Jagdpanzer IV L/48

Plastic kit for a Jagdpanzer IV with 7.5cm L/48 gun

• 1:35 scale
• contains photo-etched parts
• Extensive accessories such as fuel drum, boxes, T34 tracks, bucket, helmets, etc. included
• Hatches can be displayed open or closed
• unbuilt, unpainted
• Paint and glue not included

The Jagdpanzer IV (Sd.Kfz. 162) was a German tank destroyer based on the Panzerkampfwagen IV chassis. The initial production version was manufactured by VOMAG starting in early 1944 and was armed with the 7.5 cm Panzerjägerkanone 39 L/48 (7.5 cm Pak 39 L/48). The gun had been specifically adapted for installation in the Jagdpanzer and featured limited elevation and traverse capabilities.

The fully enclosed, highly sloped superstructure gave the vehicle a low silhouette and provided good ballistic protection. The front of the superstructure was initially 60 mm thick and sloped at an angle of approximately 50°. On later vehicles in the L/48 production run, the frontal armor was increased to 80 mm. The combat weight was approximately 24 tonnes, and the maximum road speed was around 40 km/h.

The 7.5 cm Pak 39 L/48 had a barrel length of 48 calibers, or approximately 3.60 meters. It used the same 7.5 cm ammunition as the 7.5 cm KwK 40 and StuK 40 and was capable of effectively engaging most Allied main battle tanks of the era at medium ranges. The ammunition stowage capacity was 79 rounds. A 7.92 mm machine gun served as the close-defense weapon. In early production vehicles, the machine gun was housed in a front opening in the superstructure that could be closed off by a conical armored cover. Originally, two such machine gun ports were planned—one to the left and one to the right of the main gun—but the left port was eliminated in subsequent production. A ball mount was not part of the standard configuration; however, certain command vehicles utilized a different machine gun mounting arrangement featuring a ball mount.

The Jagdpanzer IV was powered by the Maybach HL 120 TRM, a water-cooled V12 gasoline engine. The crew typically consisted of four men: commander, gunner, loader, and driver.

The L/48 version was officially designated as the Jagdpanzer IV (or *Panzerjäger IV* (7.5 cm) Pak 39 L/48, Sd.Kfz. 162). A total of approximately 750 vehicles of this version were built. This was later followed by a variant armed with the significantly longer 7.5 cm Pak 42 L/70 gun, designated as the Panzer IV/70 (V), Sd.Kfz. 162/1.