Pz.Kpfw.III Ausf.J "initial production"
'39-'45 Serie
The Panzer III was Germany’s main battle tank for the first couple of years of WWII, with earlier Panzer IV variants serving primarily as close-support weapons.
However, after Pz.Kpfw.III tanks began encountering more heavily armored T-34 and KV-1 tanks during the invasion of Russia, existing Panzer III models were found to be inadequate for the task. One solution was to up-gun the tank with a longer and more powerful 5cm KwK 38 L/42 cannon, and to add more armor to the vehicle. Thus the Panzer III Ausf.J was born. It featured 50mm-thick solid armor plates on the front and rear of the hull, an increase from the previous 30mm-thick armor plates. Among other modifications, the new armor resulted in a ball-mount MG being fitted on the front superstructure and a redesigned driver’s visor. A total of 482 of these initial version tanks were produced starting in March and ending in December 1941.
Drie uitvoeringen mogelijk;
- 2nd Panzer Division, Russia 1941.
- 2nd Panzer Division, Russia 1941.
- 11th Panzer Division, Eastern Front 1941.
Aantal onderdelen; 690.
Features:
- Newly tooled slide-molded engine deck for Pz.Kpfw.III Ausf.J Intitial Production
- Engine hatches can be assembled open or closed
- 5cm Kw.K L/42 gun w/delicate detail
- Complete gun assembley reproduced w/full detail
- Gun barrel and mantlet are slide molded
- 3-direction slide-molded gun sleeve for greater detail
- new injection-molded tow cable for engine deck w/cable mount include
- Hollowed-out undercut on turret bottom included
- Gearbox acces hatch finely designed
- Photo-etched mesh included
- Air deflector accurately represented
- Slide-molded cooling air intake
- Photo-etched air-intake grills
- Side hatches can be assembled open or closed w/interior details
- Idler wheels w/photo-etched parts
- Detailed track tension adjuster
- Slide-molded stowage bin w/fine details can be assembled open or closed
- Fenders w/pattern detail on both top and bottom surface
- Turret realistically made by 3-directional slide molds
- One piece slide-molded lower hull w/exquisite detail
- Lowe hull sides come w/full detail
- Fully detailed weld seams on hull bottom
- Slide-molded torsion bars include
- Slide-molded hydraulic shock absorbers are well detailed
- Detailed suspension swing arms
- 40cm Magic Tracks
- Final-drive housing covers are separate parts for maxium detail
- Accurate sprocket wheels
- Road wheels w/accurate detail
- Injection molded on-vehicle tools have clasp detail
- Exhaust pipes w/hollow ends
- Notek headlight w/exquisite detail
- Toolbox w/padlaock produced by slide model
Schaal 1:35
Released by Dragon in 2009.
Dragon 6463
