Just noticed a new DML release

wing_nut

The Pz IV G April-May 1943 production.  Really? They are getting inside Initial, Mid and Late production now? 

I think I will wait for the release of the Thursday, April 22, 1943, 14:38 production. 

Marc

You'd be far better off waitig for the 18:26 production on that day - a far more effective variant...

Yeah, Dragon is going a little overboard...

I personally prefer the production variant that Bruno, Karl and Hugo worked on during the 3rd shift at the Krupp factory, line #3, in Bremen on April 27...it was chassis number #229...

Jeez, another release?!?!?  Dragon must be making $$$ or they wouldn't have released many new kits we have been seeing lately.   It would be smart move if Dragon can release some American armor that are no longer in production such as M-24 Chaffee or M-42 Duster...

I already have couple of Pz IVs in stash so I am not going to buy this. 

Remember when a kit would be a generic Pz IV and you had to buy a $40 resin update/conversion set set to make it an accurate "G, H, J, whatever'?  In other words, quit yer' b***in!  Be thankful we live in bountiful times.

Model capitalism at its finest. DML has gotten smarter in terms of the online critique they've received in the past in relation to just "when" certain of their kits/variants fit into the various production runs of the different vehicles, especially in relation to some of the markings they've also chosen to pair up in certain kits. The Pz IV family, since it was so long-lived, offers the perfect venue for this type of approach to slice-and-dice the production runs/features in the different variants. Since they are saying this one is for April-May '43 production, they are very cleverly defining this one as NOT an early H since the distinction between "final" Gs and "early" Hs is not always that clear-cut. Which of course, leaves them room to do just that with another kit release of an H should they choose to do so (so far the H has been represented by DML only by a later date range in the production run that requires zim to be accurate). It also allows them to take full advantage of existing molds for the most part and then repackage the sprues together into a kit, add different markings, and voila! more sales. It's genius I tell ya, pure genius!  

If they would just fire their "Instruction Department" they would be pure gold---that seems to be the weakness in EVERY kit they produce, regardless of subject...

They are just milking their molds for every dollar they can. Whom can blame them.? Add another fret and you in most cases can add another variant.

The thing that bugs me, is first they will release a non-zimmed version of a newly-tooled say Panther, then later on they release a zimmed version.

Eric,

That strategy too makes sense...they get good sales off the modelers who will add their own zim or add AM stuff regardless and will always prefer the "clean" kit version and then can come out with the pre-zim kit later which will be easier/simpler to build (since they typically also inclde DS tracks) and is targeted to a different audience by nature. This way they get the maximum value out of their molds and variants by targeting the widest possible audience within the hobby...especially since except for the hull parts that require zim the molds used in both kits are identical. Economy of scale!  

well, there were differences between the tanks released during different time periods, so this does make somewhat of a difference

Can't blame them for milking the worth out of their moulds. And you know that there are going to be plenty of people that want to collect each and every single one of these variants.

deafpanzer

It would be smart move if Dragon can release some American armor that are no longer in production such as M-24 Chaffee or M-42 Duster....

I agree completely dp!  Although I have no problem with Dragon releasing so many variants of Pz IVs, Shermans, T-34s etc, how about a new release of the M-24!  And can you imagine what they could do with all the variants of the M3/M5 Stuarts or M3 Lee/Grant??

Well, at least they're releasing that Neubaufarzeug kit! 

Here is another release just announced on Facebook.

photo.php?pid=6090548&id=149526848424

photo.php?pid=2638664&id=149526848424

Dragon can melt down all the Panzer IV mold masters and build a 1/1 scale Panzer IV out of the metal!

Yes its a bit much yet there are fanatics who will own every single release and variant regardless of how minor each difference is.I guess its a economical way to get 'new' releases and stoak interest without investing in a completely new kit.

What kills me at armorama are the news posts announcing new kits; then followed by the avalanche of posts of 'OOH NICE I NEED IT' or 'MY PAYCHECK IS IN ON FRIDAY AND I'M MORTAGING THE DOG TO BUY ONE'

Of course, thats the view across most of the community.  To our credit a vast majority of the modeling community is growing wise to Dragon's tricks, and hopefully they catch the meaning that new molds equals more money (especially a new Chaffee, a Duster, and that 1/35 Atomic Annie everyone has been dying for) 

SuppressionFire  They would have to be fanatics, even i would go that far.

But i would guess these ain't even new molds. I bet most of this could be molded from previous kits, and i would bet they even had this in mind at the time and at most would have simply removed the parts for this kit. Thats assuming they just didn't leave them in the box as unused parts.

It's always fun to compare the kit sprues and parts layout diagrams from one kit to the next to see what they do and don't include. Clues are always there, for example the parts for a Pz III L have been popping up in multiple kits for some time now but never quite the full set you need all in one box.

Manstein's revenge

I personally prefer the production variant that Bruno, Karl and Hugo worked on during the 3rd shift at the Krupp factory, line #3, in Bremen on April 27...it was chassis number #229...

Amen to that. 

They need to hire some Westerns to do their English instructions.

satch_ip

Remember when a kit would be a generic Pz IV and you had to buy a $40 resin update/conversion set set to make it an accurate "G, H, J, whatever'?  In other words, quit yer' b***in!  Be thankful we live in bountiful times.

Amen... quit whining. If you don't want it... don't buy it.

iraqiwildman

Manstein's revenge:

I personally prefer the production variant that Bruno, Karl and Hugo worked on during the 3rd shift at the Krupp factory, line #3, in Bremen on April 27...it was chassis number #229...

 

 

Amen to that. 

They need to hire some Westerns to do their English instructions.

iraqiwildman

Manstein's revenge:

I personally prefer the production variant that Bruno, Karl and Hugo worked on during the 3rd shift at the Krupp factory, line #3, in Bremen on April 27...it was chassis number #229...

 

 

Amen to that. 

They need to hire some Westerns to do their English instructions.

How far west?

Not too close to 180*. You get around there and the English language takes on a distinct dialect that has lots of new words like brudda and haole that make you scratch your head in wonder...

stikpusher

Not too close to 180*. You get around there and the English language takes on a distinct dialect that has lots of new words like brudda and haole that make you scratch your head in wonder...

You talkin aboot Hawaii? Or American Samoa? Try to figure out British English and Scottish English sometimes.

Hawaii... I had an earful of Scottish and English English in Banja Luka and could figure that out well enough... but throw in another language into the mix that has lots of vowels in there and watch out...

Actually, I just wish they would use their own instructions to build the kit before putting them on sale. It seem like a lot of problems, like wrong part numbers or incorrect pictures, would be solved this way.

 I can live with the misspellings and incorrect grammer, but have basic insctructions wrong is just plain laziness.  They need some modelers to builf them and work out the problems, before they mass produce them.