Tristar Models
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The Panzerkampfwagen IV came about at the request for a new design after the disappointment of the NeuBau Fahrzueg. This vehicles was known as the ‘verbesserten Neubau Fahrzeug” until renamed Begleitwagen (escort tank) or B.W. The fourth model of the Escort Tank was named 4. Serie/B.W. and a contract for 200 was awarded to Krupp-Grusonwerk in July 1938. A further 48 were ordered for the SS and numbered 5. Serie/B.W. although they were the same as the 4. Serie. In any case, all manufactured Ausfuehrung D were handed over to the Army. The Panzer IV Ausf D has been on many wish lists, from those hoping Dragon (then DML) would complete the line of Panzer IVs and those that dreamed that Tamiya would redo their Ausf D as they had done with their Ausf H. Well, it is Tristar that has released the latest Ausf. D kit first. While Dragon is soon to follow with their rendition, this kit from Tristar will be hard to beat. The box art is beautifully done and an acknowledgement is made to Thomas L. Jentz for his assistance. Sprue/Kit Photographs Overall photographs of the sprues are available by clicking on the small images at the top of this page. Reading from left to right they are:
These are fairly large images, around 200K each, so they will load slowly for dial-up users. Several other images, including the hull, turret, PE parts, ect. will be posted as attachments to this review in the forum. If any further more detailed images of specfic part are required then post a request in this review's forum topic. The Kit Enclosed in the sturdy box are 940 plastic parts of which only 86 suspension pieces are not used. These can be saved to upgrade other kits since they include later versions of bogie mounts, spring caps, and etcetera. Aside from the decals, and a length of twisted wire for a tow cable, there are 22 photo-etched parts. These parts are well thought out and comprise of the wood block mount, clips for the tools, a belt for the wood block, air vent covers, and a painting stencil. The plastic parts are exquisitely detailed and show a tremendous amount of thought in their execution. Yoshikatsu Tomioka, of Achtung Panzer books and ModelKasten fame, designed the kit and many MK touches are evident. These include the method of attaching the 162 bolts, nuts, half butterfly nuts, lifting hooks and other tiny details. These are attached to a small handle which is used to hold the tiny part as one glues it to the kit then cuts the handle off. This has worked quite well for me with the ModelKasten products and I believe it can also work well here. See the photo. Slide molding is used for the tow cable ends, the machine gun muzzles, main gun recuperator housing and coaxial machine gun armor. However, some flash can be seen in the photos. This early release had the wrong roadwheels but I have been assured that all the shops will get the correct roadwheels. I substituted the correct roadwheels from the Tristar Panzer IV Suspension Set since they will be left over. Three different types of bogie mount covers are given and the roadwheels are embossed with manufacturer and size markings. Looking at several archive photos, I think it will be difficult to figure out which one is correct for a particular vehicle. The bogie mounts do not have a cast texture or casting marks. The instructions are in eleven steps and cover several options possible with the kit. Step one covers the wheels and suspensions. No mention is made that one must remove the half moon shaped protrusion from the back of the bogie mounts (s1-24 and s1-25). Not doing so will make fitting them to the multi piece hull impossible. Step 2 covers the hull which is made of flat plates, similar to Eastern European kits, with two hull stiffeners. The rear plate has the idler mounts added and to these, the correct eight sided bolts. The inner sides of the lower hull also get bolts (E7) which should be of the eight sided variety as well. It will be difficult to tell if they are not correct so I have not bothered to check how many sides are on those bolts. Step 3 adds the roadwheels and bogies to the hull. Also the drive differential cover, with armor, is added. Again, the bolts are separate must be added individually. No casting texture or markings are seen on these kit parts. Step 4 begins with the upper hull. An interesting feature is part C50 which is to be added if building the tank without a turret. Does this foretell that a bridge layer is in the works? Possibly, an interior set may be offered soon as was done with the Panzer I Ausf A kits. The driver’s visor is a multi piece affair which can be positioned open or closed even though it is not mentioned in the instructions. The front mud flaps even have separate springs to attach. Step 5 has one add the glacis and front towing points. The next step has one add the engine deck door and rear vertical plate. Tracks are covered in Step 7. First, disregard the upside down rear tow hooks. Here again, we see the ModelKasten influence. Although the tracks are not workable, they do have hollow teeth and are the correct width. Be careful as they are handed. The track pins should face the outside of the vehicle. These tracks also suffer the same issue as the older K series ModelKasten hollow teeth in that one side of the hollow tooth is wider than the other. See the photo. If this bothers the modeler, both ModelKasten and Friulmodel offer workable tracks with better hollow teeth. The rear mud flaps and exhausts are covered in Step 8 while Step 9 has one begin turret assembly starting with the main armament. A full breech, including casing catcher, is included. The option of using the antenna deflector is offered. Step 10 has the modeler complete the turret, which includes a turret ring and seats for three crew members. The cupola armor can be shown open or closed. While the front and side visors are separate parts, no provision is made to show them open. The turret side doors, and the cupola hatches, can be shown open or shut. The last step before painting covers the vehicle tools. This is also when almost all the photo-etched parts get used. The vehicle jack is a multi-piece affair but can not be shown extended. The tools are well done and separate clips, from photo-etch, get added to each. Decals/Marking Options Decals are given for three Panzer Grey vehicles. They are printed by Cartograf so are of the same quality as the latest Dragon offerings. The first option is from the 7th Panzer Division, 25th Panzer Regiment, in France, 1940. Two sets of decals are given should the modeler want to use the two-piece turret numbers over the visors. The white air recognition marking on the engine deck must be painted on. The second option s for the 2nd Panzer Division at Semois, 1940. It is rather bland. The last option is for a 10th Panzer Division, Panzer Regiment 7, in France. This unit had the bison on the side and a PE stencil is provided for the modeler to paint it on. My experience with the decals by Cartograf is that they are thin and respond well to setting solutions. Not being sure about the inks, I have only used the MicroScale system on them although the SuperScale solutions should also work. The decals are in register and the colors appear accurate without a glossy finish. Possible Future Development Certainly, the fact that the wrong wheel sprue was included makes me believe that at least an Ausf E model is coming soon. Looking closely at the sprues, one can see, on Sprue A, that the molds is put together in a manner in which they can be swapped for other variants. Where these mold parts come together, the seams are visible and flash is evident. Should future releases have this level of detail, modelers will certainly rejoice. Recommendation & Acknowledgements This is a beautiful kit which surprisingly has some flash. It is close to perfection for multi media since everything is so well thought out. Dragon will need to pull out all the stops to top this model. Looking at the kit, I do not find much for the aftermarket crowd to add. Perhaps I can wish for provisions to open the visors, replacement mudguards should I want to show battle damage, and an interior. It is highly recommended. At first I thought the asking price was high but then one must consider the ‘aftermarket grade’ parts which are included. My thanks go to RZM Imports for providing the sample kit. Tristar is imported into the US by RZM Imports. References On the bottom of the box, Tom Jentz’ Panzer Tracts book on the Panzer IV is recommended to detail the kit. Since I have this tome, I pulled it out and placed the parts over the plans. Not surprisingly, they matched perfectly. I used the following books to evaluate this kit:
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