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DML 6300, Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.H Late Production, Smart Kit
6300, Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.H Late Production,
Smart Kit. 1/35th-scale injection-molded styrene/multimedia kit. Contains:
716 styrene parts (including 16 clear), three bags of individual-link Magic
Tracks, four photo-etched brass frets, one piece of braided metal wire,
five decal/marking schemes and ten pages of instructions in 19 steps.
Introduction. DML and its affiliate, Cyberhobby, continue to whittle away at the German Panzerkampfwagen IV series. Having already produced new kits of the Ausf.B, C, D, E, F and G (with several variations within models, as well as several SP gun types), they have now come to the Ausf.H. This kit will allow the modeler to produce a late production Ausf.H, with all the features associated with the model as it was seen in its final form. Some of the kits features can be deleted or changed by the modeler to depict production variations from a particular time frame; many sub-assemblies come with optional variations, making the replication of a specific vehicle quite easy. Some of these variations include: Two different types of all-steel return
rollers.
These options, along with several areas where supplied photo-etched brass items can replace some styrene bits, make this kit a remarkable example of current kit technology. (Readers note: As this release is based
to a great degree on previously used parts from kits reviewed here at ToT,
much of this review will be a cut-and-paste affair, with the new bits added
where necessary. It should also be noted that Tom Cockle has posted images
of this kit, sans paint, on MLs Constructive Comments forum. Check it out!)
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 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 dont 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 track assembly
jig seen in some other DML Pz.Kpfw.IV kits has been omitted from this kit.
Suspension System.
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, 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. Dont 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 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. By making these separate, DML will be able to 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 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. 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 plate is provided
to which the front tow points 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 exhaust muffler, first
introduced with the Ausf.F, is 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.
Superstructure. 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 Schürzen 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 track-guards include a multi-part slide-molded jack, jack block, spade, wrenches, pry-bars, starter crank, fire extinguisher, spare antenna case and C-shaped tow hooks. A beautifully-rendered spare wheel tray, made from a slide-mold is fitted with two spare road-wheels. 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 three different convoy distance-keeping lamps and reflectors with etched brass details are provided, as is a multi-part Bosch black-out driving head-lamp. A complete set of Schürzen plates and their hangers are included in the box. These begin with styrene mounting brackets and two versions of the styrene hanging rails, which are crowned with etched 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. The use of this media combination provides a balance between durability, ease of assembly and scale representation of this feature. Other styrene parts for this assembly include the smaller front-most angled plates, in two versions. 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 and includes a separate ball mount for the MG34 as well as a new 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. The superstructure sides include subtle weld bead details; the openings for the view-port flaps have been deleted. Separate drivers and radio operators hatch lids are given; these retain integrally-molded internal latches. The superstructure roof plate is new; it is characterized by square hatch lid splash guards that are in three parts, joined at 90-degree angles. It also features separate engine deck access hatch lids, each with an etched brass 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, gun cleaning staffs and bore swab completes the fit. Some vestigial clues on the superstructure roof part indicate that the future issue of a Bergepanzer IV kit is quite possible. The rear superstructure plate features crisp details with molded-on filler 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. The final option here is the addition of
spare track links from a Soviet T-34 as extra protection for the Ausf.H
as seen on the box art. This configuration is confirmed in contemporary
photos and DML even supplies the link that was cut in order to clear the
turret gunners sight aperture. These are Magic Tracks and therefore are
not attached to the sprues (except for the cut link); they have subtle
ejector pin marks that will need attention, since their inner faces will
be prominent on the finished model.
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. Other major changes are the up-armored rear section of the roof plate and the enlarged armored guard for the vent fan cover. A blanking plate for a not-fitted close-in defense weapon is also provided. A splash guard and a new 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. Optional etched brass or styrene commanders blade sights are provided. 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. Finally, an anti-aircraft mount including a Gen2 MG34 completes the scene. A separate view-port flap with hinges and clear parts for the glass blocks 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 beads and screw head detail abounds. The rear of the turret face includes mounts for the Gepakkasten (baggage bin). This item 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 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 Schürzen plates. The Pz.Kpfw.IV 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 four 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 includes a slide-molded MG34 muzzle and armored sleeve, or a sleeve without the gun in place. The latter part will be of use if fitting the MG34 on the anti-aircraft mount. Pz.Kpfw.IVs only carried two MG34s; the co-axial weapon was removed and mounted in the AA position when deemed necessary. Also new for the turret are the mounting
brackets for Schürzen. These are all well-rendered and appear to be
very thin, especially when viewed edge-on. The plates themselves come in
several sections and include the option to open the sides or keep them
closed.
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 (not counting the tracks,
of course) and the turret interior has several pins that will need to be
cut off. Flash 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 (size-wise), such as the Gepakkasten. Things
that this reviewer has always criticized DML for, such as lack of an MG34
for the anti-aircraft mount, and rod antenna, have been addressed, making
this an extremely complete offering.
Instructions. The instructions are well-drawn but as
always for DML, they are very busy; proceed with caution!
Decals and Markings Information. Water-slide decals for five different mittlerer Panzer are provided by Cartograf of Italy. They are in perfect register, have crisp, sharp edges and excellent color saturation. They depict the following: Unidentified unit, Ostfront 1943.
All of these are finished with a base color of Dunkelgelb, with both Rotbraun and Olivgrün used for the disruptive camouflage pattern. Which vehicle had Zimmerit is not called out in the instructions, but it is a certainty that both 2.Panzer-Divisoin examples had it. Otherwise, the schemes and markings are accurate where they could be confirmed using photos. Conclusion. DML continues to give the modeler an extraordinary
range of kits of the Pz.Kpfw.IV mittlerer Panzer. This one is possibly
the most refined one to date. This reviewer cant wait to see the new Pz.Kpfw.IV-based
kits (Ausf.J, Wirblewind, Ostwind, Jagdpanzer IV/70) just announced by
DML.
Highly recommended.
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The
road-wheels have separate hub-caps of the type initially introduced during
production of 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 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. 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.
