First unveiled in 1937, The Panzer IV was the dogsbody of the German Army throughout the Second World War. This amazing kit is finely detailed, and has a number of features on the sprues to enable you to configure your Panzer IV to one of these three variants:
The short-barrelled Ausf. F1.
The long-barrelled Ausf. G with ball muzzle brake. British forces in the desert campaign referred to the Panzer IV as the 'Mark 4 Special', where it was used and also prominently saw action on the Russian Front.
The Ausf H with muzzle brake and protectiveschürzen side skirts. This configuration was a regular sight on late war battlefields.
From the invasion of Poland to the fall of Berlin, the Panzer IV was in a state of permanent modification and improvement, which meant that it had a longevity long after the war. Some time after 1942, the Panzer IV was armed with a long-barrelled 75mm gun, and thus greater firepower. Its mobility was improved, and its armour had also been doubled in places ensuring that it fared much better on the battlefield.
When the Russian Front started to falter, it was common to see the Panzer IV fitted with detachable screen side armour known as schürzen - these were designed to deflect or at least mitigate the effects of Russian anti-tank rifles and Allied hollow charge bazooka style weapons.
The Panzer IV model is supplied with a waterslide decal sheet which has many of the variant markings on, so you can configure your Panzer to the exact specification of its division.
This vehicle can also be used in Achtung Panzer!, the game of close-quarters tank-on-tank combat.
