As WWII started, the never-ending race for improved firepower and armor protection also began. The German Panzer IV started life as a fire support vehicle for the Panzer III gun tank, but the demands of the battlefield forced it to adopt the role of a gun tank, and to alter the design of the tank itself with a longer-barreled gun. Pz. IV Ausf. F1(F) is a good example of the results of this transition. The F1(F) was fitted with the short-barreled 75mm Kw.K L/24 gun.

Here's another of Dragon's new-generation "Smart Kits," a series of high-detail, low-hassle kits featuring clever engineering and employing the latest in slide-mold technology to achieve the highest level of detail with the lowest number of parts. The philosophy here is "work smarter, not harder," catering to the OOTB (Out Of The Box) modeler who wants a high fidelity of detail and accuracy without having to make a ton of modifications along the way. The kit still includes plenty of parts, to be sure, but the clever engineering means modelers will face fewer hurdles getting them all together. The easy-to-assemble individual-link "Magic Track" tracks are already cleaned up and are ready to be assembled, and feature the elusive guide horn detail (that is, they're open!) missing on most incarnations of this track. Includes two types of armored gun sleeves, as well as optional parts for many, many other features. Markings are included for 10 vehicles. See what's so smart about Dragon's new series of "Smart Kits" by ordering this Panzer IV Ausf. G for your German AFV collection today!