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| Type: |
SdKfz 166 Brummbar |
Armament: |
150mm |
| Built: |
July 1991 - June 2003 |
Armor: |
100mm |
| Builder: |
John Pittelli |
Rating: |
40/4 |
| Status: |
Operational |
Battles: |
27 |
| Owner: |
Desert One |
Points Earned: |
45,000 |
| Call Sign: |
Desert Dog |
Points Given: |
34,000 |
| Notes: |
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Second Oldest Tank In The HobbyOriginally built/battled as Panzer IVConverted to Brummbar in 2009Panzer Lied Lyrics
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Click Photo For Enlargement (67 Kb)
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The Panzer IV hull was built in 1991 with the intent of waging war with
Tiger Tank #T001, but was set aside for a short time period (approx 11 years)
while waiting for high priority projects to subside. Then, it was dusted off
and the hard work of making it operational began.
The hull is constructed of 3/8" luan plywood and will be eventually coated
with epoxy and reinforced with fiberglass where needed.
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The Panzer had relatively small bogie wheels and some hard wood hobby wheels
just happened to be the right size. Two wheels have been glued and nailed
together to operate as a single wheel. Both sides of the wheel have been
bored out to 3/4" to accept 1/4" ID bearings, which ride on 1/4" bolts as
axles. With a total of 16 wheel axles carrying the load, 1/4" axles should
suffice (besides, the 1/4" bearings were free).
Each axle is bolted through a piece of 3/4" square aluminum rod, which is
bolted through the bottom of the hull. The axles are also supported by the
external horizontal support, which keeps all axles aligned and makes the
structure more rigid.
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Click Photo For Enlargement (113 Kb)
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The 4" diameter drive wheels were made out of 3/4" thick Medium Density
Fiberboard (MDF) by rough cutting them on a bandsaw and then finishing
them on the lathe. Two 3/4" disks were glued and screwed together to
make the 1.5" thick drive wheels, which are the same thickness as the
bogie wheels. The drive wheels are secured to the drive shaft using
homemade flanges, consisting of a standard 1/2" nut which has been brazed
to a standard 1/2" fender washer. Two flanges are mounted on either side
of the wheel using a couple screws going through the fender
washer into the wheel. The flange was bored out to a full
1/2" to accept the steel drive shaft and an 1/8" steel spring pin locks
everything into place.
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A close-up of the rear idler wheels shows a fixed axle that has been
mounted to the side of the hull with a sliding joint. This allows the
rear axles to be moved back and forth to adjust the tension on the tracks.
The slider was made by cutting a long slot in two pieces of 1/8" thick,
1.5" wide steel flat stock, which is through bolted to the side of the hull.
Then, two pieces of 1/2" steel angle stock are through bolted, with the
outside piece facing backwards and the inside piece facing forwards.
This allows the axle to project backwards beyond the end of the hull,
which is how the original axle was mounted. By loosening the bolts that
connect the two outer pieces, they can be slid along the slot.
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Click Photo For Enlargement (360 Kb)
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The Panzer turret has lots of interesting angles and slopes, and it
doesn't hurt to make things operational along the way. Here, the box
hanging off the back of the turret is partially done, awaiting the layout
of the turret systems before it will be finished. A liberal amount of filler
and finishing will make everything look great when it's done.
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Click Photo For Enlargement (336 Kb)
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The Panzer drive system has definitely benefited from waiting a few years.
The setup shown here is well organized and the entire assembly can be
lifted out of the tank when the two front drive shafts are removed.
This makes working on everything much easier. The kiddie car drive motors
are mounted on a single fixed bar that spans the drive assembly and is
mounted in slots on each side. Turnbuckles
on either side of the assembly allow the motors to be moved back and
forth to tension the belts. This is an important feature, because different
pulley ratios require different motor placement. In this case, a Twist-Lock
1/2" drive belt is used, which eliminates all vibration between the motors
and drive shafts. At the present time, a 2:1 pulley ratio is installed,
pending field trials to determine the proper ratios for speed and endurance.
The motor pulley is mounted to the motor using a 1" diameter Delrin spacer
that is held inside of the motor drive cog using a stainless hose clamp.
Two bolts secure the pully hub to the Delrin hub.
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Click Photo For Enlargement (365 Kb)
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