DML 6300 Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.H Late Production
1/35 injection plastic kit with decals and photo etch

For much of 1943 and 1944 the long barreled Panzer IV Ausf H was the main stay of Germany’s Panzer Divisions. Produced in significant numbers the later production Ausf H with their distinctive side armor and the longer 7.5cm Kw.K 40 L/48 barrel are frequently seen in photos from both Normandy and the Eastern Front. The Ausf H was also the last version of the Panzer IV with improvements which increased its fighting capability and as such is often considered the definitive version of this Panzer.

CONTENTS

This kit represents a late production Panzer IV Ausf H with the revised hull schurzen (side skirts) and fenders without the pre-filter which was dropped in February 1944. This kit is in the Smart Kit format and has new tooling for key parts such as upper hull and turret, along with a hull featuring the distinctive late production Ausf H features such as cast rear idlers, all steel return rollers and interlocking front armor. As expected many parts are shared with the recently released Ausf F2/G and mid production Brummbar.

The metal side skirts are thin to give a realistic in scale effect and can be bent to depict frontline service. With each panel being separate it is easy to depict a Panzer missing the odd panel. The panels have the positions for the plastic D brackets marked on to simplify assembly. The mounting rails are plastic with the triangular supports appropriate for a late production Ausf H.

The optional photo etch includes the flaps for the side plate engine vents, baffles below the engine deck hatches, tail reflector, detail on the rear convoy light, turret mounted vane and a pair of fender supports. Clear plastic parts are provided for the driver’s and radio operator’s forward and side vision blocks, turret hatch vision ports and the cupola vision ports.

The 19 step gatefold instruction sheet is clearly laid out and clean up of the parts should be very quick. Late production Ausf H were coated in zimmerit, which you will need to add. The horizontal ridges pattern is the easiest zimmerit pattern to apply with putty and several resin aftermarket sets are available. By 1944 zimmerit was generally not applied to either the hull schurzen or the surfaces behind the schurzen (e.g. turret sides).

One interesting inclusion in this kit is a handful of T-34 Magic Tracks. These can be fitted as supplementary armour on the turret and front hull in addition to the regular spare Panzer III/IV tracks (which are included). The kit in the box art has the T-34 tracks fitted as such and is based on a front line photo.

AUSF H PRODUCTION HULL

The upper hull, lower hull and suspension all reflects Dragon’s attention to research and feature new tooling to capture the distinctive features of the Panzer IV H.

The upper hull is based on a single piece, which has excellent detail for the turret race, screw heads with slots, countersunk holes and rain guards. The driver and radio operator’s hatches are new tooling with splash guards and both hatches can be modeled open. The aerial (rod included) is now on the left rear as expected for an Ausf H and a spare rod stored on a fender. The forward MG34 has a workable ball mount and internal detail. The engine hatch can be modeled open although you will need to add your own Maybach HL 120 engine (several are available). The baffles underneath the hatches are photo etch.

The fittings on new side fenders have the typical late production Ausf H layout and the fenders themselves have an impressive anti-skid pattern on the upper surface and underside and separate front and rear fenders. There is one Bosch headlamps (not two as per the Ausf G), and a new barrel-cleaning rod is stored on the left rear of the hull (choice of parts lets you have the head on the top or bottom). The spare road wheels are stored in an open metal box/bin on the left fender. The holes for the tools are predrilled and the bottom of some of the brackets are crisply cast onto the fenders, which combined with the sharply defined tools (which have the brackets and clamps cast on) will deliver crisp results. The multipart jack is built from five parts and has separate brackets.

The lower hull is accurate for and Ausf H/J and as expected slide-molding is used to provide detail on the bottom and sides such as weld beams, counter sunk holes and screw heads. Other features such as the drive housing and the use of separate parts for the rear idler mount, bump stops etc are as expected for a Smart Kit. The rear plate is a separate part where slide-molding has been used to depict the bolt heads on the underside of one of the flanges, a feature often overlooked to simplify tooling. Correct for an Ausf , on the rear plate there is an auxiliary electric generator for the turret traverse which is a separate part (deleted on Ausf J). The rear exhaust is a detailed multi-part assembly with a hollowed outlet. The tow cable is made from twisted wire with plastic end eyes. Several spare tracks are stored on the rear plate.

The glacis plate and 80mm thick lower front hull are correct for the late production Ausf H and have details such as the counter sunk screw holes near the brake access hatches. The spare Pz III/IV tracks mounted on the glacis plate have no visible injection marks. The lower spare track rack can be filled with Magic Tracks.

SUSPENSION

The suspension has features indicative of the Ausf H hull. The road wheels have the tyre and rim as one piece (two units per bogy) and have separate hub-caps (correct later simplified profile) with small screw heads finely reproduced. The road wheels have sidewall markings and the return rollers are a choice of two later all steel patterns.

There is a choice of rear idlers being the earlier welded design or the later cast type introduced on the Ausf H. The later idler has a center hub with cast texture while the outer rim is smooth which depicts how the real idlers were made.

The tracks are Magic Tracks where each link comes loose, and for most modelers will require no clean up. These links are the 40cm wide type with solid guide horns and chevrons on the outer faces which is very typical of the Ausf H. The tracks are asymmetric in that there is a separate set for each side to reflect the way the track pins were fitted. Each side is separately packed and has its own shade of grey.

TURRET

The turret is based on a newly tooled 3-directional slide molded shell that depicts a late production Ausf H with increased roof armor and a thicker rear plate. The turret roof also has a blanking cover for where the Nahverteigungswaffe (close defence weapon) was planned to be mounted but was not due to production shortages. The commander's cupola has a MG 34 (Gen-2 tooling) mounted on a multipart frame, and like other Panzer IV Smart Kits has internal detail with five vision blocks and a lock mechanism on the split hatch.

The turret has injection plastic turret skirts armor which comes with choice of outer doors (open or closed options allowing flexibility in dioramas) and are attached to plastic support brackets which have small detail for the bolt heads not only on the top but also vertical faces. As expected other detail includes a toothed turret ring, hatches and ports with internal detail that can be revealed when modeled open, separate parts for the varying handles, commander’s sight, covers etc, rear stowage bin and two-part lifting hooks.

The 7.5cm KwK40 L/48 gun is impressive with a slide molded barrel tub and a choice of four multi-part double baffle muzzle breaks which reflect the different profiles seen in wartime photos. There is a choice of gun sleeves with differing screw head patterns and a choice of a slide-molded MG34 in its protective sleeve or an empty sleeve. Inside the turret the there is the gun breech. Absent interior detail such as the spent shell catcher could be sourced from other Dragon kits if you wished to add this super detailing.

DECALS

The Cartograf decal sheet by has markings for five Ausf H, each of which is supported by three profiles on the instruction sheet and a color side profile on the box. All Panzer IV have a dark yellow base with green or green and brown camouflage markings and are from:

Unidentified unit on the Eastern Front. This is the tank in the box art with the T-34 tracks on the front and three Balkan Crosses.
Unidentified unit on the Vistula River Poland with turret numbers black 923.
3rd Panzer Division in the Ukraine, Ostfront 1943 with Balkan Crosses and turret numbers red 624.
2nd Panzer Division in Normandy, 1944 with Balkan Crosses and turret numbers white outline 802 and 823. The latter tank is often seen in photos and includes decals for the white position markers (1L, 2L etc) on each hull schurzen plate. Some Pz IV Ausf H from this unit has zimmerit on the turret schurzen.

RECOMMENDATION

Dragon’s new Panzer IV Ausf H provides an accurate model of a late production version as often seen in wartime photos. Not only does this kit round out Dragon’s range of Panzer IVs, it also provides another example of the effectiveness of the Smart Kit format in delivering first rate models which are pleasing to build. Highly recommended.

- Neville Lord