JTFM Enterprises presents Die Waffenkammer
Canada
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| Cost: | $35.00 each. |
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| Stated Scale: | 1:56th. |
| Mixes best with: | Any of the 1:56th ranges out there. |
| Long Review: | I'll paraphrase my initial "review" at TMP- wow. Just- wow. I'm speechless. The box with my three PzKpfw IVs travelled from Canada to the UK in just a week, and that in the pre-Xmas mail traffic! The actual kit (once unwrapped from the foam wrapping and the bits are removed from the plastic bags all stored in a neat cardboard box) is simply stunning. The main part consist of the hull, with the two sets of running gear locking solidly into place, and a turret. The commander's hatch and smoke mortars are also cast in resin, and are really neatly done. The main gun is white metal (yup, yet again a great casting job, with minimal flash). The Schürtzen are cast in resin. Both the turret and the hull ones. With the attachment supports cast integrally to the Schürtzen. I think I can safely say that this is probably THE best Schürtzen I have seen to date in 1:56th, and THE best bit of casting too- to get consistently thin and straight resin pieces like this is very difficult- and JTFM have made it look easy. So, what do you actually get for your money? Well, the hull has recessed areas which accept the track units (which have pleasing track-sag incorporated) and firmly lock into place. The Schürtzen fit into place and almost click into place too. The turret has a separate commander's hatch, and the Schürtzen also almost click into place. The separate smoke candle holders can be left off or attached, as photos show tanks both with and without them. The main gun barrel slips into place easily, and is the only metal part on the whole vehicle. The resin used is the same as almost all the others I've seen, and is easy to work with- not too hard or soft, and has remarkably few air bubbles. Dimensionally the model is pretty good too- the appearance is correct. By that I mean that the parts look right when compared to a drawing or photos, although one (very) minor niggle is that the turret Schürtzen's bottom front angles are a tiny bit off. The only real criticism I can level at the kit is that the supports for the Schürtzen are cast onto the actual plates, making it very difficult to portray the damaged/missing plates usually seen on vehicles in the field, or the mesh plates seen on some late-war vehicles. I'd have loved to see the supports in white metal... One reason the review was slightly delayed is that I had a hard time choosing a colour scheme, and ended up making a mess of my first attempt. The second got stalled at Dunkelgelb prior to adding camo and details (I plan to do a vehicle for the Italian campaign and need to establish what unit they will be part of!). |
| Commentary: | A long-awaited medium tank for the mid-to-late-war Germans. |
| Historical Accuracy: |  Very Good. |
| Scale: |  The PzKpfw IV Ausf H comes in at 109mm long and 50.5mm wide (1:55 long, 1:57 wide). |
| Sculpting: | Very Good. |
| Casting: |  Excellent. |
| Sources: | One donated as review sample, two additional ones purchased for my collection. |
| Sculptors: | Tony Ashcroft. |
| Other reviews for this company: | See the reviews: |
Assorted additional images of the vehicle
