Three cheers for this video being two months late!
00:00 Introduction
01:55 Hull
04:13 Turret
05:44 Undercarriage
07:24 Painting
09:27 Miscellaneous
11:47 Markings
12:57 Weathering
14:41 Presentation
15:21 Credits
Although nominally the follow-up to the Panzer III, the two vehicles were developed almost simultaneously. The doctrine of the time, formulated by Heinz Guderian, dictated that there be two vehicle types for mechanized war: a speedy and hard-hitting AFV for tank-to-tank combat, and a slower, more lightly-armed vehicle for supporting the mechanized infantry. The Panzer III, being lighter and faster, was the designated tank fighter while the slower and heavier Panzer IV would stick with the infantry. It wasn’t until the two actually engaged Soviet and English tanks that the Reichswehr realized how ineffective the III’s high-velocity 50mm and the IV’s low-velocity 75mm were at armor penetration. By 1943, the III was relegated to serving essentially as a light tank, while the IV had been upgraded to accept the KwK 40 L/43 and L/48, a higher-velocity 75mm cannon that proved to be much more capable at engaging armored targets. The Panzer IV would come to be known as Germany’s workhorse during WWII, having about eight-and-a-half-thousand units produced, a number that includes tank destroyers, self-propelled guns, and anti-aircraft guns built on the chassis.
The model on the table is the Girls Und Panzer licensed Panzer IV Ausfuhrung D by Dragon. Dragon, being known for their incredibly meticulous attention to detail, previously released this kit (number 6265) in 2006 with over 1,000 parts. The Platz line is an attempt by Dragon to vastly simplify the model for quicker construction, with this kit (number 6873) having about a fifth of the originals part count. (In fact, if you translate the manual you’ll see that Saori says exactly that.) I’ve been writing this script forever and I’m super excited to start, so let’s just get to it!
Sources:
1. Panzer Tracks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oB9jBsKiU_U
2. http://www.kettenkrad.de/notekhi_e.htm
3. http://www.panzerbasics.com/panzer/01_basics/03_Equipment/jack.htm
4. Chieftain Pz. IV pt. 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyMzq6j0Ly0
5. http://byrden.com/panzers/Colours/PanzerGrey.html
6. https://www.flamesofwar.com/hobby.aspx?art_id=2118
7. https://smallsagas.wordpress.com/2013/04/29/fifty-shades-of-panzer-grey/
8. Von Senger Und Etterlin, F. M. von, F. (1969). German Tanks Of World War II. New York, NY: Galahad Books.
9. Night Shift: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rS3htKs2JQE&t=427s
10. http://www.questmasters.us/panzer_parts.html
11. Dana Howl: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCI7EmMVCD8A0sZBha1EFg2Q
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