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Hi, This is a 1:35 model, the Panzerkamfwagen III Ausf L, German medium tank. This is Tamiya KIT no. 35215. I made it as movable model, to do it I had to replace the road wheels by older ones from older (85'th) Tamiya KIT. Additional parts are the Friulmodel tracks and small accessories. I added a short video showing how does the model ride at the bottom. P.S. The photo light tent really does it job. This video clip presents how can this model ride. Review my remaining RFI-armor posts

Sturmgeschütz III on the Battlefield 5 World War Two Photobook Series (9786155583179) Peko Publishing The Sturmgeschütz, or StuG for short was a turretless armoured tank destroyer from WWII that was part of a successful line of ambush predators employed by Nazi Germany against enemy tanks. The StuG III was unsurprisingly based upon the chassis of the Panzer III, with the upper hull and turret removed and replaced by a low-profile casemate on the front half and a flat engine deck at the rear. The casemate was filled with a 75mm gun that was adapted to the chassis with -10 to +20 elevation and 12 degrees of traverse before the driver would need to reposition. It was eventually upgraded to a longer barrel that offered higher muzzle velocity for a more powerful punch, which coupled with the low profile made it perfect for laying in wait for Allied convoys, taking a heavy toll before the element of surprise was lost. It was later superseded by the Jagdpanzer IV, Jagdpanther and Jagdtiger, but it remained in service until the end of the war. This new volume from PeKo's World War Two Photobook Series, and as the name suggests it is primarily a book of photos, which isn't too difficult to divine. Although this is Volume 5 of the set it still covers the earlier variants with their shorter barrels as well as the more mature variants of the StuG, beginning with the Ausf.A and carrying on through C/D/F to Ausf.G with all the variations in fit and finish between the main factories that were engaged in construction of this important and numerous piece of German WWII armour. It is hardback bound with 112 pages between two blank inner leaves, finished in an overall white cover, and arriving protected by a layer of shrink-wrap that also helps keep out dirt. The photos are almost without exception full page, with space left only for the captions, which are in Hungarian and English, each one adding valuable insight to the photo, which may not be immediately apparent without it. For the modeller there are plenty of diorama possibilities, as well as opportunities to see how the crews actually stowed their gear on their vehicles (or otherwise) in real-world circumstances. Seeing how they come apart when blown up is also useful for diorama purposes, but thankfully there are no grisly scenes accompanying the destroyed vehicles. Quite a few of the photos are from private collections with attributions in the top corner as appropriate, with substantial quantities of soldiers standing in front of damaged or abandoned vehicles between or after the fighting is over, plus a number of groups investigating the wreckage after a cataclysmic explosion of the tank's magazine, or demolition by the escaping crew. There are also a number of maintenance scenarios with the Maybach engine in or in the process of being removed for serious repairs or replacement. While the contemporary photos are in black and white as expected due to the scarcity and expense of colour film at the time, the detail in which they are depicted would be an absolute boon to any AFV enthusiast or modeller, especially those wishing to go down the route of realism and authentic settings. Conclusion Whether you have the models that you intend to use this book for reference, or have an interest in the subject, this book will give you all the reference pictures and some besides, as well as some inspiration for dioramas. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Pz.Kpfw.III Ausf.D/B (36402 for MiniArt) 1:35 Eduard MiniArt's new and growing range of Panzer III models in 1:35 gets the Eduard treatment with this new set that's designed to augment the detail already there. As usual with Eduard's Photo-Etch (PE) and Mask sets, they arrive in a flat resealable package, with a white backing card protecting the contents and the instructions that are sandwiched between. A single brass fret contains all the parts needed, which starts with a new set of fenders with workable hinges that depend upon lengths of 0.3mm wire that you must provide, and result in a highly realistic finished item. At the rear a set of detailed mesh panels are folded and fixed to the cooling vents under the rear apron. The kit jack block is replaced by an all-new three-section PE assembly that replicates the wood grain, and is held together by a frame each end and a carry-handle. This is fitted into a new bracket on the fender, and is accompanied by new shackles for the pioneer tools such as the axe, fire extinguisher, jack itself, pry-bar and the S-shaped track-tool. The moulded-in cleats must be removed from the tools first of course, and the area made good. Review sample courtesy of

Pz.Kpfw.III Ausf.D/B 1:35 MiniArt via Creative Models Designed in the mid 1930s to be part of a pairing with the larger Panzer IV, the lighter Panzer III was originally intended to be sent up against other tanks, as well as to push through gaps in enemy lines to cause havoc with supply lines and generally disrupt the enemy's day. Production began in 1937, with few of the early marks reaching series production, using up A through D as prototypes, of which the Ausf.B was used in the Polish campaign briefly before being put out to pasture as a training vehicle along with the remaining Cs and Ds. The suspension was a work-in-progress, using leaf springs until the Ausf.E, which moved to torsion bars that were then seen on most new German designs during WWII and beyond. During the early period of WWII the Pz.III continued to do its prescribed task until the T-34 tore through their ranks, brushing aside the lighter armoured Pz.IIIs and necessitating an up-gunning of the Pz.IV with a new high velocity gun to combat its sloped armour. By 1942 it was relegated to tasks where its light armour and 3.7mm pop-gun wasn't an impediment, such as close support of troop advances. By this time it was clear that it was past its sell-by-date, and that the Pz.IV had much more development potential. The chassis went on to be used for many other developments, some of which were quite successful, such as the StuG III. The Kit This is a re-tool of MiniArt's new range of Panzer III models, the early Ausf.B with crew we reviewed recently here. While it does share some of the larger parts with its stable-mate, there are a significant number of new sprues due in part to the different suspension, but also because of the additional hull parts (stowage and such) that are visible in the box painting. There are twenty seven sprues of grey styrene, plus three separate parts, a further twenty one sprues of track links, and five more of track pins, plus a clear sprue, fret of Photo-Etch (PE) brass, a decal sheet and the instruction booklet. The usual high level of detail is present, and the modular approach to moulding allows them to produce maximum variants from their toolings. The major difference between the boxings is to be found in the track area, where different suspension units are used, necessitating the tooling of new parts that include the hull sides. The new parts have three leaf spring arrangements, with two Y-shaped suspension arms damped between them, and each arm mounting two pairs of wheels on an additional swing-arm that pivots around the centre. Each wheel has a rubber tyre around the steel rim, and a cup inside the inner wheel allows them to remain mobile after construction if the glue is used sparingly. The large drive sprocket is retained, as is the large idler wheel, although both are subtly different due to design changes. The forward section of the top deck is identical to the previous version, but the engine deck is different, having two side-by-side access doors on the flat section, each having clamshell doors, with the sloped section retaining the single doors of its predecessor. The raised centre section is identical, and the fenders are moulded in one run, but with panel lines and fasteners showing the modular nature of the real things, and some slight differences between the fixtures and fittings. The track links are identical, and are built up in sections nine links, using the perfect spacing of the pins to add them seven at a time, building into two runs of 96 links, one for each side. From my previous experimentation, the pins do hold the tracks together, but with handling they can slip free, so take precautions during handling. The jig shown in the picture is also not included in this boxing, but that shouldn't be much of an impediment, and you won't end up with your tracks glued to the jig. For two decal options there are additional track links draped over the front of the machine, to add extra armour to the area, which are made up and secured in place with PE brackets. Another addition to one of the options is a set of wooden stowage boxes around the rear of the tank, covering most of the engine deck apart from the access doors on the flat section. The boxes are made up from styrene parts, but with PE brackets, latches and padlocks where appropriate. Despite this not being an interior kit, the turret is quite well appointed, with a full breech assembly, twin coaxial machine guns, turret baskets, seats and other equipment supplied in the box. The side doors can be posed open or closed, and have PE trim on the inside, with more PE parts forming the little hatches for the sighting gear and coax machine gun openings in the mantlet. The turret sits in the opening of the hull and is not locked in place, so you will either need to remember this, or fix it in place to avoid dropping it with handling. Markings There are four decal options in the box, with some optional personalisations made to the kit depending on which you choose, as pointed out throughout the build instructions. The decal sheet is small due to the genre, but from the box you can depict one of the following: Panzer-Zug 2.Panzer-Kompanie Pz.Abt. (ZbV)40 attached to the SS Division "Nord" XXXVI Army Corps, Karelia, Summer of 1941. IV Panzer-Zug 3.Panzer-Kompanie Pz.Abt.(ZbV)40 attached to the fast detachment Fossi (Osasto Fossi) battle group F (Ryhmä F) 3rd Infantry Division of the Finnish Army. The fighting in the direction of Uhtua – Vuokkiniemi Karelia, July 1941. I Panzer-Zug 2.Panzer-Kompanie Pz.Abt.(ZbV)40 attached to the division of the Finnish Army Corps (III Armeijakunta, III AK) Karelia, November 1941. Panzer-Zug 2.Panzer-Kompanie Pz.Abt. (ZbV)40 attached to the SS Division "Nord". Defensive battles in Kestenga village area (Kiestinki) April 24-May 11, 1942. Decals are printed in the Ukraine by Decograph with good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion Another high quality model of this perhaps overlooked early War staple of the German tank forces. Of course due to their period of operation the dominant colour is panzer grey, but a distemper scheme has been included for a little variety, and the crew personalisations of the appliqué armour and extra stowage areas brings additional interest to the model. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Pz.Kpfw.III Ausf.B w/Crew (35221) 1:35 MiniArt via Creative Models Designed in the mid 1930s to be part of a pairing with the larger Panzer IV, the lighter Panzer III was originally intended to be sent up against other tanks, as well as to push through gaps in enemy lines to cause havoc with supply lines and generally disrupt the enemy's day. Production began in 1937, with few of the early marks reaching series production, using up A through D as prototypes, of which the Ausf.B was used in the Polish campaign briefly before being put out to pasture as a training vehicle along with the remaining Cs and Ds. The suspension was a work-in-progress, using leaf springs until the Ausf.E, which moved to torsion bars that were then seen on most new German designs during WWII and beyond. During the early period of WWII the Pz.II continued to do its prescribed task until the T-34 rained on the Nazis parade, tearing up the lighter armoured Pz.IIIs and necessitating an up-gunning of the Pz.IV with a new high velocity gun to combat its sloped armour. By 1942 it was relegated to tasks where its light armour and 3.7mm pop-gun wasn't an impediment, such as close support of troop advances. By this time it was clear that it was past its sell-by-date, and that the Pz.IV had much more development potential. The chassis went on to be used for many other developments, some of which were quite successful, like the StuG III, and our review of the O-series can be seen here, which incidentally shares some parts with this kit. The Kit We reviewed the original issue of this kit in 2015, which you can see here, and this is a slightly revised tooling with the addition of a full set of crew figures in era appropriate tanker gear, including the large berets worn at the time before comms became standard fit, necessitating a change to caps. There are a staggering 48 sprues of grey styrene, three hull and turret parts, a clear sprue, a revised Photo-Etch (PE) fret, decal sheet and instruction booklet with the figure painting guide in the front cover, and the markings & schemes in the rear. The kit is ostensibly the same as the original, so if you want to read about the build, have a quick click on the previous review above, but for those of you averse to clicking, a quick summary follows. The lower hull is made up from numerous slabs, with leaf suspension and running gear added to the sides in pairs. The individual track links click-fit together and are secured by the addition of the pins in batches of seven, still attached to their sprue runners until they are fitted, after which you can break or cut them off. The additional PE parts are used in providing in-scale louvers for the engine deck, as well as the trapezoid boxes on the sides of the deck, which improves detail. The upper hull is fitted to the lower in sections, each of which is detailed with small parts during application, while the breech, turret basket and zwilling coaxial MG34 machine gun mount are all present in the turret that has openable hatches with PE lips on the inside. Fenders are detailed with pioneer tools, fire extinguisher, jack block and so on, then installed on the sides of the hull. Figures Included in the kit are five sprues of figures, three of which were joined together on arrival, but were separated for ease of photography. Put the word MiniArt into discussion about figures and you know that the sculpting will be first class, and these are no exception. The figures are in a fairly relaxed pose, standing, sitting or leaning on their vehicle. The commander is standing cross-legged in his cupola with his hands resting on the edge, and the rest of the crew can be seen below in the instruction and painting guide. Markings Early war usually means panzer grey, but although there are some grey examples, there is also a rather fetching camouflaged example. There are five decal options, and you can build one of the following: Unidentified unit, Poland, Sept 1939 2nd Battalion Unidentified Unit, Poland, Sept 1939 Unidentified Unit, Chomutov, Sudetes, Czechslovakia, Oct 1938 (green camouflage) 1st Battalion, 1st Panzer Regiment, 1st panzer Division, Poland, Sept 1939 In service during the campaign in Poland, 1939 The decals are printed by Decograph in the Ukraine, with good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Colour call-outs are cross-referenced by letters throughout, which correspond to a table that covers Vallejo, Mr Color, LifeColor, Tamiya, Testors, AK Real Color, Humbrol, Revell, Mission Model, with the colour names in pictorial form, Cyrillic and English text too. Conclusion A nice reboxing of a fairly recent and well-detailed kit that adds figures to the mix to give it some human scale. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

This small tank I've been working on for half a year or so. While Dragon's plastic parts fit nicely, the photo etch side skirts need a lot of tender-love-and-care to get them positioned correctly (something I've not entierly achieved). However I feel they look much better than the kit's oversized plastic parts and you can add some 'battle-damage' with a pen. The vehicle was painted with Gunze/Mr.Hobby acrylics and weathered with pastel chalks and artists' oils. It represents a tank from 6. Panzerdivision at Kursk, 1943. Photographs taken by Mr. Wolfgang Rabel of IGM Cars & Bikes.

Panzerkampfwagen III Aus L. On display at the Tank Museum in Bovington. This is an early production Aus L, modified for ‘tropical’ service. It was shipped via Naples to Benghazi in Libya in July 1942, arriving on the SS Lerica on July 18th. It was issued to the 8th Panzer Regiment, part of the 15th Panzer Division and probably fought in the battle of Alam Halfa. It was subsequently captured by the British Army and shipped to the UK; the details of its’ capture and subsequent history are unclear. Info from from The Tank Museum Pics thanks to Alex; Pics thanks to Mike;

Hi, another one from my 1/72 collection. This time the P3 from Revell, my smallest tank so far in this scale.Build in March of this year.No real problems, but the size made it very fiddly ( length and single link tracks) Build OOB, but replaced the gun barrel with a metal one from RB. Here the pictures done in two sessions using different backdrops I hope you like it Cheers Bernd

Hello, my attempt on small-scale armor: 1/72 Revell's Panzer III Ausf.M with side skirts and small details from Eduard Photo Etch. This is a vehicle of 6.Panzerdivision, in action at Kursk, 1943. Painted with colours from the Gunze/Mr.Hobby range. Decals from the box. Thanks for looking! Roman

Quick, cheap, fun project: Take an Airfix (ex-JB Models) Hard Top Land Rover, build it as a civilian expedition type vehicle: Box from Ferrero Rocher, add washed builders sand set with Quickshine And an Armourfast Panzer III (Freebie from a friend) Photography was hampered by arctic wind chill (zero degrees here in Brighton but no snow) and our cat Poppy who usually takes no interest whatsoever in the garden or modelling ... Hope you enjoy Chris

Photo Etch Grille Sets (for Heng Long) 1:16 Taigen These sets are designed as quick and easy upgrades to the stock Heng Long radio control tanks, which although they are quite good in terms of broad details, they have no grilles covering the engine deck louvers. This omission isn't really that surprising, as a lot of the tanks will just end up as play things for kids, but for us alleged "grown ups" with access to modelling sites, references and endless patience, accurizing (an Americanism I hate) is quite popular. As a first step, these Photo-Etched (PE) mesh grilles are excellent, and once applied can be distressed to depict the wear and tear they suffered during daily use. King Tiger (3888-006) The largest of the sets includes the circular fans in the centre of the deck, four rectangular grilles that sit fore and aft of the circular grilles, and a pair of optional larger mesh covers for the forward set of rectangular intakes that extend to the edge of the turret ring, and provide an additional area of non-slip mesh for the crew. Check your references whether the tank you intend to model uses the curved or rectangular parts before you start. Tiger I (3818-008) Suitable for the Heng Long Tiger, this set includes the four rectangular mesh grilles for the louvers on the engine deck, with the rearmost ones having small T-shaped cut-outs for the retaining lock positioned toward the outer side. Panther/Jagdpanther (3869-1/3879-1) This set includes two circular mesh covers, one of which has a central circular cut-out, plus four rectangular grilles with outer frames and etched in bolt-heads for extra detail. Panzer III (3848-009) The Panzer III had a pair of air boxes on the sides of the hull, which were of course covered with mesh to prevent both foreign objects and grenades being placed deep within the engine compartment. This set includes the mesh and framework in PE, plus a set of tooled brass bolt-heads to complete the construction. These will really add some extra detail to your Panzer III. Conclusion As well as being a great first step to detailing your large scale radio control tank, these PE mesh grilles are also good value, as they are quite large sheets. They are easy to install, and with some light pressure from your fingers you can replicate the deformation that occurs when careless crew tread on them, and a sharp implement jabbed into the mesh can simulate a more violent encounter, such as falling masonry or something thrown or dropped on the grilles. Previously these sets have been labelled in poor English, as you might be able to see in the first photograph, but Steve @ Welsh Dragon Models, Taigen's UK importer advises that future deliveries will be more sensibly labelled without the Chinglish that dogged earlier batches. Highly recommended. Review samples courtesy of .