Zvezda PzKpfw IV Ausf H

Zvezda has produced another winner with its all-new Panzer IV. Features include some interior detail for the turret, posable hatches, link-and-length tracks, and three styles of muzzle brake.

Beautifully molded Zimmerit graces the thin-edged Schürzen (skirts), but it is oddly absent from the hull and turret. (The box art shows it on both places.) It’s not unfixable — you can either add it to the hull with putty and a tool or sand it off the skirts — but it’s a flaw in an otherwise excellent kit that can be built quickly and easily.

The lower hull joined the rear panel before the suspension and road wheels. When working with link-and-length tracks, I prefer to build upper and lower runs, paint them off the model, and add them near the end of the build. They fit perfectly.

A lot of parts detail the upper hull, and the instructions make the process straightforward; shading indicates the parts being added and minimizes location questions. No interior is provided for the hull, but all of the hatches are posable.

On the other hand, the turret interior featured a basket, seats, and a full gun breech. Separate side hatches fit perfectly closed or open, and there is detail molded on the inside faces.
 
I finished my kit as a winter-camouflaged tank in Ukraine, 1943 using Ammo of Mig Jimenez washable white over Badger tan Stynylrez primer, with hairspray in between as a release to distress the finish.

I spent 25 enjoyable hours on Zvezda’s Panzer IV. Good part fits and clear instructions sped the build.

I happily recommend the kit to anyone with a couple of builds under their belt. It has plenty to offer experienced modelers looking to take it to the next level.

Note: A version of this review appeared in the November 2017 issue.