Back to the review. The Panzer IV has always been one of my personal favourites if only because the first large-scale tank model I made was a Tamiya 1:35 Panzer IV Ausf H. That was many years ago, and I regret that because it a) looked godawful and b) wasn't aging gracefully, it was discarded long ago. I had built a handful of small-scale armour before that - a 1:72 Comet, Tiger I and M12 GMC - but none of them left an impression upon me like the Panzer IV. A versatile and reliable vehicle, it served the German Heer throughout the entire war, starting out as a infantry support tank and ending the war as an obsolete, overworked and mass produced medium tank. The model in question is a late Ausf G in service with the 4th Panzer Division in Kowel, 1944. From the turret number, it the 1st tank of the 2nd company, 2nd zug. A quick reference check shows that 4th Panzer was indeed involved in heavy combat in the northern Eastern Front, seeing service in the Baltic states before it surrendered in West Prussia at the end of the war.
It is without doubt a late production Ausf G and includes side and turret schürzen that are in realistic beaten-up shape. Some might prefer for a panel or two to be missing, seeing as most of them would be lost in a single combat engagement, but I like the way that they look on this model. The radio antennae is in the correct position on the right side of the vehicle and there is only one large aperature on the mantlet left for the gun site - the Ausf F mantlet had site aperatures on both sides of the gun. Two sets of three smoke grenade discharges are located on either side of the turret front. Tool stowage appears to be correct. The gun is the longer L/48 KwK 40, accurate for a rebuilt Ausf G - in service, all L/43-armed Ausf Gs were eventually rebuilt with the L/48. The whole unit has received a rough whitewashing, which looks like something that a tank crew could have thrown on between engagements. The upper hull, turret, mantlet, and gun are all of metal construction. The lower hull, running ear and everything else is of plastic construction.
There are a few hard questions that must be asked of Unimax, however. It is not hard to believe that a rebuilt Ausf G could have seen service in the fight for Kowel in early 1944. Why could they not have used an Ausf H, however? If it had been built as either an H it more than likely would have been impossible to use existing molds that had been used for their existing Ausf F models (80017, 80217 and now 80317). Also, a late Ausf H would have had zimmerit. There are a few things that can be explained if this is considered to be a surviving Ausf G that has been rebuilt - the side schürzen, the one-piece commander's hatch, the long L/48 KwK 40 main gun. However, as usual, Unimax has cut costs by using existing components to make an almost realistic "new" model.
On to the photographs!
A profile shot. As you can see, the rough whitewash is great. The schürzen is pretty beaten up, as are the fenders. It is clear that this panzer has seen some hard use and has survived more than a few engagements. The details are incredible, from the ventilator next to the commander's cupola to the armoured cover for the driver's glass visor:
As you can see, the turret double doors, the skirt doors, commander's hatch, driver's hatch and radioman's hatch can all open. There is a minimum of detail inside the vehicle, however. I chose to hang some stowage on the back skirt of the vehicle:
Rear view. The muffler looks much better than that of the Flakpanzer IV - the rust is darker and weathered more realistically. It still has the unsightly seams, however. The running gear is only slightly muddied up to the ear but the fenders are beaten up as badly as ever. The tow cable mounting was mucked up when the tank was in the mail - as you can see, the left catch has broken off. The cable hangs there on its own off of the right catch and is hardly noticeable.
Right side. As you can see, there is minimal interior detail. The hatches are not meant to be left open unless a figure is posed inside of it. There are small-calibre gouges in the turret skirt:
Top view. See all of the open hatches, as well as the open stowage bin to the turret rear. You can now see that the front right of the turret skirt was broken and set back in place in such a way that the braces no longer match up correctly. This was unavoidable, as the skirt was originally installed so that the front (by the mantlet) was almost touching the upper hull. It had to be broken and re-set properly. This is barely noticeable on display.
Here you can clearly see the fixed skirt:
Here you can see details on the hull front. The infamous crooked MG 34 can be seen, and up close you can see it was not evenly painted. The armoured air intake covers, Bosch headlight, front track mountings and radioman's hatch can also be seen in detail:
The unrealistically thick soft plastic radio antennae that looks better stowed in its wooden case alongside the right hull of the tank:
Right schürzen:
Left schürzen:
Panzer commander, who looks good enough from afar - and he looks great in his molded pose, one hand on the cupola, one hand holding the hatch:
Left hull front with correct 4th Panzer Division marking:
At last, the bottom hull, showing the heavy mud treatment and the well-detailed running gear. There are five holes for the screws holding the upper & lower hull together, four holes for mounting screws and one hole for the peg keeping the turret static for display:
CONCLUSIONS
This was my first Panzer IV and is still my favourite. I have a sentimental attachment to it which makes it superior in my eyes to the other two that I own (80017 and 80217). The whitewashing and subtle weathering are what draws your attention to it at first, and then you start noticing other details like the muddy running gear, beaten up schürzen and tired-looking panzer commander. There are a few flaws, however.
The radio antenna is thick. It makes one wonder why they didn't use the wire radio antennae that they used on every other FoV model - in fact, only the Panzer IV has the thick plastic antennae. The schürzen was an absolute B***C to fit and took about half an hour to install. I have clumsy fingers and I consider myself fortunate that I didn't break anything. The plastic mounts for the schürzen are delicate and break easily! They fit well once installed, however, and there are no gaps between the hull & mountings like on the StuG III. The right front of the turret skirt was installed so that it was only a millimetre above radioman's hatch, which required some repairs. The gun mantlet was installed crooked and had to be straightened with some delicate twisting of the gun barrel. The bow machine gun's barrel is crooked and painted poorly... but this is not noticed from more than a foot away. The only other flaw is that the toolbox on the front left of the hull looks like it was painted by a toddler. Everything else looks great, as if someone took their time painting the details. Maybe the toolbox was painted right before shift change? I don't know.
I think this model is worth purchasing and is worth every dime I spent on it. It has been retired by Unimax and is harder to find online nowadays. There are plenty of sellers willing to gouge you because of the "retired" label, so look out, and price shop first! After all, it hasn't been retired for that long. If you set this Panzer IV next to the whitewashed Tiger I (80204) you can really tell why Allied tankers often mistook this medium tank for a much more dangerous heavier one! The flaws can be fixed with some tender loving care or even overlooked if you are pleased with it as it is.
I give this one a hearty endorsement.
I waste a lot, let me tell you...
