Dragon Models 1/35 Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.H, Mid-Production Sep-Nov '43 Smart Kit
Despite the fame of designs like the Panther and Tiger, Germany’s most important tank was the Panzer IV. As well as being the most numerically common tank in German service, it was also a very capable design that underwent continuous improvement during its lifespan of 1936-45. One of the versions was the Ausf.H (Sd.Kfz.161/2), which began rolling off factory floors in April 1943. A total of 3,774 Ausf.H tanks were eventually made. It also had the six-speed SSG77 transmission from the Panzer III fitted. This increased the tank’s weight to 25 tonnes. Dragon’s newest 1/35 Panzer IV Smart Kit shows such an Ausf.H variant. Specifically it’s a subtype produced from September-November 1943. While it uses a good number of components from previous Panzer IV kits, there are also newly tooled parts to enable an accurate rendering of this Ausf.H Mid-Production tank. The air filter is located on the right-hand side of the hull, which required the kit designers to remake the hull plate, for example. Slide-molded parts are widely resorted to, plus there are also metal parts such as the side skirts to give a true-to-scale thickness. This is another welcome arrival, allowing modelers to easily replicate a specific Panzer IV subject dating from the late 1943 timeframe.