In addition to its plastic-kit line, Tamiya has always been a major force in radio control. While the company has issued several 1/16 scale radio-control armor kits in recent years, 1/35 scale versions have been less frequent. But Tamiya's reviving the smaller-scale line with this Panzer IV; a Panther G is available, too, and an M4A3 Sherman has just arrived.
The kit looks like Tamiya's mid-1990s static Panzer IV, but with radio system, motors, hardware, and a new lower hull. It's not a toylike RC kit, but a scale model slightly modified for RC operation that's indistinguishable from a standard scale model, aside from its much-longer-than-usual antenna.
Some parts are truly tiny. The return rollers turn on highly polished metal shafts secured inside the hull with 1.2mm E-clips. Use your best tweezers, your brightest work light, and do whatever you can to keep the tiny clips from disappearing into the carpet while installing them.
Things get started in the lower hull, which is jammed full of motors, 4 AAA batteries, and the MC-04 receiver. The drive motors and their gearboxes arrive assembled with simple plug-in wiring. All motorization parts attach with tiny Phillips screws which tap into unthreaded plastic mounts as you tighten them. I used jeweler's screwdrivers and worked slowly to avoid stripping or cross-threading.
I only had one hiccup inside the model; I accidentally pulled a wire loose from one of the drive motors as I threaded the wiring to the receiver. I was able to re-solder it without too much difficulty. Route the wires carefully - there are lots of them packed into a small amount of space, and they can't interfere with any of the internal running gear.
Once the hull is closed up, the balance of the model builds just like a standard Tamiya kit - it's a full-on scale model, with all the parts and detail you'd expect. The kit's not a beginner-level project, but patient modelers with a moderate amount of experience shouldn't have any trouble. The kit's complicated, but the parts fit is excellent. Because it's "armor-standard" 1/35 scale, there are plenty of figures and detail parts that can be added.
I airbrushed with Tamiya acrylic paints. The tracks are vinyl loops; you can adjust their tension via idler wheels mounted on sturdy die-cast metal arms. I didn't paint the tracks, but I did give them a coat of acrylic clear flat to make them less shiny. The Panzer's covered with external details (tools, spare tracks, etc.); in the interest of durability, I left some items off since I knew I would be handling (and playing with) the model frequently. The hull is smooth, so you'll need to add your own Zimmerit.
A 9-volt battery powers the Actcom transmitter; two circles of pie-shaped buttons control things. Having grown up in the era of toylike motorized armor kits, I have to admit I was a little skeptical about how the model might operate. Firing up the model for the first time took care of all those concerns. The motors operate smoothly at a realistic speed, and the control buttons are easy to master. With four channels, all the functions work independently, so if you're coordinated enough you can steer, elevate the gun, and rotate the turret all at the same time.
The model has no suspension and is too delicate for rough terrain (or even carpet), but I've had plenty of fun just driving it around on my workbench and desk. Building the model didn't present any major challenges, and I liked that the radio, receiver, motors, and running gear come with the kit - there's no hardware guesswork. Oddly, the kit's billed as a last-of-the-line Ausf J, but, checked against
The Encyclopedia of German Tanks (Arco Publishing), it more closely resembles an Ausf H, with four return rollers per side, a single, horizontal rear-mounted muffler, and other details.
If you're a longtime AFV modeler who'd like to make the jump to radio control, consider one of Tamiya's models. All the radio and running gear is included, and the finished model won't dwarf the rest of the armor in your display case.
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