Kit, DML 6460, Stu.Pz.IV Brummbär Mid Production w/Zimmerit

DRAGON MODELS LIMITED

Product Specifications.

6460, Stu.Pz.IV Brummbär Mid Production w/Zimmerit 2-in-1 Smart Kit. 1/35th-scale styrene/multimedia kit. Contains 647 injection-molded styrene parts (including 12 clear), two DS100 track lengths, one etched brass and two etched aluminum frets, one piece of wound metal wire, four water-slide decal schemes and eight pages of instructions in 23 steps.

Introduction.

DML previously released a very fine rendition of what can be loosely referred to as a mid-production Sturmpanzer IV. While it exhibited state-of-the-art molding and fit, it lacked one relatively major feature: Zimmerit anti-magnetic mine paste. This material was applied to new-production German Panzer for about one year, being discontinued in September 1944. Essentially, every German Panzer produced during this period should have had this coating, while this particular variation of the Sturmpanzer IV should always have it.

So, DML has now modified the lower hull, drivers hood, casemate and engine deck parts to include Zimmerit where appropriate. They also provide a completely new sprue, S, with 25 new parts, all coated with Zimmerit.

Tracks.

The 40cm tracks included in this release are completely new. This is the first time DML has issued Pz.Kpfw.IV tracks in their now-familiar DS100 material. They feature a solid guide horn and tiny angled ice grips on the faces of the links. The detail is crisp, especially on the sides of the links and they are assembled with normal styrene cement.

Suspension System.

The road-wheels have separate hub-caps of the type initially introduced with the Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.H. The wheels themselves are the widened type first introduced on the Ausf.F, which along with the 40cm tracks were able to handle the increased ground pressure resulting from the weight of the thickened armor compared to previous models of the standard gun tank. Each wheel/tire assembly is conventionally-molded in one piece per side and includes manufacturers logo and tire size information on the rubber rim. A total of 20 complete road-wheels are given, which leaves four extras for spare stowage. The suspension bogies do not articulate, and are therefore far less complicated to assemble compared to the previous Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.B, C, D and E kits from this manufacturer. The bogies themselves are in multiple parts, including separate ends for the leaf springs, and a separate hub, which in turn attaches to a separate mount.

The final drive housings are single-piece moldings, without any of the internal details seen on previous kits; these are the reinforced type first introduced on the Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.H. The drive sprockets themselves, also introduced with the new final drive housings, are presented in a conventional manner with inner and outer halves. There are two styles of all-steel return rollers provided.

Separate, two-part bump stops are fitted to five stations on either of the hull sides, as are multi-part idler wheel axle adjustment housings; there are two choices here. Dont glue the axle in place until after the tracks have been fitted; this will prevent the dreaded one-too-few or one-too-many links phobia. There are two idler wheel types provided: welded-tube design and cast design. The former are provided as inner and outer halves with the hub molded in place; the latter are similar, but also have etched brass rings for their inner faces to properly represent the type. These assemblies feature excellent weld bead details or cast texture as appropriate, and, as mentioned above, can be adjusted on their axles in order to depict proper track sag.

Hull.

The newly-Zimmerited hull has the fairings between the bogie units molded in place, again for simplified assembly; slide-molds were used so very little detail has been compromised. Rivets, bolts, panels, hatches and weld beads are all crisply-rendered, while there are separate fuel filler caps for the port-side wall. The final items are the parts for the hull side wall seen behind the final drive housings. By making these separate, DML can, if they wish, switch the parts to provide for the final style of tow hooks, which were merely holes drilled into extended hull side walls. Modelers should note that there are three thick injection stubs on each upper rim of the hull side walls. These must be removed or the fenders will not fit. This is not mentioned in the instructions, although the drawing in that particular step shows the items in question as having already been removed.

On the bow, a separate plate is provided to which the front tow shackles are attached, along with their separate pins; there is also a 30mm Zusatzpanzerung (appliqué armor) panel for the lower bow plate. Both of these items now have Zimmerit. Spare track links and a holding bar are provided. On the stern, the hull rear plate is composed of several parts and through the use of a slide-mold, has properly rendered bolt heads where the upper and lower sections were joined together. Zimmerit has been added to all of these parts for the proper appearance. The exhaust muffler, first introduced with the Ausf.F, is in several parts, some of which are slide-molded for ease of assembly; it includes the non-skid textured step plate peculiar to the Sturmpanzer IV. Two variations of tow hitches are given and there are also separate hooks for each hull side wall.

Superstructure.

The new glacis plate has separate final drive/brake access hatch lids, which include the brake air cooling intake cowls as separate parts; if left open some work will need to be done to open the hole on the back of the lid that provided cooling air from the cowls. The glacis plate itself features the splash guard seen in front of the drivers hood and also has a set of spare tracks, with either etched brass or styrene mounting brackets. This entire sub-assembly fits a new adapter plate that is keyed to accommodate the new casemates front plate. Again, all of these parts have Zimmerit if appropriate.

The rear superstructure plate features crisp details with a molded-on filler cap and part of the rack for the spare wheels also in-situ; it also has Zimmerit. Four road-wheels can then be fitted to the remaining separate parts, which comprise the storage racks. The engine deck is a separate module and features separate two-part engine cooling air intake louvers and separate access hatch lids; the latter have etched brass parts for their interior surfaces. The sides of the engine deck part now have Zimmerit. Details such as lift handles and radiator filler cap covers are separate parts.

The track-guards are superbly detailed on both sides and havent a single knock-out pin mark on any surface. They include the L-shaped mounting brackets for the optional Schürzen plates already molded in place. The front and rear mud flaps are separate items and can be positioned up or down; all have Zimmerit. They come from a slide mold so details visible on their sides are in place; separate springs are seen at the rear. However, if folded up, each mud-flap has several prominent ejector pin marks that will have to be filled, since those will be readily visible.

Aside from a jack, block and some other tools, a new gun tube accessories box can be mounted to the port-side track-guard, aft, and an optional multi-part Filzbalgfilter (carburetor air pre-cleaner) can be fitted to the starboard side, aft. The flaps that covered the engine air cooling intake louvers can be made from styrene or etched brass parts and they include separate tiny fasteners. A choice of two different convoy distance-keeping lamps and reflectors with etched brass details are provided, as is a multi-part Bosch black-out driving head-lamp.

Casemate.

The star of the show in this kit must surely be the casemate, which is beautifully-rendered from a slide-mold. It features excellent weld-bead details, splash guards and tie-down loops, all molded in place. It is covered in Zimmerit, with particular attention paid to how the pattern has been rendered. Openings for separate MP Stopfen (pistol port plugs) are in place and now have Zimmerit. They are complete with etched brass chain holders for use if the modeler wants to hang a plug in the open position. If not using the Schürzen option, the mounting pads are separate parts and come in styrene or etched brass; in addition, two different armored vent cowls are provided as part of that option. The pads can be accurately-placed because DML has used their system of painting location marks directly onto the styrene, to ease the modelers work-load. The Zimmerit-coated separate drivers hood features a separate armored guard for his clear styrene periscope. The external collar for the 15cm StuH43 is a separate part that includes mounting bolts, tie-down loop details and Zimmerit. On the rear face of the casemate, there is a choice of platoon vehicle or command vehicle radio antennae layout, with the latter featuring the Sternantenne D (star antenna); all are in multiple parts to include the proper rod antennae for each type and if necessary, Zimmerit has been applied. Separate hatch lids for the rear face of the casemate feature separate MP Stopfen plugs and Zimmerit where appropriate. A choice of either etched brass or styrene flanges are provided for where the rear wall meets the engine deck. Finally, a fire extinguisher gets fitted low down on the port side of the casemates rear plate.

The entire roof plate is separate and also features a choice of opened or closed crew hatch lids, all with complete internal detail. A Gen2 MG34 is provided for the loaders hatch lid/shield when it is in the opened position. The MG is in several parts but does not include any ammunition magazine or belt; the shield has optional support bars for the open position and a separate internal cover for the MG opening. The commanders hatch lids are in two parts and he can have a clear styrene Scherenfernrohr (scissors periscope) mounted on a separate post if they are in the opened position. The exhaust fan vent is in three parts and includes internal detail, while there are separate lift hooks where appropriate. Molded-on panel lines, splash guards and bolt details are all there, with the splash guards featuring very fine spot-weld beads where appropriate.

As a final main option, the modeler can fit a complete set of Schürzen plates and their hangers to the finished kit. These begin with styrene mounting brackets and hanging rails, which are crowned with etched aluminum plates; the latter also have styrene parts attached for the mounting points. To ease the process, etched lines are seen on the inner faces of the plates where these are to be fitted. In addition, each plate is sequentially-numbered for accurate placement. This seems to be a fine balance between durability, ease of assembly and scale representation of this feature. Other styrene parts for this assembly include brackets and the smaller front-most angled plates, as well as the track-guard side extensions sometimes seen.

Interior and Gun.

The fighting compartment interior is based on a rear bulkhead (devoid of any detail) and a floor plate with an extremely fine non-skid pattern composed of tiny raised dots; a representation of the covers for the fuel filler pipes is also seen on that part. A multi-part mounting bracket for the 15cm StuH43, as well as a separate inner wall part (providing scale thickness to the armor plate in that area), are also provided.

The gun mount is extremely well-detailed and is composed of many separate parts. If assembled per the instructions it can elevate, but it is not designed to traverse. For elevation, the modeler should be very careful that no glue touches part D3, which is a sprocket that very positively engages the elevation gear. There is a choice of hand-wheel configurations and the Sfl.Z.F.1a gunners sight is provided as a clear part. The breech block can be left opened or closed, and the gun can be pushed back on its cradle as if it has recoiled. The gun tube itself is from a slide mold featuring rifling on the inside of the bore.

Molding, Fit and Engineering.

Typical for current products from DML, there are no visible ejector pin marks (except where noted on the track links) and no shrinkage of any kind on any of the styrene parts. Mold seams are restrained and flash does not exist, but there are loads of tiny ejector pin nodes that must be removed, with the accompanying extra clean-up of parts. This is still far better than having to fill ejector pin marks! Slide molds are extensively, but intelligently used, as are etched metal parts. The Zimmerit texture is complete and very well rendered; it seems rather subtle and will really pop out with proper painting technique. Basic fit throughout can be considered good-to-excellent; quite a few major sub-assemblies simply click into place after their constituent parts have been glued together. Including track lengths made of DS100 material instead of individual links will also considerably ease construction.

Accuracy and Details.

Based on the drawing in reference 2, below, the sizes of the major parts and sub-assemblies are extremely accurate. Smaller items are properly positioned and such things as weld beads, hinges, panel lines, rivets and bolt heads are exquisitely-rendered. Etched brass and aluminum parts are used where scale thickness is desirable, and with the single exception noted, they are all easily used. Including Zimmerit is the icing on this cake, saving much time for the modeler that wishes to construct a completely accurate Sturmpanzer IV.

Instructions.

The instructions are complex and are presented in the traditional line drawing fashion; there are a number of options and there are loads of parts. Options are properly distinguished and where etched metal parts can be used to replace styrene parts, this is also made clear.

Decals and Markings Information.

A small water-slide decal sheet provides Balkenkreuze national insignia and Tac numbers for two vehicles belonging to Stu.Pz.Abt.216, as seen in Italy in 1944, one on the Ostfront in 1943, and another from Panzer-Division Schleisen in Germany, 1945. The designs are crisp, well-printed and have thin, clear, matte carrier film. One command vehicle and three platoon vehicles can be produced. All are finished in a base of Dunkelgelb, with patterns using Rotbraun and Olivgrün. References indicate the markings are accurate for the unit, time, place and configuration of these vehicles.

Conclusion.

This kit was very well-done in its original form, with the only shortcoming being the lack of Zimmerit. Now that DML has added it for the modeler and has also included DS100 single length tracks, it will be easier than ever for the modeler to construct an accurate and attractive replica.

Highly recommended.

Frank V. De Sisto

References consulted for this review included, but were not limited to:

1. Encyclopedia of German Tanks of WW2, Revised Edition; Arms & Armour Press, by P. Chamberlain, H. Doyle & T. Jentz.
2. Sturmgeschütz, s.PaK to Sturmmörser; Panzer Tracts No.8, by T. Jentz & H. Doyle.
3. Sturmpanzer IV Brummbär; Kagero Photosniper 12, by G. Parada & K. Mucha.
4. Sd.Kfz.166 Sturmpanzer Brummbär, Vol.1; J.J. Fedorowicz, by W. Trojca & M. Jaugitz.
5. Panzer IV and its Variants; Spielberger Series Vol.4, Schiffer, by W. Spielberger.
6. Panzers in Italy; Concord 7023, by T. Cockle & D. Jameson.
7. German Sturmartillerie at War, Vol.1; Concord 7029, by F. De Sisto & L. Lecocq.
8. German Sturmartillerie at War, Vol.2; Concord 7030, by F. De Sisto & L. Lecocq.
9. Sturmartillerie and Panzerjäger; Osprey Vanguard 12, by B. Perrett & M. Chappell.
10. Nashorn, Hummel, Brummbär in Action; Squadron Armor No.5, by E. Feist & M. Dario.
11. Sturmartillerie, From Assault Guns to Hunting Panther; Aero Armor Series 3, by W. Spielberger & U. Feist.

Reviewers note: Since May of 2005, I have been writing books for Concord Publications, a sister company to DML. The reader may wish to take this into consideration. For my part, I will attempt to maintain an objective viewpoint when writing these reviews.

DML kits are available from retail and mail order shops. For details see their web site at: www.dragonmodelsltd.com.

Visit frankdesisto.com.

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