Dragon’s new StuG IV with Zimmerit is a quick follow-on to its previous release of this vehicle (which had no Zimmerit, Germany’s unique anti-mine paste for armored vehicles). Having gone through the process of applying Zimmerit to other models, I welcomed a neat shortcut. If you don’t like the molded-on effect, you can purchase the other version. Good thinking on Dragon’s part!
The kit is neatly molded in gray plastic with no flash and few ejector-pin marks. Details include: a partial interior for the fighting compartment; a full set of tools for the exterior, along with wire for the tow cable; and sheet-metal parts for the supplemental schürzen (skirts) side armor. The tracks are given as full-length runs in Dragon’s “DS” plastic.
I started the project by carefully studying the instructions — a good idea when your kit has 770 parts! Take care in locating pieces, as some of the sprues have the same letters and many parts are duplicated.
When building the gun, note that you have four options for the muzzle brake!
Construction of the lower hull and suspension was smooth and problem-free. The upper engine deck is a separate assembly; when attaching it to the upper hull, take care with its placement. This will affect the installation of the gun compartment top.
The commander’s cupola has lots of detail. All of the periscopes are given as clear parts, and the hatch has a separate, small sub-hatch for the binocular sight.
The instructions are not clear on what goes first to install the assembled gun on the hull. Dry-fitting, I found you cannot install the gun first. Nor can you install the gun compartment first. What worked for me was putting the gun assembly through the gun compartment opening, then locating this on the lower hull.
The detail of the DS tracks is very nice, but I did find the tracks are just a bit long, even with the adjustable idler fully extended. I carefully removed two links from each track and ended up with a perfect fit.
I painted my StuG with Tamiya acrylic paints. Decals are given for seven vehicles. They applied easily, conforming particularly well to the Zimmerit surface.
The finished model captures the low-slung, lethal look of a Sturmgeschütz. My primary reference was Militaria 94 Sturmgeschütz IV, by Janusz Ledwoch (No. 261, Wydawnictwo, ISBN 978-83-7219-261-5). Also useful was Sturmgeschütz & Its Variants, by Walter J. Spielberger, (Schiffer, ISBN 978-0-88740-398-9).
I completed my StuG IV in 22 hours. The completed model looks good, even if getting there was a bit of a challenge. Dragon’s reuse of parts from other kits made for a more-complex build, not to mention a confusing instruction sheet. However, I did like having a Stug IV with Zimmerit that didn’t require the usual efforts of applying and patterning this plaster-like hull treatment. If you are into WWII German armor, Dragon’s StuG IV is worthy of your attention.