Project IV/24

Border model Panzer IV F2 || G

During the skiing vacation week (mid-February) I visited Tieto-Nikkari, a model shop in Helsinki, after my workday. After having a good nice chat with the owners I walked home with a Panzer IV box from Border model,  a new-to-me manufacturer. I had never heard of this Chinese company before but I wasn't one to keep track of that space.

By accident the Panzer IV ended up being the fourth project of the year. I never planned these in advance, I just started on what felt the most interesting or pressing at the moment.

Pieces

A good amount of sprues were hidden in the box, the only thing I could say out right was that the Panzerwanne was unusually tall and curiously the turret's main part was built out of a number of bits, and that the tracks were a link & length setup.

The tracks made me think if I should order some 3d-printed articulated tracks to try that stuff out. Of course I could get some metallic ones, which was a thing I had long wanted to retry. But but but.

In addition to the decals and a couple of PE details the kit also included a metallic tow cable and a fancy barrel for the KwK. The metal barrel was something I truly didn't expect to find in a 40€ kit.

Instructions

Like always I just took a cursory glance at the instructions this time. They seemed clear and the differences between versions looked neatly marked. Of course this was based on a bit of skimming, I may end up complaining later on when I actually follow them step by step.

For the paint schemes there were a nice handful of suggestions, even if I have never really tried to replicate any of them myself. My models have always been generic units, instead of historically accurate and documented individuals.

Right now I hadn't got a clue which variant I'd go for. The decision could be done based on a tiny detail like the shape of the muzzle brake (the G looked normal but the F2's ball-shaped muzzle brake was so odd that it'd stand out for years).