1/35 German Pz.Kpfw III Ausf. Tank

The German Pz.Kpfw. III, along with the IV, played an active part in the early stages of WWII as their mainstrength tanks.

However when they encountered the Russian KV and T-34 tanks on the Eastern Front, the weakness of the Pz.Kpfw.III was revealed and the balance of power tipped in favor of the Russians. Thus the pz.Kpfw. III underwent constant improvement throughout its career to maintain an advantage.

The Pz.Kpfw. III had a number of types, from the A to N. Among them, the Ausf. L was produced from July 1942. As it was manufactured at the existing tank factory, the basic performance and structure were the same as previous versions with a few modifications. Armament consisted of an improved, long barreled Kwk50 L/60 tank gun, which was effective against the Russian T34 tanks up to a range of 600m, plus two 7.92mm MG34 machine guns. The armor of the front superstructure was increased to 57mm in thickness, and a 20mm thick spaced armor was added to the gun mantlet as well, which increased the tank"s weight by 200kg. To cope with the added weight, the suspension system was also strengthened. The powerplant was a Maybach HL120TRM, V-12, water cooled engine producing 300 horsepower. In total 635 Ausf. L"s were produced by the end of 1942, and many of them saw active service on the Eastern Front and the North African Front. Although its roll was shortly replaced by the Tiger I and the Panther, the durable chassis of the Pz.Kpfw. III was used for self-propelled guns till the end of the war.

Features

Detailed assembly and painting instructions included.
Highly detailed 1/35th scale plastic kit for static display.
Over 230 parts in tan plastic with rubber tracks.
1 tank commander crew figure.
Separate suspension arms for road wheels.
External details: towing cables, tools, headlights, spare track links and wheels, and a muffler.
Optional position hatches.
Optional front armour plate panels.

Specs

Scale: 1/35
Length: 6" (15.3cm)
Width: 3-1/4" (8.4cm)

Includes

One 1/35 WWII German Panzerkampfwagen III Ausf.L All-Purpose Tank

Requirements & Suggestions

Modeling Knife
Paint: (see MARKING OPTIONS)
Paint Brushes
Sandpaper
Plastic cement or glue
White Glue
Nice-to-have tools: Needle File Set, Sprue Cutter, Airbrush and Accessories

Markings provided for 3 vehicles:

#133, sPzAbt 502 1st Co., Russia 1942- Dk Green stripes over Dk Yellow.
#1, 10th Panzer Div., Tunisia 1943 - Dk Yellow overall.
#200, 18th Panzer Div., Russia 1942 - Dk Yellow overall.

Additional paints Required

Flat: Black, White, Flesh, Dk Grey, Khaki, Metallic Grey, Dk Green, Red Brown, Field Grey.

Gloss: Gun Metal, Semi-gloss Black.

Comments

Keep away from children under 3 years of age due to choking hazard.