The Pz.Kpfw IV, or Sd.Kfz 161 Panzerkampfwagen IV, was probably the most widely used German tank of World War Two, serving in one form or another from the thrust into Poland till the fall of Berlin. When it outlived it’s usefulness as a tank it’s platform became a myriad of other vehicles. The Ausf. J was the final variant and was really just a simplified Ausf. H, losing the motor for turning the turret so that it needed to be turned by hand, plus a few other minor simplifications. This kit from Tamiya is based on their Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. H kit with 95% being the same vehicle, the main differences being the lack of side shurzen and the extra crew memebr in this kit.
This kit comes in a large tray and lid style box on four dark yellow sprues and the hull tub, also moulded in the same dark yellow, together with a sheet of decals, two single length vinyl tracks, a piece of string for making the tow cables and the instructions. This kit shouldn’t be confused with Tamiya’s older Pz.Kpfw IV kit with the motorised chassis as this is different and newer model.
The moulding is, as we have come to expect from Tamiya, very good with no flash and only minimal clean up of faint mould seams. Detail is sharp though as is often the case with Tamiya kits the smaller details are often simplified and moulded as part of larger pieces rather than as individual parts. This makes for quick and easy assembly from a lower part count, but also for a kit that can be lacking in the fine details. The inclusion of the string for making the tow cable is a nice touch, though I find common string doesn’t represent the tow cables as well as picture frame wire. But it’s still a nice touch.
The lower chassis is a single piece tub with nicely detailed but somewhat simple parts, each suspension section being moulded as one complete unit. The roadwheels, idlers and return rollers are each made up of the two main wheels with the roadwheels also having a separate hub each. The tracks are single length vinyl “rubber band” style tracks which are a little dull in the detailing but othewise fine.
With the upper hull the mating of the upper and lower hull suffers from a common Tamiya problem, open sponsons, not a big problem as it’s only visible looking from underneath, but it’s there none-the-less. The driver’s and radio operator’s hatches are separate and can be positioned open though there is only basic interior detailing on the hatches and no interior in the hull. The engine hatch and transmission access hatches can also be modelled open but again there is no engine, no transmission, or any other kind of interior detail. The tools have moulded on clamps which could do with being replaced. The cables as mentioned are made up using a supplied length of string which is better than plastic moulded ones.
Schurzen rails are included for the hull though no actual shurtzen plates are included. The rails are a little thick and heavy, as are the mounting frames and the mounting hooks. It would be easy enough to add your own schurzen though I do think that it’s a little odd that Tamiya included the turret shurzen but excluded the side skirts even though they are included in the Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. H kit that this kit is based on.
The turret is well made and looks good. The side hatches have a separate frame with the hinges and separate doors which can be posed open, though again there is no interior detail other than the gun breech and the commander’s seat. The cupola has a fair ammount of detail with separate vision blocks and both the commander’s hatch and side hatches have good interior detail including the head pad on the commander’s hatch.
The turret Schurzen suffers from the usual problem with plastic injection moulded schurzen, being overly thick compared to what it should be in 1/35, and the mounts being a bit heavy. The side hatches in the turret schurzen are moulded as one piece per side, though it wouldn’t be too hard to separate them if you wanted them positioned open, though you would then need to add hinge detail.
The gun is moulded as two halves with a separate muzzle brake, though that is also in two halves which somewhat defeats the point of having it separate. It comes with quite a nice breech which includes the empty brass basket. An MG34 on an anti-aircraft mounting is included though it gets no ammo drum or bag.
The figure included wears the traditional Heer Panzer wrap and trousers, an overseas cap and gloves. The moulding detail is very good with particularly nice faces, though the uniform is a little “snug” and tight fitting. He measures out at 50mm which is a huge improvement over older Tamiya figures as that puts him at around 175cm or 5′9″.
Decals and painting guides are provided for three vehicle options – Tank No. 723, Normandy 1944 : Tank No. 806, France 1944 : Tank number 1032. Unusually for Tamiya there is no unit identification nor decals for divisional markings.
If you’re looking for the ultimate in detail then the Dragon kit is the one to go for, but this kit at half the price of that Dragon version is still a very good choice if you just want a quick and simple build of a Pz.Kpfw IV Ausf. J that still looks very good when complete, because this kit does still make up into a very nice model.
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