Panzer IV J Platoon (GBX68)

Panzer IV J Platoon (GBX68) includes five Panzer IV J Medium tanks, ten plastic part sprues, two Stowage sprues, two Tank Commander sprues, five sets of metal Schürzen, ten Rare-earth magnets & one Decal sheet. The original Panzer IV entered service before the start of the Second World War, while the last model into production, the Panzer IV J, fought through to the end. This product is no longer currently available for sale...

The Ardennes Offensive In December 1944 the German forces on the Western Front made one last major push in the Ardennes and Alsace-Lorraine, trying to split the Allied forces in half and force them to negotiate a peace treaty. It was a daring all-or-nothing gamble. Learn more about The Ardennes Offensive here...

The Panzer IV J retains most of the features of the earlier Panzer IV H, but replaces the power traverse with a hand-cranked system due to shortages of critical materials. Production has also been simplified by removing unnecessary vision slots, reducing the number of return rollers, and other economy measures. With a penetration of 96mm (3.8”) of sloped armour at 500m, the 7.5cm KwK40 gun of the Panzer IV out performs most tanks in its weight class and can take on any medium tank in existence. Designed by Evan Allen Plastics designed by Will Jayne Painted by Blake Coster

The Panzer IV J in Flames Of War

Armour     Name Mobility Front Side Top Equipment and Notes Weapon Range ROF Anti-tank Firepower   Panzer IV J Standard Tank 6 3 1 Co-ax MG, Hull MG, Protected ammo, Schürzen. 7.5cm KwK40 gun 32"/80cm 2 11 3+ Slow traverse.

Protected Ammo Many tanks are destroyed not by the enemy shell but by their own ammunition being hit by white-hot fragments of armour and exploding. The chances of this were minimised by providing a safe place for stowing ammunition within the vehicle such as an armoured compartment or inside a water-filled jacket. If forced to bail out, crews of tanks with protected ammunition are far more confident when it comes to remounting their vehicle quickly. Tanks with Protected Ammo re-roll all failed Motivation Tests to Remount Bailed Out vehicles in the Starting Step (see page 102 of the main rulebook).

Schürzen Schürzen are the thin armoured plates hung on the sides of some German tanks to protect them from infantry anti-tank weapons, like anti-tank rifles and bazookas. When a tank that is protected by Schürzen is hit by a weapon with a Firepower of 5+ or 6 on the Side armour by shooting and fails its Armour Save, roll a special 4+ Schürzen save: ■ If the save is successful the Schürzen protects the tank from the side shot. ■ If the save is not successful the shot penetrated the side armour as normal.

Slow Traverse Most tanks were either fitted with power traverse or had turrets that were light enough to be quickly swung by hand. Some designs suffered from heavy turrets lacking power traverse; however the early models of the Panzer IV were fitted with a power traverse but the stripped down Panzer IV J lacked this feature. Tanks with slow traverse add +1 to the score required to hit when shooting any turret-mounted weapon except an AA MG at targets that are entirely behind a line drawn across the front of the tank’s turret before they rotate their turret to face the target.

The Panzer IV J Plastic Sprue

The Panzer IV J Platoon Moves Out

The Contents of the Panzer IV J Platoon Box Set

Contact the customer service team at [email protected] if you have any issues with any of the components.

Description of Components

a. 5x Right-hand side Schürzen. b. 5x Left-hand side Schürzen. c. 2x Tank commander sprues. d. 1x Stowage sprue A. e. 1x Stowage sprue B.

f. 10x Rare-earth magnets. g. 5x Resin Panzer IV J turrets and hulls. h. 1x Decal sheet. i. 5x Plastic Panzer IV J parts sprue. j. 5x Plastic Panzer IV J track sprue.

The Plastic Panzer IV J Sprues

The parts of the new plastic Panzer IV J sprues that are used when assembling the Panzer IV J are highlighted in green. The parts highlighted in red are optional and can be used to add some modelling variety.

Assembling the Panzer IV J

Step 1. Ensure that any excess sprue is removed from the top of the track.	Step 2. Attach the fender to the top of each track. Tip: Each track and fender is labelled for correct alignment and assembly.

Note: Each track has a number of lugs on the back that corresponds with the recesses in the hull to aid in correct orientation.		Below: The left-hand side track attached to the hull.

Below: The right-hand side track attached to the hull.	Step 3. Attach the hull MG.	Step 4. Next, assemble the 7.5cm gun by attaching the gun barrel to the gun mantlet.

Below: The fully-assembled 7.5cm gun.	Step 5. Attach the 7.5cm gun assembly to the turret.

Step 6. Next is the cupola, the cupola and turret have male and female pairing to ensure correct assembly. See the examples below.		Step 7. Once the cupola is attached, add the commander's hatch.

Step 8. Finally, attach the Schürzen the the sides of the hull. Tip: The Schürzen skirts had small teeth that should align with the top of each fender.		Step 9. With the Schürzen in place, the Panzer IV J is now ready for painting.

Adding a Tank Commander
Step 1. To add a tank commander simply attach a tank commander in open cupola as shown below.	Step 2. Next, attach the hatch in the open position to the side of the cupola.

Adding Rare-Earth Magnets Evan has created a recess for a rare-earth magnet in the hull of Panzer IV J.
Step 1. The magnet recess complete with magnet. Read Chris' guide to Rare Earth Magnets here...	Step 2. Simply glue a rare earth magent to the bottom of the turret and you have a safe and secure way of attaching the turret to the hull.