COBI Panzer IV Ausf. J Set 3097

COBI's Panzer IV Ausf. J is a 1:72 model built from 128 blocks, 9.5 cm long, with rolling wheels and a turret that rotates. German markings, service flaps, engine vents and the characteristic hull and turret skirts are printed onto the blocks.

They took the turret motor out

The Ausf. J was the last Panzer IV variant, and it is the only one that was worse than the model before it.

Germany in 1944 needed range and needed production, so the auxiliary generator that powered the turret traverse was deleted and the space filled with fuel. The tank could now drive 320 kilometres instead of 210. The turret, weighing several tonnes, had to be cranked round entirely by hand.

Crews hated it, for an obvious reason: a tank that cannot swing its gun quickly cannot respond to something appearing on its flank. Other simplifications followed — fewer return rollers, wire mesh skirts instead of solid plate, no anti-magnetic coating.

It is a good illustration of what late-war German production actually looked like. The Panzer IV had been in continuous manufacture since 1938, and the final version was shaped by what could no longer be afforded.

In the COBI range

Part of the 1:72 mini series. The 1:48 Panzer IV Ausf. G is set 2714 and the large 1:28 version is set 2592.

Specifications

Pieces: 128 · Scale: 1:72
Model dimensions: 9.5 × 4 cm (3.7 × 1.6 in)