Review of Armor Research Co. 1/35th Scale
German Early Style Panzer IV Ausf. A Turret
Kit no. 3003A
By Ray Mehlberger
OUT OF PRODUCTION
Originally cost $16 dollars back in the 80's.
By Ray Mehlberger
OUT OF PRODUCTION
Originally cost $16 dollars back in the 80's.
HISTORY:
The Panzerkampfwagen IV (PzKpfw IV), commonly known as the Panzer IV, was a German medium tank developed in the late 1930s and used extensively during the Second World War. Its ordnance inventory designation was Sd.Kfz. 161.
The Panzer IV was the most numerous German tank and the second-most numerous German armored fighting vehicle of the Second World War, with some 8,500 built.
The Panzer IV chassis was used as the base for many other fighting vehicles, including the Sturmgeschütz IV assault gun, Jagdpanzer IV tank destroyer, the Wirbelwind self-propelled anti-aircraft gun, and the Brummbär self-propelled gun.
The Panzer IV saw service in all combat theaters involving Germany and was the only German tank to remain in continuous production throughout the war.
It received various upgrades and design modifications, intended to counter new threats, extending its service life.
Generally, these involved increasing the Panzer IV's armor protection or upgrading its weapons, although during the last months of the war, with Germany's pressing need for rapid replacement of losses, design changes also included simplifications to speed up the manufacturing process.
The Panzer IV was partially succeeded by the Panther medium tank, which was introduced to counter the Soviet T-34, although the Panzer IV continued as a significant component of German armored formations to the end of the war.
The Panzer IV was the most widely exported tank in German service, with around 300 sold to Finland, Romania, Spain and Bulgaria.
After the war, Syria procured Panzer IVs from France and Czechoslovakia, which saw combat in the 1967 Six-Day War.
8,553 Panzer IVs of all versions were built during World War II, with only the StuG III assault-gun/tank destroyer's 10,086 vehicle production run exceeding the Panzer IV's total among Axis armored forces.
The first mass-produced version of the Panzer IV was the Ausführung A (abbreviated to Ausf. A, meaning "Variant A"), in 1936.
It was powered by a Maybach HL108 TR, producing 250 PS (183.87 kW), and used the SGR 75 transmission with five forward gears and one reverse, achieving a maximum road speed of 31 kilometres per hour (19.26 mph).
As main armament, the vehicle mounted the short-barreled, howitzer-like 75 mm (2.95 in) Kampfwagenkanone 37 L/24 (7.5 cm KwK 37 L/24) tank gun, which was a low-velocity weapon mainly designed to fire high-explosive shells.
Against armored targets, firing the Panzergranate (armor-piercing shell) at 430 meters per second (1,410 ft/s) the KwK 37 could penetrate 43 millimeters (1.69 in), inclined at 30 degrees, at ranges of up to 700 meters (2,300 ft).
A 7.92 mm (0.31 in) MG 34 machine gun was mounted coaxially with the main weapon in the turret, while a second machine gun of the same type was mounted in the front plate of the hull.
The main weapon and coaxial machine gun were sighted with a Turmzielfernrohr 5b optic while the hull machine gun was sighted with a Kugelzielfernrohr 2 optic.
The Ausf. A was protected by 14.5 mm (0.57 in) of steel armor on the front plate of the chassis, and 20 mm (0.79 in) on the turret.
This was only capable of stopping artillery fragments, small-arms fire, and light anti-tank projectiles.
The Panzerkampfwagen IV (PzKpfw IV), commonly known as the Panzer IV, was a German medium tank developed in the late 1930s and used extensively during the Second World War. Its ordnance inventory designation was Sd.Kfz. 161.
The Panzer IV was the most numerous German tank and the second-most numerous German armored fighting vehicle of the Second World War, with some 8,500 built.
The Panzer IV chassis was used as the base for many other fighting vehicles, including the Sturmgeschütz IV assault gun, Jagdpanzer IV tank destroyer, the Wirbelwind self-propelled anti-aircraft gun, and the Brummbär self-propelled gun.
The Panzer IV saw service in all combat theaters involving Germany and was the only German tank to remain in continuous production throughout the war.
It received various upgrades and design modifications, intended to counter new threats, extending its service life.
Generally, these involved increasing the Panzer IV's armor protection or upgrading its weapons, although during the last months of the war, with Germany's pressing need for rapid replacement of losses, design changes also included simplifications to speed up the manufacturing process.
The Panzer IV was partially succeeded by the Panther medium tank, which was introduced to counter the Soviet T-34, although the Panzer IV continued as a significant component of German armored formations to the end of the war.
The Panzer IV was the most widely exported tank in German service, with around 300 sold to Finland, Romania, Spain and Bulgaria.
After the war, Syria procured Panzer IVs from France and Czechoslovakia, which saw combat in the 1967 Six-Day War.
8,553 Panzer IVs of all versions were built during World War II, with only the StuG III assault-gun/tank destroyer's 10,086 vehicle production run exceeding the Panzer IV's total among Axis armored forces.
The first mass-produced version of the Panzer IV was the Ausführung A (abbreviated to Ausf. A, meaning "Variant A"), in 1936.
It was powered by a Maybach HL108 TR, producing 250 PS (183.87 kW), and used the SGR 75 transmission with five forward gears and one reverse, achieving a maximum road speed of 31 kilometres per hour (19.26 mph).
As main armament, the vehicle mounted the short-barreled, howitzer-like 75 mm (2.95 in) Kampfwagenkanone 37 L/24 (7.5 cm KwK 37 L/24) tank gun, which was a low-velocity weapon mainly designed to fire high-explosive shells.
Against armored targets, firing the Panzergranate (armor-piercing shell) at 430 meters per second (1,410 ft/s) the KwK 37 could penetrate 43 millimeters (1.69 in), inclined at 30 degrees, at ranges of up to 700 meters (2,300 ft).
A 7.92 mm (0.31 in) MG 34 machine gun was mounted coaxially with the main weapon in the turret, while a second machine gun of the same type was mounted in the front plate of the hull.
The main weapon and coaxial machine gun were sighted with a Turmzielfernrohr 5b optic while the hull machine gun was sighted with a Kugelzielfernrohr 2 optic.
The Ausf. A was protected by 14.5 mm (0.57 in) of steel armor on the front plate of the chassis, and 20 mm (0.79 in) on the turret.
This was only capable of stopping artillery fragments, small-arms fire, and light anti-tank projectiles.
THE KIT:
Armor Research Co. started business about 25 years ago. The original owner died of cancer and willed the company to me. Sales have been very poor and I have a lot of inventory left. Predominantly PE engine screens and white metal ammo rounds of various types.
The resin sets, like this one, are all gone now.
The set comes in a clear cello bag stapled to a backing card that has a black and white photo of the parts in the set on it.
The set consists of a black resin turret, 2 split hatches, the main gun (with a large pour plug on the mantle to saw off) and the coaxial machine gun (with 2 pour plugs either side of it to remove).
This resin is very hand and when sanding it do not breath the dust. Assembly, of course, is with super glue.
Armor Research Co. started business about 25 years ago. The original owner died of cancer and willed the company to me. Sales have been very poor and I have a lot of inventory left. Predominantly PE engine screens and white metal ammo rounds of various types.
The resin sets, like this one, are all gone now.
The set comes in a clear cello bag stapled to a backing card that has a black and white photo of the parts in the set on it.
The set consists of a black resin turret, 2 split hatches, the main gun (with a large pour plug on the mantle to saw off) and the coaxial machine gun (with 2 pour plugs either side of it to remove).
This resin is very hand and when sanding it do not breath the dust. Assembly, of course, is with super glue.
Instructions are included.
There is no interior detail, but externally the detail is very good.
There is no interior detail, but externally the detail is very good.
Highly recommended.