1:35 Panzer IV steel return rollers, pattern 2, 1944 - 45, for one vehicle, Dragon kits

Pattern 2 of the all-steel rollers for the Panzer IV

The second of the four shape variants that the Elefant brand offers for models of the Panzer IV in 1:35 scale. The extent of the box matches one vehicle and the dating given in the name falls in the years 1944 to 1945.

One factory, several suppliers

From February 1944 the Panzer IV was built by a single plant, yet small components for it went on being delivered by a range of subcontractors. That is exactly why the all-steel return rollers occur in several mutually differing renditions, which overlap in time and cannot be arranged in a simple sequence. A modeler building a particular vehicle from a period photograph therefore goes not by the date but by the shape: they compare the disc and the mount in the photograph with what they have on the bench.

When to reach for pattern 2 in particular

• vehicles built during the course of 1944
• builds based on a particular period photograph
• a combination of several patterns on one machine
• rounding out vehicles on the Panzer IV chassis

The procedure for the swap

First consider how many rollers you will actually replace on the model; vehicles from the end of the war sometimes had one roller fewer on a side than older examples. Separate the new parts from the gate, level the face left by the cut and fit them only once the hull has been painted, so that they are not damaged. For unifying the shade a thin oxide primer helps, over which dirty metal and dry earth can be layered. Suggest the wear on the running surface with a graphite pencil.