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Pz.Kpfw.IV
Ausf.H Mid-Production Introduction The
Kit Contents As
mentioned, the air filter that's new for the right hand superstructure
is supplied on a new small sprue. I must admit to not having seen
one of these before and had to look it up. It's also supplied with
a new section of armoured sidewall for the superstructure to allow
it to be fitted correctly. Moving to the area of the engine deck itself,
we're given the photo-etched inserts for the slats in the vents, along
with the sheet covers that were used on the side vents to close them
off. A full MG34 assembly is provided for the co-driver, since this
can be seen through the open hatches should you choose them to displays
them opened. The wire tow rope for the rear wall is of course provided,
although you'll have to anneal it to make it conform to the shape
required. Conclusion -
Vinnie Branigan Kit,
DML 6526, Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.H Mid-Production Autumn 1943 Product specifications. 6526, Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.H Mid-Production Autumn 1943, Smart Kit. 1/35th-scale injection-molded styrene/multimedia kit. Contains: 736 styrene parts (including 16 clear), two bags of Magic Tracks, four photo-etched frets, one piece of braided metal wire, one decal/marking scheme and ten pages of instructions in 20 steps. Introduction. DML has released another Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.H, which I believe is their third in the Smart Kit series. While the first one did not have Zimmerit, the second one did; this latest release, although it was built in the time period where Zimmerit was standard, does not have the anti-magnetic mine paste. This feature was seen on a number of German tracked AFVs from September 1943 until September 1944, including the Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.H. In the end, the main selling point in this kit is the inclusion of parts to create a Filzbalgfilter, which was factory-installed on the Ausf.H until February 1944. Tracks. The 40cm tracks included in this release feature a solid guide horn and tiny angled ice grips on the faces of the links. They are Magic Tracks, and come loosely-packed in two separate bags. The links have no sprue attachment points to clean, but each does have two faint ejector pin marks on their inner faces. The fit is positive, but loose, so glue will be required to keep them together. They are handed, with each side being separately-packed; they are also two different shades of grey so they cannot be mixed up, unless the modeler impatiently pours them all out into a heap. Suspension System. The road-wheels have separate forged hub-caps of the type initially introduced during production of the 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 manufacturers 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. In addition, four more complete road-wheels are included and they are sized to fit in the container that is mounted on the port-side track-guard. The bogies themselves are in multiple parts to include separate ends for the leaf spring bundles, a separate axle hub and a separate mounting bracket. The final drive housings are single-piece moldings; these are the reinforced type first introduced on the 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, one of which has a reinforcing rib in two places. 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. 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 can be adjusted on their axles in order to depict proper track sag. Hull. The hulls belly plate has the fairings between the bogie units molded in place, again for simplified assembly. A multi-part slide-mold was used to render this part, so details have not been compromised. Rivets, bolts, panels, hatches and weld beads are all crisply-rendered, while there are separate fuel filler caps for the side wall. The final items are the parts for the hull side-wall seen behind the final drive housings. Modelers should note that there are three thick injection stubs on each rim of the hull side walls. These must be removed or the track-guards 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. A separate internal bulkhead is fitted between the fighting compartment and engine compartment. It has no detail and apparently only serves a structural purpose. On the bow, a separate outer plate is provided to which the front tow eyes are attached, along with their separate pins and bars to hold spare track links. The brackets for mounting spare track links on the glacis plate are also given as styrene or etched brass parts. 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 large cylindrical exhaust muffler, first introduced with the Ausf.F, is presented in several parts, some slide-molded. The muffler for the turret traverse motor is fitted and there are the two tow pintle variations. The final items back there are the separate tow hooks for each hull side wall. Track-guards and OVM. The track-guards are superbly detailed on both sides and havent 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. OVM items mounted on the port track-guards include: multi-part Tarnscheinwerfer-Bosch black-out driving head-lamp, fire extinguisher, vertically-stored C-shaped tow hooks (with etched brass or styrene mounting bracket), wrenches, small pry-bar, wire cutters, a beautifully-rendered spare wheel tray made from a slide-mold, fitted with two spare road-wheels, a large pry-bar and a choice of two different convoy distance-keeping lamp configurations. The starboard side mounts an axe (with optional etched brass mounting bracket), styrene or etched brass track-guard support bracket, track tool, a multi-part slide-molded jack, starter crank and track tensioning wrench. 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. Superstructure. The glacis plate has separate 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 spare track links and brackets that were a feature of Ausf.Hs are also provided to fit over the transmission access hatch lid; these include etched brass or styrene mounting points. A fender support bracket is provided as a styrene or etched brass assembly. The superstructure front plate is 80mm thick. It includes a separate ball mount for the MG34 as well as a drivers visor; the latter features a separate cover that must be glued in place in the desired position. Some internal details are given such as a clear view-port block and a fairly complete, multi-part Gen2 MG34, which includes a pre-bored muzzle and proper slot detail on the armored barrel jacket. The superstructure sides include subtle weld bead details; the openings for the view-port flaps have been deleted. A new starboard side plate is in the box for use with the newly-provided Filzbalgfilter unit. Separate driver and radio operators hatch lids are given; these retain integrally-molded internal latches. The superstructure roof plate is characterized by five-sided hatch lid splash guards. It also features separate engine deck access hatch lids, each with an etched brass or styrene part for the internal baffles. The small box seen over the radiator filler cap is a separate part. The side vents on the engine compartment are provided as multi-part styrene moldings; the flaps for these vents are provided as styrene or etched brass items. Various fittings are separate parts. These include the antenna base seen on the rear corner of the port side, along with its associated rod antenna. A vent cowl, shovel, jack block (with etched brass retaining chain), gun tube staffs and bore swab completes the fit. The rear superstructure plate has crisp details with molded-on access cap and separate spare track links for stowage. The tow cables are made up of braided metal wire and styrene end-loops with holes already in place due to the use of slide molds; these attach to the upper rear plate using separate L-shaped hooks. Schurzen. A complete set of Schurzen plates and their hangers are included in the box. These begin with styrene mounting brackets and two versions of the styrene hanging rails for the hull. The hull Schurzen plates are provided as etched aluminum parts; they then 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 on the fret for accurate placement. The use of this media combination provides a balance between durability, ease of assembly and scale representation of this feature. Styrene parts are provided for the smaller, sometimes-seen front-most plates, in two versions: solid and notched. These have a choice of etched brass or styrene brackets for attachment to the track-guard rims. The turrets Schurzen plates are all-styrene, with the curved rear section coming from a slide-mold. Extra parts are provided in order to show these opened up where they covered the turret-side escape hatch lids. Turret. The turret has been re-worked to delete both of the side-wall mounted view-port flaps and also features the front plate that had only one view-port flap. Furthermore, it has been molded so as to accommodate the Schurzen plate mounting frames. Another major feature is the up-armored rear section of the roof. A separate splash guard and commanders cupola finish off the roof. The cupola has a single-piece hatch lid and is the up-armored type with 90mm armor basis. The hatch lid comes in two forms, one of which has separate handles. Use that one if the lid is opened and use the other if it is closed. The cupolas view-port flaps can be shown opened or closed and each has a separate handle; there are clear styrene parts for the vision blocks. Optional etched brass or styrene commanders blade sights are provided. A separate view-port flap with hinges and clear parts for the glass block is provided for the turrets front plate. The split turret side doors are separate parts and include separate internal frames, hinges and clear vision blocks. Above these are grab handles and rain guards. Beautifully-rendered weld bead and screw head detail abounds, particularly on the roof plate. The rear of the turret face includes mounts for the Gepakkasten (baggage bin) and separate MP-Stopfen (pistol ports). The Gepakkasten is correctly-sized and therefore does not match the drawings in Panzer Tracts No.4; on this point I corresponded with a member of the kits consultation team, who has assured me that the DML part is dimensionally correct. The Gepakkasten comes from a slide-mold and incorporates fine rivet detail and separate lid; it is optimized for the fitting of turret Schurzen plates. The Ausf.H was armed with the lengthened 7.5cm KwK40 L/48, which is well represented using slide molds and multiple parts. There is no less than three muzzle brake variations provided in the box. The external sleeve for the KwK40 apparently came in a couple of variations, both of which are provided. Internal details for the gun include a fairly complete breech assembly with two-position wedge for the breech. The internal part of the roof-mounted exhaust fan is given as is a commanders seat. The mantlet and the armor that surrounded the gun tube is a multi-part assembly. This assembly also includes a slide-molded MG34 muzzle with armored sleeve, or a sleeve without the gun in place. Molding, Fit and Engineering. Molding overall is excellent, while fit for such a relatively complex kit is rated as outstanding. There are a few ejector pin marks that may need attention and the turret interior has several pins that will need to be cut off. Flash and shrinkage is non-existent, while mold part seams are subtle and easily dealt with. Weld bead and recessed screw head detail is especially noteworthy, as is the use of slide-molds for enhanced detail or ease of construction. Accuracy. As far as accuracy is concerned, the kit matches drawings in Panzer Tracts No.4 to well within acceptable limits. It should be mentioned here that certain details seen on the kit are not shown in the cited drawings, but are seen in contemporary photos, and that some items simply do not match, such as the Gepakkasten. Instructions. The instructions are well-drawn but as always for DML, they are very busy; proceed with caution! The only glitch I noted was mentioned above, regarding the sprue gates seen on the hull part. Decals and Markings Information. Water-slide decals are provided by Cartograf of Italy. They are in perfect register, have crisp, sharp edges and excellent color saturation. They consist solely of four Balkenkreuze national insignia and are a singular disappointment. Conclusion. The inclusion of the parts for a Filzbalgfilter is the only thing (not including Zimmerit) that differentiates this kit fro previous DML Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.H kits; modelers who want that feature on their replica will appreciate having these parts in the box. The markings (or lack thereof) are a disappointment on this otherwise well-done offering. Of course, including Zimmerit would have made this the best choice to construct this version of the Ausf.H, as many modelers will no doubt agree. - Frank V. De Sisto DML 6526 Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.H Mid Production Autumn 1943 1/35 injection plastic kit with photo etch The long barreled mid production Panzer IV Ausf H were a work horse for Germany's Panzer Divisions in the late 1943 and much of 1944 being seen in photos from the Eastern Front, Italy and later in Normandy. The mid production Ausf H had a pre-filter on the right hand fender (dropped in February 1944), one piece 80 mm frontal armor and triangular mounting points for the side skirts, all of which are featured in this kit. These Panzers were produced in the northern Autumn of 1943 and were issued to both Wehrmacht and Waffen SS units, as well as seeing some exports to Spain.
This kit is in the Smart Kit format and has new tooling for those parts unique to the mid production Ausf H, including the filter and associated side armor, while sharing other parts with Dragon's recent late production Ausf H. Experience with related Dragon Panzer IV Ausf H and J kits indicates that part alignment will be very favourable making the project enjoyable. Spare and alternative parts provide flexibility in depicting variations in the suspension of these Ausf H. 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 that were introduced during the Autumn of 1943 to mid production Ausf H. The 20 step gatefold instruction sheet is clearly laid out and clean up of the parts should be very quick. Zimmerit was introduced in September 1943 which was during the production period for the mid Ausf H, and is seen in many frontline photos. The horizontal ridges pattern is the easiest zimmerit pattern to apply with putty, and several resin aftermarket sets are available. By late 1943 zimmerit was generally not applied to either the hull schurzen or the surfaces behind the schurzen (e.g. turret sides). 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 vision blocks, turret hatch vision ports and the cupola vision ports. A length of twisted metal is included for the tow cable. The small Cartograf decal sheet contains four Balkan Crosses and the instruction sheet is limited to one Panzer. This vehicle is from an unidentified unit on the Eastern Front and has the common dark yellow base with green or green and brown camouflage markings scheme.
AUSF H PRODUCTION HULL The hull has been revised with new tooling for the air pre-filter that was a distinctive feature of early and mid production Ausf H. The filter consists of two vertically mounted cylinders and the associated inlet, outlet and mountings, all of which are sharply tooled and fit together well due to thoughtful tooling design. Each cylinder is tooled as a single piece cylinder eliminating the need to bother with cleaning up glue seam marks. The right hand side upper hull side armor plate has also been retooled to allow for the pre-filter, providing detail which is missing on some older kits. The glacis plate and 80mm thick lower front hull are correct for the mid production Ausf H and have details such as the counter sunk screw holes near the brake access hatches with the non-interlocking joins on the hull front (interlocking front joins with extended sides were common from 1944). 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 and this rack has a new U shaped horizontal rod to retain the tracks. This new part has more detail than on older Ausf H kits. Like with related Smart Kit Panzer IV kits, 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 have splash guards and both hatches can be modeled open. The aerial (rod included) is on the left rear. 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. The baffles underneath the hatches are photo etch. The fenders themselves have an anti-skid pattern on both faces and separate front and rear fenders. There is one Bosch headlamp, multipart jack, and the barrel-cleaning rod is stored on the left rear of the hull. 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 lower hull is slide-molded with detail on the bottom and sides such as weld beams, counter sunk holes and screw heads. 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. Correct for an Ausf H, 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.
SUSPENSION The suspension has features indicative of the Ausf H hull and includes alternative parts for some features where references indicate design changes were phased in during production of the Ausf H mid. The road wheels have the tyre and rim as one piece (two units per bogy) and have separate hub-caps (correct later simplified forged profile) with the small screw heads finely reproduced. The return rollers are a choice of two all steel patterns being the earlier profile with ribs and the simplified later profile without ribs. There is a choice of rear idlers being the earlier welded design or the later cast type introduced on the Ausf H (marked as spare part). 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.
The
turret is based on a newly tooled 3-directional slide molded shell
that depicts a 1943 production Ausf H with increased roof armor and
a thicker rear plate. Correct for a 1943 turret the roof does not
have a blanking cover for where the Nahverteigungswaffe (close defence
weapon) appeared on later production Ausf H in early 1944. The commander's
cupola has internal detail with five vision blocks and a lock mechanism
on the split hatch. The 7.5cm KwK40 L/48 gun has a sharp slide molded barrel tub and a choice of four multi-part double baffle muzzle breaks. There is a choice of gun sleeves and also a choice of a slide-molded MG34 in its protective sleeve or an empty sleeve. Inside the turret there is a gun breech.
Dragon’s
new mid production Panzer IV Ausf H fills a gap in the Smart Kit range,
representing a version which is seen in many front line photos from
late 1943 and 1944. The kit is crisply tooled and benefits from the
inclusion of alternative suspension parts and the PE side shields.
Recommended. - Neville Lord Kit
Review: Dragon Models Limited 1/35 scale '39-'45 Series Kit No. 6526;
Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. H Mid Production Autumn 1943 - Smart Kit; 984 parts
(691 in grey styrene, 216 "Magic Track" single links, 51
etched brass, 15 clear styrene, 10 etched nickel, 1 twisted steel
wire); pre-order price US$49.95 via Dragon USA Online - Cookie Sewell Copyright 1998-2011 Dragon Models Limited. All Rights Reserved |