Tamiya 35096 1/35 German Pzkpw IV AUSFD Plastic Model Kit

Ok so let's get a few things out of the way first. If you are reading a review of this kit chances are you are not familiar with this kit so a bit of history is in order so pour a cup of coffee and sit back. Way back in the 1960s Tamiya released a kit of the Panther tank in an unusual scale- 1/35. That scale was determined because that would permit the installation of batteries and a motor. Thus was born the "AFV" scale of 1/35. Fast forward a decade. The Tamiya company has released more and more kits in 1/35 scale. 1977 sees the release of the kit you see here. It was based off the Panzer IV ausf H kit that was released in 1975. Two other Panzer IV based AFV kits were released prior to this one, The StuG IV and the Jagdpanzer IV. Nearly all of the fully tracked kits released in that era including this one were intended to be motorized. By this point it wasn't really clear whether these kits were to be toys or scale models. Tamiya chose to hedge the market and build them as both. Having said that compromises needed to be made as far as dimensions, tooling, and kit engineering needed to be made. When you read or hear someone blast this kit (or any other older kit from Tamiya's early line up) they generally will point to a Dragon or newer Tamiya offering as "much better". So what IS wrong with this one? well:1. The tracks are the late type 40 cm type, not the 36 cm found on an ausf D. It is likely that since the earlier releases (see above) were all later model Panzer IV vehicle that they chose to retain those tracks and keep production costs down. As a side note after this one, The Flakpanzer Mobelwagen was released later on and it too was a later Panzer IV based vehicle.2. Dimensional issues. Yes it is a few scale inches off here and there. which means this kit is off a few MILLIMETERS.3. Motorization holes. All the holes associated with the switches and removal of the upper hull to replace the battery, this would be my only real gripe.4.The front lower hull is incorrect, Instead if being flush with the brake housings it is slightly recessed.So what is RIGHT about this kit? Well:1. It LOOKS like a Panzer IV ausf D. There certainly isn't any mistaking it for anything else! Unless you plan to enter a contest or just simply MUST have the ABSOLUTE best most likely this kit will do (99.99% of people in your life that will see it on the shelf will not care one way or the other).2. It goes together drama free. All the parts fit together very well with little or no need to shim or putty anything.3. The parts count is manageable enough that this kit can be built in a weekend or *gasp* you can become a modeler and add detail to the inside of the turret, add missing weld beads and or rivets, correct the tracks and drive sprockets, put on a photo etch update set... you getthe picture you have some real flexibility here.4. It's $20. One of the newer and "better" kits will be 2-3 times that and you sure aren't going to build one of those in a weekend!If you are a new modeler or you want to start building models this is a GREAT kit! Do not let rivet counters or cyber scholars discourage you from what is a great hobby! 30 years ago I started in the hobby with kits like this one, get it today you won't regret it!

Really comfortable build easy to paint and honestly if your a beginner to model kit building recommend this

I bought this kit in an attempt to experiment in trying an armor kit for the first time. I was familiar with Tamiya as a brand but never tried any of their kits. I've read that their armor kits show some age, especially in the hull where they once had electronics and motor kits to make the model move, there's spots for batteries and wires, but I ignored this. I built the Ausf D out-of-box, no aftermarket pieces or etch. It went together smoothly, and I was surprised at the amount of detail (I'm used to revell kits, which often lack in the detail department but are still fun). I had a little trouble with the vinyl tracks, joining them was not as easy as anticipated, and one of them snapped on me because of a bend it suffered while in the package. Tamiya USA was very helpful and sent me a new pair of replacement tracks at no cost and it arrived quickly. Eventually they went together and were painted, and look great on the model, even if they aren't the best, most accurate tracks.Overall, for a first time, out-of-box build, it was a lot of fun. More fun then a lot of the aircraft I've done. This Tamiya kit shows some age, but overall it was a joy to put together and is nicely detailed, and after a little weathering to show that worn-in look, it looks even better. I'm looking forward to trying some Dragon kits next, but I'll definitely have another go with Tamiya after this one.

Let's begin by stipulating that this an old kit, and that it has some accuracy issues. Those two facts have been flogged to death in previous reviews, so there's no point in my going over such thoroughly churned ground. I won't try to make excuses for the age of the kit or the errors in contains; at the same time, let me point out that there are no utterly egregious, unforgivable mistakes in this kit (unlike, say, the badly malformed turret of the Italeri Panzer IV F/G kit), and allow me to make the point that the price of the Tamiya Panzer IV D is half that of the Dragon Panzer IV D or the Tristar model of the same tank. No one is going to purchase this kit to try and turn it into an award-winning model, so someone carping about the flaws of a kit created in the mid-1970s is just an exercise in listening to the sound of their own cyber-voice, something much akin to the sound of one lip flapping.What the Tamiya Panzer IV D has going for it, in addition to its relatively low cost, is that with a modicum of care it builds into a very handsome display model, as it has the overall "look" a an early World War Two panzer, and a surprisingly good amount of detail. It is well-engineered, cleanly molded, and easily assembled. The instructions are clearly laid out and straightforward: there are no "booby traps" in the assembly process, no "Wait a minute, where was THAT supposed to go?" moments in building this kit. For someone who is just breaking into building tanks and armored vehicles, this it is an excellent starter: properly painted and carefully weathered, it will produce a finished tank that someone can point to with pride and say, "I built this." For the same reasons, it is an ideal kit for younger model builders who are in the process of honing their skills who might well find the far more complex kits by Dragon or Tristar frustrating or discouraging. My first experience with this kit was back in 1978, when it first hit the market, and back then it was the gold standard for armor models -- just because the gold standard has passed it by is not sufficient reason to dismiss this kit as irrelevant. There are quite a few add-ons -- jerry cans, a bucket, extra track links, etc. -- that aren't included in the more modern, more expensive kits from other manufacturers, which add a lot of character to the finished model. Really, most people who see the finished model won't know that it isn't "state of the art" or recognize its inaccuracies. If someone does say something to you about your Panzer IV, tell them to bugger off and come back when they've learned some manners.Bottom line: Tamiya's 1/35 scale Panzer IV D is what it is, a modestly-priced kit that has no pretense to greatness, but is a good value for the money and can a source of real model-building pleasure.

Fun for my 56 year old husband. My husband retired last year and this helps him from going crazy! I unfortunately have to add on a room tehe

Great price, packaged well, fast shipping, thank you.