It's the old Tamiya kit with a bunch of parts either scrounged from other kits or aftermarket. Represents the final version of the long-serving Panzer IV line. The mesh "Thoma" shields came from an old Czechmasters kit, which surprisingly compares very well to current products.

Nice IV, John! Specially as you revved-up an old Tamiya thing to get there!

I like the Thoma schurzen - a typical later-J feature. Nicely done.

Something which will make you more accurate, and make this old war-horse pop a bit, And an easy fix, to boot...:

I suggest that you consider fitting some mesh floors under those turret-schurzen. The J usually had mesh "floors" in that turret-schurzen space from the side doors back - used to increase protected (slightly, anyway!) storage and a factory mod pretty much installed the same time as Thoma schurzen were used.

Thanks for sharing your IV-J!

Cheers!

Bob

John-- great paint job! What did you use?
thanks
DJ

Good job on this ausf. J. Kudos on accurately portraying the extra track links painted the same camo colors as the rest of the tank - most modelers paint them as a separate color (blackish grey or rust). Three additions you might want to consider to provide the "finishing touch" - the electrical cable to the headlight, the small reflector on the back of the left rear fender and an antenna. But even without these - looks terrific!

Excellent work. I like the jerry can, in the spare wheel rack. I have the same set up on my current project. I'm not sure how an antennae works, with schurzen. Without any additional parts, the only thing I can see to fix are the turret hatches. They don't quite line up. I encountered a similar issue, with a Dragon kit and decided to position them just slightly open. Of course, I had the benefit of a basic turret interior. If you enjoyed it, I can't see any reason not to run with it. I do have a question. I was not aware of Germany using barrel names. When did this trend start?

Seen a few examples of names of love ones written on the gun sleeve or front glacis.
There are a few on the Smug mug website but can't copy pictures due to copy rights.

Anyone have any idea of how many IV's had that swivel commander's hatch? It couldn't have been many.

The very last version of the Pz IV ausf. J had a swiveling commander's cupola lid and three return rollers per side. It should be noted that the type of towing equipment depicted on the model is incorrect for this version of the J - they should be the later hull side extensions, not the bolted-on type of earlier versions. Compare:

Early-mid:



Late:

Thanks, Karl. I did not even know of that site. Looks like it would be great for inspiration and some reference.

Guys - thank you very much for all the feedback. A few comments:

When I built this approx 15 years ago, there wasn't nearly enough reference material out there on this variant. Never knew that it had a mesh "floor" between the storage box and shurzen until recently. I thought I also saw some pics of mesh panels that were fixed horizontally between top of the hull sides and inside of the Thoma shields.

All of those suggestions are spot-on. Greatly appreciated. One other thing that I know I missed was the turret ventilator. The last versions had one with armored side covers. Some may have also had a poison gas detector panel on the turret. However, I've seen late J's with the early ventilator so there are some exceptions to the rule.

With regard to the tow hooks, I'm pretty sure I've seen some pics out there of very late J's with the swiveling turret hatch AND the older style tow hooks.

For some reason, I really like this particular version. Shows how much the tank evolved since it first went into service in late 30's. Also shows the desperation of the Germans since by the end of the war, it was completely overmatched by Allied vehicles.

Brave guys that got into one of these and went looking for a fight.

{With regard to the tow hooks, I'm pretty sure I've seen some pics out there of very late J's with the swiveling turret hatch AND the older style tow hooks.}


It's possible - for example, if an early-mid version had the original cupola damaged or blown off in combat and received a newer cupola with the swiveling lid. But I don't think that a new vehicle could have left the factory with this particular combination of features.

And I agree with you about the bravery of the crews manning these vehicles towards the end of the war. And yet, the generally excellent training that German panzer crews received, allowed them to compensate, to some degree, for their technological obsolescence and to hold their own against superior odds, even up to the very end. I'm currently reading a book about the last battles of the war in Hungary. Even the elite SS divisions still had panzer regiments that were comprised of approximately 40% panzer IVs at this stage of the war but these units almost always accounted for a greater number of losses among their enemies than they received in return.

And good job on your model again!

[Quote]For some reason, I really like this particular version. Shows how much the tank evolved since it first went into service in late 30's. Also shows the desperation of the Germans since by the end of the war, it was completely overmatched by Allied vehicles. ] quote

John;

I'd be a little circumspect about that "completely overmatched" !

This one has been around a long time, and surely will continue to go 'round! It's really all a matter of opinion.

By me and FWIW; Yes, the Pz IV was an "older" design (1935 - 36, which may, in the grand scheme of tank design make this a little "old"... But consider... Our US M1 Abrahms type base designs are a mere 50! and the type entered service 45 years ago!), but it was a solid, well-performing, reliable chassis to the end, and its later long 75 gun (the standard for G, H, and J) waaay overmatched those of the T34/76, KV../76, and all those standard Shermans w/ the dual-purpose 75 gun. And it's frontal armor actually did OK against the majority of tank weapons in service on the Allied side. (Bear in mind that almost NO tank side armor was actually good for most opposing tank guns) And the ergonomics of the IV (spacious inside and little conflicting of drivers, radio men and turret crew) made for a very efficient "fightable" interior compared to say, those famous T-34 and KV types, and on a par or better than our Sherman.

And, given that the Pz IV didn't "brew up" nearly as readily as did most Shermans or even the T-34, crews may well have taken some real comfort in their somewhat better chances in the IV.

So, obsolete, yes. Badly overmatched by what they most frequently encountered? Not so fast!

All that said, the IV-J was, in some important ways, a "retro" version! Perhaps the real apex of the design was the later IV-H, which still had the powered turret (J dropped that in peculiar (to me) favor of adding an extra gas-tank to increase its travel range.). Other J changes were mostly small simplifications envisioned to somehow speed up production (YES, those Germans were DESPERATE to get ANY tank into service). Dropping zimmerit was probably the real saving step when it comes to total labor and time...

Things like the J mesh floors and side-space covers (behind hull schurzen and over fenders) were just late factory responses to crew suggestions and didn't affect combat serviceability one way or another, far as I know... But neat stuff for a modeler!

I've long been major-curious as to whether the Germans actually attained any improvements in production-rate with these mods! You know, some real objective data showing that they, for example, gained a tank per month off the line, or some such...

Just, of course, my opinion!

Oh, and yes, I confess; I am a IV-fan, with a rather huge stash of IV kits! But all those smallish wheels... !

Cheers!

Bob

Hi Bob,

It's an interesting debate for sure. My comment was based on comparing the J to late war Allied tanks (T-34-85, Sherman Easy 8, not to mention the IS-2 and Pershing).

Was it a solid design, absolutely. Did it evolve to the same extent as it's primary nemesis', the T-34 and Sherman? I'd say no.

Firepower-wise, it was probably on par with both Allied late version medium tanks (although the Sherman's 76mm gun with the proper AT ammo probably was the best of the bunch). The late version Sherman also had much superior fire control equip and a stabilized mount. Mobility-wise, it was lacking to both Allied tanks (narrow tracks and lack of engine power).

Reliability wise, from what I've read, the US and Russian tanks had the IV beat.

From an armor standpoint, I'm not 100% sure. I'd say it was pretty level but both Allied tanks had sloped forward hulls which provided some advantage over vertical / near vertical plates. I've also read that by the end of the war, German armor plate was much inferior. Large sections would simply crack when hit.

Anyway, it's a completely moot point because the Allies had the biggest advantage - quantity.

I also agree that the J was somewhat of a retrograde step and that probably the most combat effective variant was the H.

Regards,

John

Big fan of the IV myself; I have kits of the D, F2, H, Brummbar, StuG IV, Jagdpz IV L/48, Jagdpz IV L/70(V), Nashorn, Hummel, Mobelwagen, Wirbelwind, Ostwind, Bergepanzerwagen IV, and an Ausf D/E Fahrgestell to tend my Karl-Gerat 041. That's only about half of the major production variants and I intend to build the remainder. I think the bridge-layer version is the only one not in kit form yet.