Eduard Pz.Kpw. IV Ausf. F2 photo-etched brass (35715)

by Frank De Sisto

Contains two frets and five pages of instructions. Price: $24.95 USD.

There are certain “workhorse” vehicles that both modelers and kit manufacturers seem to dote upon. The German Pz.Kpw. IV is one such vehicle. There are many variations of the gun tank available from most of the major manufacturers, specifically: Tamiya, Italeri and DML. This set is for a variation produced by the last-mentioned manufacturer, DML’s Pz.Kpw. IV Ausf. F2.

This set begins with new parts for the front and rear mud flaps, replacement tread plates and engine air intake grill doors for the rear-most fender section, as well as small details for where the fenders attach to the front of the vehicle. Also for the front end, there are tiny chains for the towing mounts, two styles of strip brackets for spare tracks and the six small brackets over the transmission access hatch that also acted as spare track holders. There are also details for both the inner and outer surfaces of the driver’s and radio operator’s hatch doors. The hull rear gets a completely new flange (this is what was used to bolt the engine deck to the lower hull), new mounting straps for the small square and large cylindrical exhaust mufflers, details for the idler wheel adjustment devices, various chains and brackets, and finally, tail lamp mounts.

There are all sorts of mounting brackets for the jack, jack block, spare track shoes, gun cleaning rods and antenna storage troughs, as well as the peculiar bracket that held up the fender on the starboard, forward end. All tools receive easy-to-make, one-piece clamps, which I for one, really appreciate. There is also a completely new storage pan for the two spare road wheels. The remaining parts detail the turret and include new rain guards for the side doors, small “T” handles and hasps for the doors, and various lifting hooks. The cupola hatches get inner details including locking levers and head pads. There is a blade sight for in front of the cupola, the small lift ring seen on the mantlet and a tiny bit for the top of the muzzle break. Finally, there are parts to trim the turret stowage bin, including those meant to represent the wood that would prevent the turret bin from shorting out the antenna when it rotated into contact with it.

Altogether, this is a rather complete set that will dress up the DML kit quite nicely.

Highly recommended.

Eduard products are available at retail and mail order shops and directly from the manufacturer at: www.eduard.cz. Visit their web site for images of reviewed items.