1:35 PANZER IV Ausf.D (PzKpfw IV)

Aber 1:35 – a detail set for the PzKpfw IV Ausf.D

A multi-part detail set from the Polish maker Aber in 1:35 scale for a model of the German Panzer IV medium tank in the Ausf.D version. In one package it brings several photo-etched groups together with a metal armament part, so it takes in the fenders, the fine sheet fittings of the superstructure and the barrel. It is not a kit: the package holds no plastic parts and the base model has to be owned separately.

The real subject

The Panzer IV was the most widespread German tank of the Second World War and the only one built throughout its whole course. The Ausf.D version is one of the early forms: it carries the short barrel of a 75 mm gun meant above all for supporting infantry and destroying fortified targets rather than for tank duels. The projecting stepped front of the hull and the external gun mantlet are characteristic as well. This form of the tank is associated with the campaigns of the first half of the war, including the fighting in western Europe and in North Africa.

Building tips

The fenders and the sheet-metal detail are where photo-etch brings the most – they look thin and scale-correct, and on top of that they can really be bent or damaged for the worn look of vehicles true to the period. Cut the photo-etched parts on a hard mat, bend them in a bending tool or between metal rulers and glue them with a minimum of cyanoacrylate glue. Deal with the running gear and the interior detail before the hull is closed up. Degrease the metal and give it a base coat; washes and dust pigments help at the end.

Who the set is for

• Builders of German vehicles of the early phase of the Second World War in 1:35 scale
• Modelers who want thin metal fenders and an accurate barrel
• More experienced modelers with experience of photo-etched parts
• Collectors of superdetailed models for the display case and for competitions

This is a detail set, not a kit. The base model, glue and paints are not included in the package.