A plastic kit of the Pz.Beob.Wg. IV Ausf. J in 1:35 scale in the Premium Edition (2 in 1) release. The real subject is an artillery observation vehicle built on the Panzer IV chassis — it looks like an ordinary tank, but it served an entirely different purpose.
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An injection-molded plastic kit in 1:35 scale in the Premium Edition release, that is with above-standard contents. The box holds a metal gun barrel, a copper tow cable, metal side armor plates (Schürzen), extensive photo-etched parts, improved road wheels, individual track links and 3D-printed parts (the muzzle brake and the base of the commander's cupola, among others).
2 in 1 means that you choose what to build: either the artillery observation vehicle Pz.Beob.Wg. IV Ausf. J, or an ordinary Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. J mid-production battle tank. With the exception of the commander's cupola parts, the premium contents can be used on both variants.
Pz.Beob.Wg. = Panzerbeobachtungswagen = armored artillery observation vehicle. At first glance it is an ordinary Panzer IV. In fact, though, it was not a battle tank — it served artillery observers who directed the fire of self-propelled howitzers from it (the units with Wespe and Hummel vehicles). To be able to advance in the front line with the artillery, it had to look like a tank and be protected like one — and that is why it was built on the Panzer IV chassis.
The inside, however, was different. The vehicle was packed with radios (it carried several of them) and with optics: it was given a scissors artillery periscope that could be extended without the observer having to open a hatch, an extendable sighting periscope, a compass and a map board. To fit all of that inside, the machine gun went out of the turret and the crew changed: a commander-observer, an assistant observer, a driver and two radio operators. A striking recognition feature is the commander's cupola taken over from the StuG III series of assault guns, with seven periscopes instead of the usual vision slits.
One clarification, because it is often confused: on this vehicle built on the Panzer IV the main 75 mm gun stayed functional — it served mainly for self-defense, not for tank duels. A dummy gun, that is a wooden or steel mock-up in place of a real weapon, belonged to the observation vehicle built on the Panzer III, not to this version. If you have heard that detail, it belongs elsewhere.
First decide which of the two variants you are building — they differ mainly in the cupola and the equipment. Assemble and paint the running gear before you close the hull. Prepare the individual track links in batches and glue them into longer runs; shape the sag of the track over the wheels before the glue has fully cured. Bond the photo-etched parts and the metal side plates with super glue and the plastic with liquid cement for plastic. Apply a primer before painting — above all on the metal and photo-etched components, otherwise the paint will not hold on them. Spray the camouflage with an airbrush and use washes in the welds, the rivets and the recesses for the patina, with pigments for dust and mud around the running gear and on the side plates.
The model is supplied unassembled and unpainted. Glue, paints and accessories are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.
Naši poradci a znalci sortimentu jsou připraveni odpovídat na Vaše dotazy (Po–Pá, 8–18 hod).
Zeptejte se na co potřebujete, odpovíme co nejdříve.
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