Product Specifications.

6460, Stu.Pz.IV Brummbär Mid Production 2-in-1 Smart Kit. 1/35th-scale styrene/multimedia kit. Contains 593 injection-molded styrene parts (including three clear), two bags of Magic Tracks, one etched brass and two etched aluminum frets, one piece of wound metal wire, three water-slide decal schemes and eight pages of instructions in 23 steps.

Introduction.

As was his wont, in October of 1942, Adolf Hitler ordered that a vehicle based on the Pz.Kpfw.IV be equipped with a 15cm gun with ammunition configured to devastate urban structures; it was to be an improvement over the improvised 15cm s.IG33 mounted on the Pz.Kpfw.III chassis. In response, a well-sloped, heavily armored casemate was designed by Alkett and a new Skoda-designed 15cm StuH was installed; the first of what the troops came to call the Stupa was in action on the Ostfront in July 1943, at Kursk. There were four different production series' with this kit representing the mid-production version, which I believe was the 3./Serie; references are vague on this point.

These two angled views show the front and rear of the port side of this assault gun. Note the massive casemate, with its finely-rendered weld bead details. The main parts are not fixed in place, thus the gaps.

In a surprise move, DML announced the advent of this kit only a few weeks ago. Then, at lightning speed, a full-production example arrived at my door a couple of days ago (end of May, 2008). Obviously, the kit has been in development for quite some time and is not a knee-jerk reaction to the announcement of a similar release from a competitor; one does not produce a styrene kit at the drop of the hat!

Tracks.

The 40cm tracks included in this release are completely new. They feature a solid guide horn and tiny angled ice grips on the faces of the links. They are properly rendered as left- and right-handed items and come in two separate bags; one set is molded in lighter-colored styrene than the other, so don't open up both bags at once or mix them up. There is no clean-up involved, if the modeler can overlook the tiny and very subtle ejector pin marks on the inner faces of each link. They fit together easily, but will not stay that way unless cement is applied.

The new 40cm tracks feature the angled ice cleats on their faces. The alternate cast idler wheel features etched brass inner rings, which did not fit as designed.

Suspension System.

The road-wheels have separate hub-caps of the type initially introduced with the Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.H. The wheels themselves are the widened type first introduced on the Ausf.F, which along with the 40cm tracks were able to handle the increased ground pressure resulting from the weight of the thickened armor compared to previous models of the standard gun tank. Each wheel/tire assembly is conventionally-molded in one piece per side and includes manufacturer's logo and tire size information on the rubber rim. A total of 20 complete road-wheels are given, which leaves four extras for spare stowage. The suspension bogies do not articulate, and are therefore far less complicated to assemble compared to the previous Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.B, C, D and E kits from this manufacturer. The bogies themselves are in multiple parts, including separate ends for the leaf springs, and a separate hub, which in turn attaches to a separate mount.

The final drive housings are single-piece moldings, without any of the internal details seen on previous kits; these are the reinforced type first introduced on the Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.H. The drive sprockets themselves, also introduced with the new final drive housings, are presented in a conventional manner with inner and outer halves. There are two styles of all-steel return rollers provided.

Separate, two-part bump stops are fitted to five stations on either of the hull sides, as are multi-part idler wheel axle adjustment housings; there are two choices here. Don't glue the axle in place until after the tracks have been fitted; this will prevent the dreaded one-too-few or one-too-many links phobia. There are two idler wheel types provided: welded-tube design and cast design. The former are provided as inner and outer halves with the hub molded in place; the latter are similar, but also have etched brass rings for their inner faces to properly represent the type. These assemblies feature excellent weld bead details or cast texture as appropriate, and, as mentioned above, can be adjusted on their axles in order to depict proper track sag.

Hull.

The hull has the fairings between the bogie units molded in place, again for simplified assembly; slide-molds were used so very little detail has been compromised. Rivets, bolts, panels, hatches and weld beads are all crisply-rendered, while there are separate fuel filler caps for the port-side wall. The final items are the parts for the hull side wall seen behind the final drive housings. By making these separate, DML can, if they wish, switch the parts to provide for the final style of tow hooks, which were merely holes drilled into extended hull side walls. Modelers should note that there are three thick injection stubs on each upper rim of the hull side walls. These must be removed or the fenders will not fit. This is not mentioned in the instructions, although the drawing in that particular step shows the items in question as having already been removed.

On the bow, a separate plate is provided to which the front tow shackles are attached, along with their separate pins; there is also a 30mm Zusatzpanzerung (applique armor) panel for the lower bow plate. Spare track links and a holding bar are provided. On the stern, the hull rear plate is composed of several parts and through the use of a slide-mold, has properly rendered bolt heads where the upper and lower sections were joined together. The exhaust muffler, first introduced with the Ausf.F, is in several parts, some of which are slide-molded for ease of assembly; it includes the non-skid textured step plate peculiar to the Sturmpanzer IV. Two variations of tow hitches are given and there are also separate hooks for each hull side wall.

Superstructure.

The new glacis plate has separate final drive/brake access hatch lids, which include the brake air cooling intake cowls as separate parts; if left open some work will need to be done to open the hole on the back of the lid that provided cooling air from the cowls. The glacis plate itself features the splash guard seen in front of the driver's hood and also has a set of spare tracks, with either etched brass or styrene mounting brackets. This entire sub-assembly fits a new adapter plate that is keyed to accommodate the new casemate's front plate.

The rear superstructure plate features crisp details with a molded-on filler cap and part of the rack for the spare wheels also in-situ. Four road-wheels can then be fitted to the remaining separate parts, which comprise the storage racks. The engine deck is a separate module and features separate two-part engine cooling air intake louvers and separate access hatch lids; the latter have etched brass parts for their interior surfaces. Details such as lift handles and radiator filler cap covers are separate parts.

The rear plate features a very well-done exhaust muffler and is shown with one of the tow hitch configurations. Note also the two cylinders and pipes which make up the Filzbalgfilter (carburetor air pre-cleaner).

The track-guards are superbly detailed on both sides and haven't a single knock-out pin mark on any surface. They include the L-shaped mounting brackets for the optional Schurzen plates already molded in place. The front and rear mud flaps are separate items and can be positioned up or down. They come from a slide mold so details visible on their sides are in place; separate springs are seen at the rear. However, if folded up, each mud-flap has several prominent ejector pin marks that will have to be filled, since those will be readily visible.

Aside from a jack, block and some other tools, a new gun tube accessories box can be mounted to the port-side track-guard, aft, and an optional multi-part Filzbalgfilter (carburetor air pre-cleaner) can be fitted to the starboard side, aft. The flaps that covered the engine air cooling intake louvers can be made from styrene or etched brass parts and they include separate tiny fasteners. A choice of two different convoy distance-keeping lamps and reflectors with etched brass details are provided, as is a multi-part Bosch black-out driving head-lamp.

Casemate.

The star of the show in this kit must surely be the casemate, which is beautifully-rendered from a slide-mold. It features excellent weld-bead details, splash guards and tie-down loops, all molded in place. Openings for separate MP Stopfen (pistol port plugs) are in place, with etched brass chain holders for use if the modeler wants to hang a plug in the open position. If not using the Schurzen option, the mounting pads are separate parts and come in styrene or etched brass; in addition, two different armored vent cowls are provided as part of that option. The driver's hood features a separate armored guard for his clear styrene periscope. The external collar for the 15cm StuH43 is a separate part that includes mounting bolts and tie-down loop details. On the rear face of the casemate, there is a choice of platoon vehicle or command vehicle radio antennae layout, with the latter featuring the Sternantenne D (star antenna); all are in multiple parts to include the proper rod antennae for each type. Separate hatch lids for the rear face are given in two versions; one is a single-part closed item and the other is a multi-part opened item; both feature separate MP Stopfen plugs. A choice of either etched brass or styrene flanges are provided for where the rear wall meets the engine deck. Finally, a fire extinguisher gets fitted low down on the port side of the casemate's rear plate.

The entire roof plate is separate and also features a choice of opened or closed crew hatch lids, all with complete internal detail. A Gen2 MG34 is provided for the loader's hatch lid/shield when it is in the opened position. The MG is in several parts but does not include any ammunition magazine or belt; the shield has optional support bars for the open position and a separate internal cover for the MG opening. The commander's hatch lids are in two parts and he can have a clear styrene Scherenfernrohr (scissors periscope) mounted on a separate post if they are in the opened position. The exhaust fan vent is in three parts and includes internal detail, while there are separate lift hooks where appropriate. Molded-on panel lines, splash guards and bolt details are all there, with the splash guards featuring very fine spot-weld beads where appropriate.

Three of the five Schürzen plates are shown in place. Note that they lean inwards towards the bottom, which is correct. If the wider Ostketten (east tracks) were fitted, they were re-positioned to hang vertically.

As a final main option, the modeler can fit a complete set of Schurzen plates and their hangers to the finished kit. These begin with styrene mounting brackets and hanging rails, which are crowned with etched (or laser cut?) aluminum plates; the latter also have styrene parts attached for the mounting points. To ease the process, etched lines are seen on the inner faces of the plates where these are to be fitted. In addition, each plate is sequentially-numbered for accurate placement. This seems to be a fine balance between durability, ease of assembly and scale representation of this feature. Other styrene parts for this assembly include brackets and the smaller front-most angled plates, as well as the track-guard side extensions sometimes seen.

Interior and Gun.

The fighting compartment interior is based on a rear bulkhead (devoid of any detail) and a floor plate with an extremely fine non-skid pattern composed of tiny raised dots; a representation of the covers for the fuel filler pipes is also seen on that part. A multi-part mounting bracket for the 15cm StuH43 is also provided.

The 15cm StuH43 is well-represented, while there is a basic floor and fighting compartment bulkhead/engine firewall included as well.

Naturally, the center of attraction is the gun. The mount is extremely well-detailed and is composed of many separate parts. If assembled per the instructions it can elevate, but it is not designed to traverse. For elevation, the modeler should be very careful that no glue touches part D3, which is a sprocket that very positively engages the elevation gear. There is a choice of hand-wheel configurations and the Sfl.Z.F.1a gunner's sight is provided as a clear part. The breech block can be left opened or closed, and the gun can be pushed back on its cradle as if it has recoiled. The gun tube itself is from a slide mold featuring rifling on the inside of the bore.

Molding, Fit and Engineering.

Typical for current products from DML, there are no visible ejector pin marks (except where noted on the track links) and no shrinkage of any kind on any of the styrene parts. Mold seams are restrained and flash does not exist, but there are loads of tiny ejector pin nodes that must be removed, with the accompanying extra clean-up of parts. This is still far better than having to fill ejector pin marks! Slide molds are extensively, but intelligently used, as are etched metal parts. Basic fit throughout can be considered good-to-excellent; quite a few major sub-assemblies simply click into place after their constituent parts have been glued together. I noted one very minor fit issue with the separate inner plates for the final drive housings, parts B10 and B11. Some clamping and a bit of sanding easily fixed that up. Harder to deal with were the minutely-oversized etched brass rings for the inner rims of the cast idler wheels; I'm still trying to figure that one out!

Accuracy and Details.

Based on the drawing in reference 2, below, the sizes of the major parts and sub-assemblies are extremely accurate. Smaller items are properly positioned and such things as weld beads, hinges, panel lines, rivets and bolt heads are exquisitely-rendered. Etched brass and aluminum parts are used where scale thickness is desirable, and with the single exception noted, they are all easily used. The only thing that can be considered to be “wrong” with the kit is the lack of Zimmerit, which is seen on all photos of this version.

Instructions.

The instructions are complex and are presented in the traditional line drawing fashion; there are a number of options and there are loads of parts. Options are properly distinguished and where etched metal parts can be used to replace styrene parts, this is also made clear. During the build-up for this review, I found a single place where they can confuse, which is in step 23, regarding the fitting of the tracks. The modeler is shown that there are left- and right-hand side links, but there is no image that shows which is which; nor are the links themselves labeled as such. In the past, DML's instructions were noted for being a bit confused. It appears that they have made a concerted effort to address that issue, although these are still not perfect. Regardless, progress has been made; good for them!

Decals and Markings Information.

A small water-slide decal sheet provides Balkenkreuze national insignia and Tac numbers for three vehicles belonging to Stu.Pz.Abt.216, as seen in Italy in 1944. The designs are crisp, well-printed and have thin, clear, matte carrier film. One command vehicle and two platoon vehicles, numbered white 1, 2 and 3, respectively can be produced. A photo exists (see reference 7, below) of a similarly-configured vehicle with Tac number white 13; combining the numbers already given will suffice to finish that one. References indicate the markings are accurate for the unit, time, place and configuration of these vehicles, with the proviso that the modeler applies Zimmerit, since all of them had this feature.

The metal bits and the small decal sheet. Note that there are etched marks on each Schürzen plate to properly position the styrene hanging brackets; the plates are handed and each is also sequentially-numbered to help ease the modeler's job.

Conclusion.

This is an excellent representation of the so-called Mid-Production Sturmpanzer IV. It is extremely accurate (discounting the lack of Zimmerit), has quite a few options and (with a rare exception) goes together exceedingly well. As DML's subsidiary, Cyberhobby has already announced the Initial Production version of this vehicle, fans of the type will be rather well-served.

Highly recommended.

- Frank V. De Sisto