solutions that could be made quickly and with less consumption of quality material. Weldments were given a coarser surface, the joints were less careful and shape detail dwindled. A model that respects this looks more convincing than a build with polished faces: wear and imperfection are part of the subject on vehicles from the end of production. That is exactly why the late form is worth choosing deliberately rather than by chance.

The order of assembly

Fit the rollers before you start laying the track, otherwise you will not reach them. Anyone who reverses the order usually finds the parts hard to get at afterward. Then let the track settle freely above them and check the sag against a photograph. Cyanoacrylate glue is recommended; weight the joint until it sets. Apply the paint only after checking the seating, so that you do not have to go back to a finished surface. A little extra time repays itself in the final look.

Intended for

• Builds of vehicles from the last period of production
• Modelers who fine-tune the running gear in detail
• Dioramas with an exposed side of the hull
• Those looking for the coarser, period-faithful surface of a weldment