1:35 Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. H Late

A German medium tank in its late form, 1:35 scale

This plastic kit from the maker Border Model captures the most widespread German medium tank of the Second World War in the form of a late production batch. The 1:35 scale is the home scale for ground vehicles: an interior, small equipment and a crew all fit into it, and the model still does not take up a whole shelf.

The subject and the late production batch

The H version was built in the greatest numbers of the whole family and represented the peak of this design as a full combat vehicle. It carried the long 7.5 cm KwK 40 gun with a barrel forty-eight calibers long, which could threaten practically every Allied tank of its day, and the frontal armor of the hull was by then a single thick plate instead of the earlier layering. The sides of the hull and the turret were protected by detachable Schürzen (armor skirts). The late batches then brought simplifications that saved material and time: all-steel return rollers without rubber tires and reworked drive sprockets.

Building and painting tips

• Assemble and paint the running gear before you close the hull.
• Fit the side skirts only after the base camouflage has been sprayed, otherwise you cannot get underneath them.
• Build the camouflage up from dark to light and soften the transitions with thinned paint.
• Finish with a wash into the recesses and with dust pigments around the running gear.

Who the model is for

• Collectors of German equipment of the Second World War.
• Modelers who enjoy weathering, mud and dust.
• Builders of dioramas from the Eastern and the Western Front.

The model comes as unassembled parts with no finish applied. Paints and glue are not included, unless stated otherwise.