Panzer IV AusfG - Zvezda - 1/35 - Showcase
Is it fair to judge a book by its cover? I guess we all know the answer to the question, but it is something I have been guilty of for a long time. For me, the thought of buying and building a Zvezda kit sent shivers through my body. For years I have had the pre-conceived idea that the kits were sub-par and something to be avoided in order to have any hope and producing a reasonable result from your model. I guess I had been bitten by unnamed Eastern European manufactures over the years and wasn’t prepared to take the risk again. Hence, I have never actually seen or build a Zvezda kit.
Now I know as time passes and technology improves, manufactures generally improve what they are producing, so it would be only fair that I would reassess my views on the brand, but there is something about the box art that reinforces my judgment on the brand. Judging a book by its cover…absolutely. Unfairly so…I guess? I now had the opportunity to see for myself as the new Zvezda Panzer IV had landed in my lap.
This Model featured in Model Military International Issue 172
So, were my pre-conceived ideas about Zvezda wrong? Was I wrong to judge this book by its’ cover? Absolutely I was. This Panzer IV was a really enjoyable project from start to finish and presented a lovely, buildable kit that would be great for modellers of all skill levels. There is scope for the advanced builders to improve the kit, but the kits itself presents a solid foundation to build on and turned out to be a real surprise package for me.
On reviewing the pictures, I wish I had found an aftermarket tow-cable as I feel the kit supplied piece is a little lacklustre, but overall, I was very happy overall with how the kit presented. Simplicity of build paired with a good fit – what more could you ask for?
So, it’s official! If this kit is anything to go by, then my impressions of the Zvezda brand have clearly been misguided and I will have no hesitation in picking up and building any of their current releases.