In Box Review of Shanghai Dragon 1/35th Scale
Panzer IV Ausf. J, Late Sd.Kfz. 162/2
Kit no. 6080
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 1998
Out of production
I paid $20.99 for my kit at a local hobby shop back in the late 90’s.
Copyright: 198x
Out of production
However, Tamiya’s later kit no. 35181 of a Ausf. J version is available from Sprue Brothers for $41.99 or from Megahobby for $44.20 and at 14 locations overseas on the web.
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 1998
Out of production
I paid $20.99 for my kit at a local hobby shop back in the late 90’s.
Copyright: 198x
Out of production
However, Tamiya’s later kit no. 35181 of a Ausf. J version is available from Sprue Brothers for $41.99 or from Megahobby for $44.20 and at 14 locations overseas on the web.
HISTORY:
The Panzerkampfwagen IV (Pz.Kpfw. 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 fully tracked armoured fighting vehicle of the Second World War; 8,553 Panzer IVs of all versions were built during World War II, only exceeded by the StuG III assault gun with 10,086 vehicles. Its chassis was also used as the base for many other fighting vehicles, including the Sturmgeschütz IV assault gun, the 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 was originally designed for infantry support, while the similar Panzer III was to fight armoured fighting vehicles.
However, as the Germans faced the formidable T-34, the Panzer IV had more development potential, with a larger turret ring to mount more powerful guns, so the two switched roles. It received various upgrades and design modifications, intended to counter new threats, extending its service life.
Generally, these involved increasing the armour protection or upgrading the 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 it continued to be a significant component of German armoured formations to the end of the war. It 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.
SPECIFICATIONS: A Panzer IV Ausf. G "413" in desert colours, bearing the palm tree insignia of the Afrika Korps, "Friederike" script written on the gun barrel near the mantlet. This tank was on display at the Deutsches Panzermuseum.
Type: Medium tank
Place of origin: Nazi Germany
In service: 1939–1945 (Nazi Germany), 1954–1967 (Syria)
Used by: Nazi Germany, Romania, Turkey, Hungary, Bulgaria, Italy, Finland, Spain, Croatia, Syria
Wars: World War II, 1948 Arab–Israeli War, Six-Day War
Designer: Krupp
Designed: 1936
Manufacturer: Krupp, Vomag, Nibelungenwerk
Unit cost: ≈103,462 Reichsmarks and 115,962 Reichsmarks With 7,5 cm KwK 40 (L/43)
Produced: 1936–1945
No. built: ≈8,553 of all tank variants
Variants: StuG IV, Jagdpanzer IV-Brummbär/Sturmpanzer IV, Nashorn, Wirbelwind, Ostwind
Specifications (Pz. IV Ausf. H, 1943
Mass: 25.0 tonnes (27.6 short tons; 24.6 long tons)
Length: 5.92 metres (19 ft 5 in), 7.02 metres (23 ft 0 in) gun forward
Width: 2.88 m (9 ft 5 in)
Height: 2.68 m (8 ft 10 in)
Crew: 5 (commander, gunner, loader, driver, radio operator/bow machine-gunner)
Armor: Hull front: 80 mm (3.1 in), Hull side (upper and lower): 30 mm (1.2 in), Hull rear (upper and lower): 20 mm (0.79 in), Hull roof and floor: 10 mm (0.39 in), Schürzen: 5 mm (0.20 in) to 8 mm (0.31 in), Turret front: 50 mm (2.0 in), Turret side and rear: 30 mm (1.2 in), Turret roof: 10 mm (0.39 in)
Main armament: 7.5 cm (2.95 in) KwK 40 L/48 main gun (87 rounds)
Secondary armament: 2 × 7.92 mm MG34 machine guns (3,150 rounds)
Engine: Maybach HL 120 TRM 12-cylinder petrol engine of 300 PS (296 hp, 220 kW)
Power/weight: 12 PS (8.8 kW) / tonne
Transmission: (Synchromesh ZF SSG 77) 6 forward and 1 reverse ratios
Suspension: Leaf spring
Fuel capacity: 470–670 l (120–180 US gal)
Operational range: 200–320 km (120–200 mi)
Maximum speed: 38 to 42 km/h (24 to 26 mph) maximum, 25 km/h (16 mph) max sustained road speed 16 km/h (9.9 mph) off road
The Panzerkampfwagen IV (Pz.Kpfw. 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 fully tracked armoured fighting vehicle of the Second World War; 8,553 Panzer IVs of all versions were built during World War II, only exceeded by the StuG III assault gun with 10,086 vehicles. Its chassis was also used as the base for many other fighting vehicles, including the Sturmgeschütz IV assault gun, the 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 was originally designed for infantry support, while the similar Panzer III was to fight armoured fighting vehicles.
However, as the Germans faced the formidable T-34, the Panzer IV had more development potential, with a larger turret ring to mount more powerful guns, so the two switched roles. It received various upgrades and design modifications, intended to counter new threats, extending its service life.
Generally, these involved increasing the armour protection or upgrading the 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 it continued to be a significant component of German armoured formations to the end of the war. It 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.
SPECIFICATIONS: A Panzer IV Ausf. G "413" in desert colours, bearing the palm tree insignia of the Afrika Korps, "Friederike" script written on the gun barrel near the mantlet. This tank was on display at the Deutsches Panzermuseum.
Type: Medium tank
Place of origin: Nazi Germany
In service: 1939–1945 (Nazi Germany), 1954–1967 (Syria)
Used by: Nazi Germany, Romania, Turkey, Hungary, Bulgaria, Italy, Finland, Spain, Croatia, Syria
Wars: World War II, 1948 Arab–Israeli War, Six-Day War
Designer: Krupp
Designed: 1936
Manufacturer: Krupp, Vomag, Nibelungenwerk
Unit cost: ≈103,462 Reichsmarks and 115,962 Reichsmarks With 7,5 cm KwK 40 (L/43)
Produced: 1936–1945
No. built: ≈8,553 of all tank variants
Variants: StuG IV, Jagdpanzer IV-Brummbär/Sturmpanzer IV, Nashorn, Wirbelwind, Ostwind
Specifications (Pz. IV Ausf. H, 1943
Mass: 25.0 tonnes (27.6 short tons; 24.6 long tons)
Length: 5.92 metres (19 ft 5 in), 7.02 metres (23 ft 0 in) gun forward
Width: 2.88 m (9 ft 5 in)
Height: 2.68 m (8 ft 10 in)
Crew: 5 (commander, gunner, loader, driver, radio operator/bow machine-gunner)
Armor: Hull front: 80 mm (3.1 in), Hull side (upper and lower): 30 mm (1.2 in), Hull rear (upper and lower): 20 mm (0.79 in), Hull roof and floor: 10 mm (0.39 in), Schürzen: 5 mm (0.20 in) to 8 mm (0.31 in), Turret front: 50 mm (2.0 in), Turret side and rear: 30 mm (1.2 in), Turret roof: 10 mm (0.39 in)
Main armament: 7.5 cm (2.95 in) KwK 40 L/48 main gun (87 rounds)
Secondary armament: 2 × 7.92 mm MG34 machine guns (3,150 rounds)
Engine: Maybach HL 120 TRM 12-cylinder petrol engine of 300 PS (296 hp, 220 kW)
Power/weight: 12 PS (8.8 kW) / tonne
Transmission: (Synchromesh ZF SSG 77) 6 forward and 1 reverse ratios
Suspension: Leaf spring
Fuel capacity: 470–670 l (120–180 US gal)
Operational range: 200–320 km (120–200 mi)
Maximum speed: 38 to 42 km/h (24 to 26 mph) maximum, 25 km/h (16 mph) max sustained road speed 16 km/h (9.9 mph) off road
THE KIT:
Shanghai Dragon is the other facility in Shanghai of the Dragon company. Dragon’s home office is in Hong Kong, China. Dragon also goes by just DML.
They are an old prolific model company that manufactures all manner of model subjects in the popular scales.
This kit came in a shrink-wrapped tray and lid type box.
The box art shows a color illustration of a Panzer IV Ausf. J, late moving on a dirt field. There is a flakwagen tank behind it and a half-track beside it.
It is in an AMBUSH camouflage of mid-stone with dark green bands that have mid-stone spots on the green bands.
The tank commander is standing in the upper turret hatch and a crewman is standing on the engine deck.
Both are dressed in Panzer-gray uniforms. The crewman on the engine deck is firing a MP40 machine pistol at a British Hawker Tempest fighter that is flying low above. It is green over light blue undercarriage, has D-Day invasion stripes and white fuselage code SA roundel F.
The flakwagen is also firing its guns at the Tempest.
One corner of the box art says: Unassembled model kit. Kit contains 449 parts and is for modelers age 10 and older. The box contains a model of one tank.
One side panel of the box has one-paragraph histories of the tank, in Japanese, English, German, French, Italian and Chinese. Each language is labeled with a color illustration of the flag of the country that speaks the language. Followed by Shanghai Dragon’s street address and telephone number. Copyright of the kit is 1998.
Shanghai Dragon is the other facility in Shanghai of the Dragon company. Dragon’s home office is in Hong Kong, China. Dragon also goes by just DML.
They are an old prolific model company that manufactures all manner of model subjects in the popular scales.
This kit came in a shrink-wrapped tray and lid type box.
The box art shows a color illustration of a Panzer IV Ausf. J, late moving on a dirt field. There is a flakwagen tank behind it and a half-track beside it.
It is in an AMBUSH camouflage of mid-stone with dark green bands that have mid-stone spots on the green bands.
The tank commander is standing in the upper turret hatch and a crewman is standing on the engine deck.
Both are dressed in Panzer-gray uniforms. The crewman on the engine deck is firing a MP40 machine pistol at a British Hawker Tempest fighter that is flying low above. It is green over light blue undercarriage, has D-Day invasion stripes and white fuselage code SA roundel F.
The flakwagen is also firing its guns at the Tempest.
One corner of the box art says: Unassembled model kit. Kit contains 449 parts and is for modelers age 10 and older. The box contains a model of one tank.
One side panel of the box has one-paragraph histories of the tank, in Japanese, English, German, French, Italian and Chinese. Each language is labeled with a color illustration of the flag of the country that speaks the language. Followed by Shanghai Dragon’s street address and telephone number. Copyright of the kit is 1998.
The other side panel of the box shows 3 color walk-around type photos of the model made up in the box art scheme. It is said that the kit is not suitable for children under 3 because of small parts. It is intended for modelers age 10 and older. In multiple languages, including English. Followed by a CAUTION that warns you to not use paint or cement near an open flame and be in a well ventilated room when you do use them. In 6 languages including English.
WHAT’S IN THE BOX:
This kit contains a whopping 32 trees. 29 of them are medium-gray, there is a medium-gray hull tub part and 3 jet-black trees and the decal sheet. There is a section of black screen to use for anti-mine side armor skirts. These are in 7 sealed clear cello bags.
The instructions consist of a single-sheet that accordion-folds out into 8 pages in 8” x 14” page format.
Page 1 begins with a black and white copy of the box art, over the history of the tank in 6 languages, including English.
Page 2 begins with CAUTIONS about the kit, in the 6 languages. Over a suggested paint color listing of Gunze Sangyo and Italeri brands of hobby paints.
The bottom of page 2 through to page 6 gives a grand total of 18 assembly steps.
Page 7 is a painting and marking guide.
It show three 5-view profiles of the Panzer IV Ausf. J
The first one is in a wave pattern camouflage of mid-stone and green. It has a white name on the side of the gun barrel that is impossible to make out what is said. Just a black German cross outlined in white on the turret sides. These illustrations show one side panel with wire mesh armor skirts mounted.
This tank was with the 6th Kompanie, SS-Pz. Rgt. 1, La Glaize, 1944.
The second set of profiles shows a tank in the same scheme. It carries red 223 on the turret with a skeletal white German cross. This is the box art scheme. However, the mid-stone spots are not shown.
It was with 7th Kompanie, SS-Pz-Rgt. 1, Stoumont, 1944.
The third set of profiles shows a tank in the same camouflage scheme as the other two. It has a white skeletal cross and red 213 outlined in white on its turret.
It was with the 116th Panzer Div., 1945.
Page 8 has the parts-trees illustrations on it, above decal application instructions in 6 languages, including English. A lot of the trees illustrated have parts blued out on them. Meaning those parts are excess and not needed to complete the kit.
This kit contains a whopping 32 trees. 29 of them are medium-gray, there is a medium-gray hull tub part and 3 jet-black trees and the decal sheet. There is a section of black screen to use for anti-mine side armor skirts. These are in 7 sealed clear cello bags.
The instructions consist of a single-sheet that accordion-folds out into 8 pages in 8” x 14” page format.
Page 1 begins with a black and white copy of the box art, over the history of the tank in 6 languages, including English.
Page 2 begins with CAUTIONS about the kit, in the 6 languages. Over a suggested paint color listing of Gunze Sangyo and Italeri brands of hobby paints.
The bottom of page 2 through to page 6 gives a grand total of 18 assembly steps.
Page 7 is a painting and marking guide.
It show three 5-view profiles of the Panzer IV Ausf. J
The first one is in a wave pattern camouflage of mid-stone and green. It has a white name on the side of the gun barrel that is impossible to make out what is said. Just a black German cross outlined in white on the turret sides. These illustrations show one side panel with wire mesh armor skirts mounted.
This tank was with the 6th Kompanie, SS-Pz. Rgt. 1, La Glaize, 1944.
The second set of profiles shows a tank in the same scheme. It carries red 223 on the turret with a skeletal white German cross. This is the box art scheme. However, the mid-stone spots are not shown.
It was with 7th Kompanie, SS-Pz-Rgt. 1, Stoumont, 1944.
The third set of profiles shows a tank in the same camouflage scheme as the other two. It has a white skeletal cross and red 213 outlined in white on its turret.
It was with the 116th Panzer Div., 1945.
Page 8 has the parts-trees illustrations on it, above decal application instructions in 6 languages, including English. A lot of the trees illustrated have parts blued out on them. Meaning those parts are excess and not needed to complete the kit.
THE KIT:
Medium-grey letter A tree holds turret parts etc. (38 parts).
Medium-grey letter B tree holds: fenders, hull sides, final transfer covers etc. (43 parts).
Medium-grey letter C tree holds: crank, shovel, tools, jack, engine deck lid etc. (52 parts).
Medium-grey letter F holds: the main gun, exhausts etc. (40 parts).
Medium-grey letters F, G & H hold: road wheels, drive sprockets, idler wheels etc. (40 parts).
Medium-grey letter G tree holds idler wheels (there are 2 of this tree) (4 parts)
Medium-grey letter I is the hull front wall etc. (21 parts)
The black tree is not alphabetized. It holds individual track links. (there may have been more than one tree of these) (80 parts)
Medium-grey letter Y and Z tree are co-joined. They hold: bars, rods, links etc. (42 parts).
The medium-grey hull tub part is just one piece.
This is a section of black vinyl screen in the kit used for the side skirts.
There are no interior details. External detail is excellent. There are also no clear parts or crew figures included.
I have added a Eduard Brand set of steel PE, kit no. 35207 to this kit. It contains 2 frets.
The decal sheet completes the kit.
Recommended.