¹⁄48

Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. H

Introduction

Recently I had the opportunity to get my hands on Tamiya’s 1/48th scale Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. H kit after looking through Armorama’s “hot Sheets” of review samples. I am not one to typically build in 1/48th scale but after finding an aftermarket interior I forgot I bought in my stash, I figured, why not?

The Parts

Some folks are familiar with the previous Pz.Kpfw. IV releases in this scale from Tamiya. This kit is actually not too far off that mark. All of the updated parts from the 2012 release of the kit are still contained in the box, along with a brand new sprue containing the Schürzen, or side skirt armor. A low part count kit, the parts are molded extremely clean and only some minor ejector pin marks showed up on the underside of the fenders. The majority of the tools were separate from the tops of the fenders although there were a couple still molded on. Other than those two little sidesteps with the kit, this version of the Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. H is everything we have come to expect from Tamiya.

Great Plans

Sometimes a little irony pokes fun at the modeler and a direction that one thought they were headed in, points them in another. Such is the case with my latest project here of Tamiya’s 1/48th scale Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. H. Originally I had come across and old boxed Pz. IV interior from Verlinden Productions in the stash. This was a mistake purchase way back as I meant to buy the 1/35th version and clicked too soon! My bad! Not too long ago I saw Jim Starkweather’s Inbox video review of the kit and figured the two would click. Long story short…I was thinking of building a nice cracked open wreck of the mini-beast, and then the irony sets in. After assembling most of the model, I realized the interior that was the premise of the build turned out to be a real dog. In the end, I still ended up with a fun project and the unseen interior added some nice weight to the vehicle.

The Build

Not too long after snipping some parts, I decided to give Tamiya’s 1/48th scale add-on Zimmerit a try and add it to this little guy. Zimmerit is another one of those things I don’t typically go after when building, so I figured since they offered a set of adhesive coverings for this kit and I was able to pick it up for a couple bucks online…again, why not? The self-stick Zimmerit needed to be cut to size with a #11 blade from the main sheet. There were a couple of options to choose from for paste configurations. As long as the surface was clean, the add-on sticky stuff worked great and provided a plausible look to the tank.

As for the Tamiya’s 1/48th scale Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. H kit, I have to say I liked it very much! Typically I do not build 1/48th scale, but after cracking the box and gluing some parts, the kit hold up to its 1/35th scale counterparts with the same Tamiya quality throughout. If you are familiar with the previous releases of the Pz. IV in this scale, and liked it, then you will not be disappointed with this one; as the kit is exactly the same as the 2012 release updated with a new sprue for the side armor. I will probably bother a few folks with the term “shake-n-bake” in reference to the kit…but this actually is a fantastic rating from me as I love to paint more than build. The quicker and easier construction of any kit is always a huge plus in my honest opinion! One additional part I chose to replace was the KwK 40 L/48 barrel. The kit provided barrel is a two-piece affair and not wanting to deal with the seam I chose RB Model’s replacement barrel for the task. Not to mention the barrel was under $4 US and delivered from Poland in just under a week…. I couldn’t go wrong with that at all!