Italeri Panzer IV Build in 1/72 Scale

This is the old ESCI kit from 1974, a good kit for its time. This kit has been issued under just about every company’s label on the market over the years, Italeri took their turn in 2002.

The tool is holding up pretty well all things considered, although there are some sink marks which will need filling. The ESCI rubber band tracks have been replaced with a sprue of link and length tracks which is a big improvement. The supports for the Schurtzen look good although the Schurtzen themselves are too thick for the scale.

I weighted the hull with BBs set in epoxy. The track links fit okay overall but had some trouble settling in around the guide teeth on the drive sprocket.

The spaced armor around the turret extended too far forward so I cut it back and fabricated the foremost triangular section from sheet plastic. I also replaced the grab bars with beading wire and made smoke dischargers from stretched sprue.

The particular vehicle I’m modeling had field-applied Zimmerit on several of the vertical sections, which I replicated with Mr. Surfacer 500. Jerry cans are prints.

This is the model under a coat of primer. There is a section of the front armor plate where the Zimmerit has chipped off, revealing the red oxide primer underneath.

The camo pattern was applied with fine brushes, following the pattern in the Kagero Panzer IV book, which also supplied the decals.

Here is the finished model after weathering and a flat coat. Not a bad kit for a fifty year old!