Kit Review: Dragon Models Limited 1/35 Scale '39-'45
Series Kit No. 6352; Sd.Kfz. 181 Panzerkampfwagen IV (P) Premium Edition; 734 parts (355
grey styrene, 228 Magic Track links, 127 etched brass, 12 clear styrene, 4 prebent steel
wire, 2 prebent copper wire, 2 twisted steel wire, 2 prebent etched brass, 1 spring, 1
turned aluminum gun barrel); price around US $45
Advantages: nice if older kit receives upgrades and bonus parts from later Tiger I and
Elefant kit releases; Magic Track always a nice change and upgrade for single-link track
kits; some corrections to original kit
Disadvantages: lot of extra work for a one-off vehicle; no zimmerit paste on hull or
turret
Rating: Highly Recommended
Recommendation: for all die-hard Tiger fans
There are a number of one-off items that have always proven popular with modelers, and
many of them deservedly so due to the fame of their prototypes: the Ryan "Spirit of
St. Louis," the USS Constitution, HMS Victory, the Bismarck, NCC-1701 USS Enterprise,
RMS Titanic, and even the "Leopold" railway gun. (Yes, I know that there are
related or sister items to each of these, but only these specific items gained iconic
status.) But among armored vehicles, this particular tank is one of the very few to gain
such a following, along with other short-lived or
unfinished German designs such as the "Maus" heavy tank or "Dora" 80
cm heavy gun.
DML released a pretty nice kit of this tank in November 2004 as their kit No. 6210, but as
usual the "boo birds" were not happy as it was not perfect. DML provided most of
the kit in styrene with DS plastic one-piece tracks and only sufficient etched brass for
the grillwork, and not much more. There were some twitches over hatches and details as
well, as the kit shared much of its architecture with the then-recently released
"Ferdinand" and "Elefant" kits.
DML now adds this kit to their "Premium Edition" stock with more than double the
parts of the original kit, adding "Magic Track" for the kit as well as a
good-sized fret of etched brass and parts from their more recent "Slide Molded"
Tiger I kits.
The "Magic Track" provides two kinds of links – an "A"
link (parts R) with a guide tooth and a "B" link (parts S) that snap together.
This should solve the complaints from those who want the track to sag properly (but
probably getting grouses from the "one-piece track" fans for dropping the DS
plastic ones!) The good news is the "Magic Track" links are some of the best
around, needing minimal cleanup and replicating the originals very nicely.
The etched brass covers the original grilles as well as many other details and brackets
that dress up the model. Some such as the device to the rear of the commander's cupola
(MA31) are going to be somewhat difficult to shape but they do provide nice details. A
styrene version (A9) is also provided.
As the model uses parts from the later Tiger I series of kits, it makes a step forward
with the turned aluminum barrel and a step backwards with the frou-frou "realistic
recoil" spring feature. The kit comes with no less than three mantelets but the one
in the "Special Features" card bag is the correct one to use. It also has two
different right sides to the turret, one with a pistol port and one with the hatch, so the
modeler has some flexibility on making the most accurate kit possible based on the
original's career.
Only one set of markings and painting directions are provided for the vehicle as the
command tank of s.Pz.Jg.Abt. 653 on the Eastern Front in 1944. Again, no zimmerit is
provided for the hull or turret so the modeler will have to add them if desired.
Overall this adds to DML's Tiger "family" but I am not sure, since it was a
one-off "orphan," if those who purchased the original kit will want this one as
well. DML may well be on their way to becoming their own worst enemy with this
"Premium" kits as fence-sitters may prefer to wait for an upgrade/corrected
version of a specific vehicle in the future.
Thanks to Freddie Leung of DML for the review sample.
Cookie Sewell
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