3 Tanks Questions

[Dario Risso]

1) As some of you knows, I'm building a couple of command Panzer I, one using Dragon kit and the other from Zvezda; OK, the Zvezda kit provides a part to be used as towing cable, but I dont like it, its very crude; in the worst side, Dragon's kit provides...nothing related to towing cables; so, the question is:
Can I use a couple of eyelet from a Dragon Panzer IV? Or they are too big for a Panzer I? I will add the cable made out of steel fishing lead wire, I think .8 mm diameter will be OK

Any clear close-up pic will be helpful too




2) What is the role of the part pointed by the red arrow in next pic? It looks like a reinforcement, present in all Panzer IV's from F2/G to J, but ...why it is located only in right side fender?




3) OK, this is not an axis tank, but...let's say it is a beutepanzer, so...it belong to Axis

This is a question that has eaten me for years: How in the hell the crew opened the KV's hatches from outside? They had not any handle!



Thanks for your answers

Darío

[Chris Meddings]

1; why not make your own ends; take some styrene tube and bend it using heat. then sand off he outside half to give you the channel,then wrap your cable around it, finally add a sleeve from more tube (reamed out to make the wall thinner)

2; no idea

3; they had to open it to get out, probably they didn't close it after

[Dennis McQuillen]

1. They look like regular industrial rigging cables pressed into service in the early years before beefier ones were made for heavier vehicles. You may need to follow Chris' advice.

2. If is a fender support but with space for tools to slide under.

3. If I remember correctly a T-handle was used to turn the nut in the center (you can see it in the pic). You could then use the T-handle while on the nut to rotate the hatch open.