Hi all.  A few years ago I reentered the hobby after a 20 year absence.  The Shanghai Dragon Brummbär was one of the first kits I bought after deciding that armour was still my bag, baby.  This model represents the final version of a heavily armoured Panzer IV chassis armed with a 150mm howitzer.  I completed this kit a few months ago, so I thought I’d give a brief review of this kit.

I recommend getting the Shanghai Dragon offerings whenever possible because they are both cheaper than the originals and retooled (fixing errors and using newer and better parts whenever possible).  So you get a better kit for less money!  Now, these kits are not for beginners, but part of the fun of this hobby is to try harder kits.  I bought the Brummbär for 20 dollars at Ted’s Hobbies in Pointe Claire (a suburb of Montreal).

It is important to review the instructions because this kit contains LOTS of extra parts.  In some cases you may only need one or two pieces off a sprue.  The instructions consist of a series of diagrams to indicate the sequence of assembly.  Sometimes many steps are included in one picture, and there are some errors in which parts to use.  The Brummbär kit has a newer, improved Panzer IV chassis, and I think there is some confusion in the instructions between old and new features.  For example, the incorrect crank handle (for manually starting the engine) was indicated in the instructions.  There is one that fits in the correct spot included with the kit, it just takes some time to find it.  There are several copies of many of the tools, and you can pick and choose amongst them. Patience is the key here, I test fitted different tools in the indicated spots to find the best fits.  Obviously many builders will opt for the Tamiya OVE set here (not me, too cheap I guess).  The instructions list a number of holes that have to be made in the superstructure for attaching some of the on vehicle equipment, but at different stages there are some seams to fill or scrape off depending on the version of the PzIV hull you start from.  The instructions indicated I had to remove location markings for the running gear because there are five spots for return rollers, but the late model Brummbär uses only three.  Of course the PzIV hull that comes with the kit has RECESSED lines not raised ones, so I had to fill in the extras, not scrape them away as instructed.  I’d check over the instructions very carefully to make sure you don’t miss anything!

The first thing I did after filling and drilling where indicated was to start clipping the individual track links off the sprues.  I spent a few evenings in front of the television cutting the links off and putting them into an empty film container.  There are 240 links in the kit, so you have more than 40 spares once you are done.  Next, I cleaned the links up.  Each link is attached to the sprue at two points for the Brummbär kit, and there are knock out pin marks to be cleaned up too, one on each side of the guide tooth.  I did 10 to 20 links an evening while waiting for glue to dry on various subassemblies.  My strategy is to get the really boring repetitive jobs out of the way as early as possible.  So I assembled the wheels, cleaned up the track links etc. over a few nights, and that way all is ready for finishing the lower hull.  The Brummbär running gear was easy to assemble, and the fit of the parts was excellent.  The use of all pressed steel wheels means there are no rubber tires to paint!!  I decided to have one pair of rubber rimmed wheels just for fun, so there was a little tire painting to do.

The second big stage for me was to assemble the superstructure before applying zimmerit.  I assembled all the large pieces and attached some of the smaller ones until I got two subassemblies, the superstructure and the hull.  I used Tamiya putty (the one in the orange capped tube) for my zimmerit.  This can be thinned with liquid model cement if necessary.  My technique is an amalgam of what’s described on Track-Link.  First I cut a piece of sprue about 15 cm long.  I trimmed and filed the end to a chisel shaped point about 5mm wide.  This is the tool I use to make the pattern.  I spread a thin layer of putty on the surface I want to finish with zimmerit, and allow it to dry for a few minutes.  Then I use my trimmed piece of plastic to push ridges into the putty.  This takes a bit of practice, but I got  a reasonable finish on my first attempt (which was on this Brummbär!).  Basically all vertical surfaces need a coating of zimmerit, and so does the front of the hull.  I looked over a number of reference pictures to get the pattern right and to cover the correct surfaces.  I avoided areas where I'd be attaching equipment later, or try to make it a really thin layer there.  I also left some blank spaces to represent areas where the zimmerit had fallen off.  Applying the zimmerit took me a few evenings of work.  I worked on one flat surface at a time, set the subassembly aside to dry, and worked on the next one, being careful to avoid any drying and newly applied surfaces.

The method I use for assembling the individual links was suggested on the Track-Link discussion group and is similar to what many people have suggested on various web sites.  I took a sheet of wood a few feet long and nailed a long, thin, straight piece of wood to that. I use this as a guide and working surface.  A Panzer IV requires about 95 to 98 links per side, and I set aside 100 links to start.  I use Testor’s liquid glue in a glass bottle for assembly because it dries relatively slowly.  I push together a few links then brush glue into the joints.  I add a few more links, glue, more links, glue and so on until I have a run of 100 links.  Periodically I use a ruler to push on the links to ensure they are straight.  Once the run is complete (which takes about half an hour) I let it dry for at least 15 minutes.  It is dry enough for attaching to the tank when it can be lifted up without breaking.  Of course, I was too impatient, and I ended up gluing it back together a couple of times.  The hull should be completely assembled with the drive sprockets on but not glued in place.  You can use white glue to hold them in place if the fit is loose.  Having sprockets that you can rotate makes the next step easier.  Once the length of track can be picked up I wrap it gently around the running gear.  I push any sag into the tracks next.  If you like you can glue the tracks in place now, and paint the running gear and tracks in place on the hull, or you can leave the two ends touching, but unglued.  I do one side in an evening, and leave it to dry overnight.  If you haven’t glued the ends together it’s easy to pop the track off the running gear the next day.  The track will retain its shape, but be flexible enough to remove and reattach easily.

The rest of the assembly was fairly straightforward except for fitting the main “box” of the superstructure on the Brummbär.  The gun compartment sits too high on the rear, so I had to file it down a bit.  Other than that, the Brummbar was a cinch to complete.  It took me about twice as long to assemble the hull, running gear and tracks as it did to assemble the rest!  My only addition to the kit was a piece of camouflaged shelter quarter draped over the rear hatches to the fighting compartment.  I spilt some liquid glue there when assembling the entryway, and made a hash of cleaning it up.  I managed to remove some of the bolt detail, so I just hid it with the tarp, as shown in one of the figures.  

The last step of assembly is to attach the side skirts and the rails for holding them in place.  This was a snap on the Brumbarr.  I painted the kit in Tamiya Dark Yellow, and washed it with raw umber oil.  The tracks were painted in burnt sienna oil, brown and black, with silver drybrushing and graphite applied.  A green pattern was applied to the side skirts.  This pattern is similar to some shown on SPG in the Schiffer Wespe book.  This was the first kit I used pastel chalk upon, and it looks pretty good.  The lower surfaces were scrubbed with a mixture of brown and yellow chalks, with less applied as I moved up.  Grey chalk was added to the mix for some depth to the colour.  I applied graphite to worn surfaces to simulate bare metal.  Overall, the kit is quite dusty looking, as if it has had some hard wear on the road and in street fighting.  

Overall this kit really helped me develop my modelling skills.  I took my time on the running gear and individual track links, which lead to good results.  And the zimmerit looks pretty nifty once painted and weathered.  The fit of the parts isn’t always as good as on recent Tamiya kits, but the overall model looks great.  And for less than 20 bucks Canadian you can’t go wrong!!