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6460
Sd.Kfz.166 Stu.Pz.IV "Brummbar" Mid Production & Mid Production
Command Version (2 in 1)
1/35 injection plastic kit with decals and photo etch
Armed with a 150mm howitzer and possessing thick frontal armour, the
Sturmpanzer IV, or Brummbar as it was called in Allied reports and is
now popularly know as, was designed to support infantry attacking buildings
and fortified positions. This new Dragon Brummbar represents a second
or "mid" production series model with the revised fighting
compartment roof, modified driver¡¦s compartment armour and periscope
mounting, and a lengthened gun-barrel armour. This series entered production
in December 1943 and saw combat in Western Europe, the Italian campaign
and on the Eastern Front.
This new release from Dragon depicts a mid production Brummbar and has
the option of being either a standard self-propelled gun or a command
vehicle with the additional star aerial. The kit has considerable new
tooling and is the popular Smart Kit format with a chassis layout similar
to Dragon¡¦s Smart Kit Panzer IV Ausf F1/F2/G releases but with a newly
tooled Ausf H hull and suspension as was used for the mid production
Brummbar.
Key features include the detailed gun breech inside the fighting compartment
and the inclusion of metal side skirts (schurzen), along with clear
plastic for the optics, Magic Tracks and significant use of slide molding.
The optional photo etch includes the baffles below the engine deck hatches,
detail on the rear convoy light, flaps for the side plate engine vents,
front fender detail, undercut detail on the rear idlers and a pair of
flashings for the join between the rear deck and the superstructure.
The new metal side skirts are thin to give a realistic in scale effect
and the ability to easily bend them a bit to reflect frontline service.
With each panel being separate it is easy to depict a Brummbar missing
a few panels. 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 mid production Brummbar.
The 23 step gatefold instruction sheet is clearly laid out. Clean up
of this kit¡¦s part should be very quick. Mid production Brummbar were
coated in zimmerit, which you will need to add. The horizontal ridges
pattern (as shown in the box art) is the easiest zimmerit pattern to
apply with putty and the Brummbar with it large flat panels is one of
the easier panzers to apply zimmerit to.
FIGHTING COMPARTMENT
The fighting compartment features extensive new tooling and is based
around a 3-directional slide molded shell. This shell has holes for
both pistol ports on each side (as accurate for a mid-production vehicle
¡V early versions had one port per side) with the option of depicting
the ports open with the plug hanging from the included PE chains. The
interlocking detail is nicely done, although much of it will be loss
under the zimmerit. On the rear of the superstructure there is the option
of fitting the included command vehicle¡¦s star aerial and the associated
second mounting point (crisp new tooling). The kit also includes the
standard aerial.
The roof, which has the revised layout of a mid-production Brummbar
(no longer had the hatch near the periscope), is a separate part with
sharp detail for the bolt heads and hinges. Other features include separate
parts for the extractor fan vent (mid feature position) and the roof
mounted MG34 (Gen-2 tooling) that used a hatch as the shield. The roof
and rear hatches can be modelled open and each hatch has internal detail.
Given the inclusion of a full breech for the StuH.43/1 L/12 along with
the recoil guard, mounting and gunner¡¦s seat, there is considerable
potential for modeling the Brummbar with the hatches open. The partial
interior also includes the periscopes and the anti-skid pattern on the
floor. The StuH.43/1¡¦s barrel is slide-molded and has internal rifling.
HULL
The lower hull reflects Dragon¡¦s attention to research and is new tooling
with distinctive features of the Panzer IV 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.
The rear exhaust is a detailed multi-part assembly with a horizontal
plate with anti-skid above it and a hollowed outlet, while the fender-mounted
filter is crisp new tooling.
The side fenders are new tooling, and have a fine anti-skid pattern
on the upper surface and underside and separate front and rear fenders.
The holes for the fittings are predrilled and the bottom of many of
the brackets are crisply cast onto the fenders, which combined with
the sharply defined fittings will deliver impressive results. The multipart
jack is built from five parts and has separate brackets, while some
other fittings are also new tooling including the side-mounted toolbox.
The two tow cables are made from twisted wire with plastic end eyes.
The engine deck is a separate part with crisp detail for weld marks
screw heads, counter sunk holes etc. The engine hatches can be modeled
open, although you will need to add a Maybach HL 120 engine (several
are available). These vents on the hatches are sharply defined and have
drop fit PE baffles underneath. A part fits where the firewall separating
the engine from the fighting compartment was, but it appears structural
as it is not detailed, but would be useful if adding an engine or showing
off the interior.
The glacis plate and lower front hull are new parts and show attention
to details such as the counter sunk screw holes near the brake access
hatches. The spare 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 features new tooling appropriate for 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 the later all steel pattern. Four spare wheels
are mounted on a rear rack appropriate for a mid-production Brummbar.
The rear idlers have an interesting feature, not normally seen on related
kits where the center hub has a cast texture while the outer rim is
smooth. This apparently depicts how the real idlers were made using
a mix of molds and hand-wrought workmanship.
The tracks are Magic Tracks where each link comes loose, and for most
modelers will require no clean up, although each link has two small
injector marks. These links are the 40cm wide type with closed guide
horns and chevrons on the outer faces, a type that was common in 1944.
The tracks are asymmetric and each side is separately packed with its
own shade of grey.
DECALS
The Cartograf decal sheet by has markings for three Brummbar from Sturmpanzer
Abteilung 216 in Italy 1944. Each Brummbar is dark yellow with brown
camouflage and has Balkan Crosses along with white gun numbers (1, 2
or 3).
RECOMMENDATION
Dragon¡¦s new Sturmpanzer IV ¡§Brummbar¡¨ represents a major improvement
over earlier 1/35 models of this assault howitzer. It has improved accuracy
while also offering significant improvements in terms of finesse and
kit construction, such as the advanced tooling of the Smart Kit format,
attention to small detail such as casting texture, and the Magic Tracks.
Highly recommended.
-
Neville Lord
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