Hobbyboss Marder III Ausf M Late. 1:35

[Shar2]

Marder III Ausf M Late

HobbyBoss 1:35

 

History

The Marder III was produced in two variants – Ausf H and Ausf M. They were based on the Panzerkampfwagen 38(t) Ausf H and Ausf M light tank chassis, respectively. They were designated as 7.5cm PaK40/3 auf PzKpfw 38(t) Ausf H, and Panzerjäger 38(t) mit 7.5cm PaK40/3 Ausf M. Both were armed with the 75mm PaK 40/3 L/46 anti-tank gun and operated by four-man crews. The Ausf H (Heckmotor-rear engine) had the fighting compartment in a central forward location, while the fighting compartment of the Ausf M (Mitte-mid engine) was at the rear. The fighting compartment of the Ausf H was open at the top and rear, while that of Ausf M was open only at the top. The Ausf H carried 38 rounds of ammunition, while Ausf M had only 27 rounds. The main armament could be traversed 30 degrees to the left and right in the Ausf H and 21 degrees to the left and right in the Ausf M. Both vehicles also had additional armament – the Ausf H had a 7.92mm MG 37(t) mounted in the front hull and the Ausf M carried a 7.92mm MG 34 or MG 42 inside the fighting compartment. Armour protection for the Ausf H ranged from 8 to 50mm, while armour for the Ausf M ranged from 8 to 20mm. Ausf M was the final variant of the Marder series and was a significant improvement over previous models, with its lower silhouette, sloped armour and much more functional fighting compartment.

 

From November 1942 to April 1943, BMM made 243 Ausf H models, and an additional 175 vehicles were converted in 1943. From April 1943 to May 1944, BMM produced 975 Ausf M models. Ausf M was modified during production, and early and late models can be identified by their unique features. The Ausf H was first issued to Panzerjäger Abteilungen in late 1942. They also served with Waffen SS (e.g. Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler in Russia, 1942) and Luftwaffe (e.g. Herman Göring Division in Tunisia and Italy, 1943) units. In April 1944, 18 Ausf H were also exported to Slovakia. Ausf M was first issued to Panzerjäger Abteilungen in May 1943. It fought on all fronts, and there were still 350 in service as of February 1st 1945.

 

The Marder III Ausf H and Ausf M were also used to produce self-propelled guns armed with 150mm sIG heavy infantry guns and designated as Grille/Bison Ausf H and Ausf M. There was also a proposed project to mount a Panzerjäger 38(t) Ausf M with a 75mm PaK L/60 anti-tank gun, but it was never produced.

In 1945, a number of Marder III Ausf H and Ausf M models ended up in use by the Czechoslovak Army as ST-II (Stihac Tanku II).

 

The Model

Depicting a Marder III Ausf M - Late, this is yet another reboxing of an old Tristar kit, and like the others reviewed here it has exactly the same layout box top as the original, with just the Hobbyboss title replacing the old Tristar label.  The colourful boxart shows an artists impression of the vehicle pared up in a street.  Inside there are seven sprues and one separate part in sandy yellow styrene, three of dark grey styrene, a very small sheet of etched brass, a metal barrel and a mid-sized decal sheet.  Hobbyboss are proving to be pretty consistent with their moulding, in that the parts are all beautifully moulded, with no signs of flash or other imperfections other than a fair few moulding pips which will add to the cleaning up of parts.  From what I can gather, the Tristar kit was pretty accurate and rated as a kit, and since Hobbyboss haven’t done anything to the sprues it can be said of this kit as well. 

 

 

 

Construction begins with the lower hull being fitted with two pairs of torsion beams each side, along with a single two piece return roller per side.  The spring suspension units are then added, as are the bump stops and two piece rear bulkhead to which the separate gun cradle can be attached if not in use. The axles are then glued to the torsion beams and fitted with end caps, while the drive covers are fitted to the front of the hull and the idler axles fitted to the rear. Each road wheel is fitted with the separate outer rim before being attached to the axles, each wheel is then fitted with an inner and outer central hub. The two piece drive sprockets and two piece idler wheels are then attached to their respective axles, and the front bulkhead of the fighting compartment is fitted inside the hull, followed by the compartment decking.

 

 

 

The front deck and glacis plate are moulded as a single unit, to which the drivers five piece hatch, complete with vision ports is glued into position. The gun cradle brackets are also attached, along with a seat in the fighting compartment. The assembly is then glued to the lower hull.  The tracks are up next, with each side requiring 95 individual links. Since there doesn’t appear to be any pins moulded onto the links, you will have to glue them together, then try and get the sag over the single return roller looking right, or go and buy a metal set of tracks, (my personal preference). 

 

The two front sections of the track guards are then fitted with the various storage boxes and pioneer tools, including the ubiquitous jack, spade and pick axe, before being attached to the hull. The rear sections are then fitted with seats, fire extinguisher, shell rack and a back rest, as these are going to be within the shield of the fighting compartment.  A long length of track, (12 links), is then fitted to the glacis plate and held down by a long bracket. Two, three piece shell racks are then assembled and fitted out with the separate shells before beign glued into place, as is the curved lower mantle section.

 

 

 

 

The main gun slide is made up from eight parts, whilst the gun itself is made up from eight parts. Now the modeller has an option with the barrel, either the single piece styrene barrel, which is very nice, or the metal barrel provided. They are as good as each other and the spare may come in handy for another build. The guns cradle is assembled using eleven parts and once completed is fitted with the slide and gun assemblies. The gun shield is then fitted out with various components before also being glued to the cradle.  The gun assembly is then attached to the hull via the large pin moulded to the cradle and the side shields, fitted with the radio set and exhaust pipe, glued into place around the fighting compartment. The three piece exhaust system is then glued to the rear bulkhead.  The front sections of the shield are glued into place, as are the rear aerial mounts, shield cross bar, two track guard supports right forward, gun cleaning rods, three piece shrouded headlight, and another length of track links on the lower glacis plate, completing the build.

 

 

 

Decals

The decal sheet contains markings for numerous vehicles, seeing as most of the sheet is made up of individual numbers in two different colours, along with four German crosses. They are well printed, in register and nicely opaque, also being fairly glossy with very little noticeable carrier. The only differences in the vehicles is the paint scheme, there being a choice of either panzer grey overall, or three coloured camouflage of sand, red brown and green.

 

 

Conclusion

From the box this looks like a lovely kit, there’s nothing to taxing for most modellers, although the track links might get a bit tiresome to get looking right. The rest of the kit si well detailed, well moulded and should be a joy to put together.

 

Review sample courtesy of