Description
Detailed plastic model kit
Manufacturer number: 540006369
Carton Size: 9.6" x 15" x 3.1"
The Jagdpanzer concept, which was so popular in Germany during the second half of WWII, created a Jagdpanzer that was cheaper and quicker to build than a regular tank with a turret. The Jagdpanzer IV (Sd.Kfz.162) was originally intended to be armed with a powerful 7.5 cm PaK42-L/70 cannon. However, due to a shortage of these weapons, the first production types featured the shorter 7.5 cm PaK39 L/48 gun. This gun was shorter and less powerful than the L/70, which over time became the most common type. The Jagdpanzer IV was based on the Panzer IV's chassis and drive train, while the 7.5 cm gun was mounted in a fixed structure. The 25-ton vehicle was popular with its crews, particularly in the defensive battles that characterized World War II. The first battle of the Jagdpanzer IV L/48 took place in Italy in 1944 at Division Hermann Güring, but it also fought hard on the Eastern and Western Fronts.
Dragon has released a 1/35 scale model of this important variant of the Jagdpanzer IV L/48, which was produced during the July 1944 period. Logically, it takes full advantage of Dragon's highly accurate Panzer IV chassis. It also features a number of new components representative of this tank destroyer, including the L/48 gun barrel and elements such as the main armament mount and recoil system. Although these latter parts are difficult to see even through open hatches, Dragon has provided them in full detail in the interests of complete accuracy. Other brand new parts of this remarkable kit are the fighting compartment roof details, glacis plate, lower hull and gun mount. The armored personnel carrier plates attached to the sides of the tank destroyer are made of scale plastic for easy assembly. Further convenience comes from the use of Dragon's patented DS track links. The Jagdpanzer IV was a distinctive German WWII armored vehicle and Dragon has provided a great kit of this early type.
