| 1.
A little bit of (technical) history (mostly based on [1])
(For
those wondering why I start with the Ausf. J, patience, everything
will be revealed.)
Even
though some sources beg to differ, [1] states that the Ausf. J,
L, M and N were all called 8.Serie/Z.W. by the manufacturers, which
were Daimler-Benz, MAN, MIAG, MNH, Henschel and Alkett. (For the
record, the Ausf. K was never built.)
Production of these subvariants started in March 1941 and ran until
August 1943, after which production was switched entirely to the
StuG III. This means that no vehicles left the factory with Zimmerit,
even though some vehicles were covered with the paste in the field
(or during revisions).
- 1.3.
Ausf. M
The Ausf. M is basically an Ausf. L with increased fordability.
The main distinguishing feature is the exhaust which curves up
from below the rear hull into a cylindrical muffler with an extra, minor feature, being the sealing mechanism on the lateral engine vents. The inspection/escape
hatches on the nose were also internally hinged.
Produced from 09/42 to 02/43.
During production
the following changes were made
- 10/42:
Rear convoy light replaced by cylindrical light.
- 10/42:
Winterketten available.
- 03/43: At this time the Ausf.N started to appear with a new cupola with single lid hatch.
While I yet have to find confirmation, it wouldn't seem impossible that the same happened with the Ausf.M that was still in production at that time.
- 05/43:
Nebelkerzen removed.
- 05/43:
Schürzen fiited (also available for retrofit).
- 05/43:
AA mount on turret (also available for retrofit).
It
seems Ausf. M did not have the small rear light on the right
rear fender. As a consequence, the right rear fender no longer
had a hole in it.
- 1.4.
Ausf. N
1.4.1. First production batch
The first production batch are basically late Ausf. L equipped
with surplus 75mm L/24 guns (and sometimes associated cleaning
rods).
Produced from 07/42 to 10/42.
Modifications follow the production of the Ausf.L:
- Visors
in turret side and right mantlet should be rare by now but
could technically still be fitted..
-
Turret splash guard gradually disappears. It should also have
become rare by now.
-
Hull side hatches gradually disappear. Idem.
- 09/42:
Bosch headlights replace Notek.
- 09/42:
Tow coupling installed.
- 09/42:
Nebelkerzen installed on turret; droppped at rear.
- 10/42:
Rear convoy light replaced by cylindrical light.
- 05/43:
Nebelkerzen removed (this might have been done as a setrofit).
- 05/43:
Schürzen fiited (also available for retrofit).
- 05/43:
AA mount on turret (also available for retrofit).
1.4.2. Second production batch
The second batch are basically late Ausf. M equipped with with
re-assembled 75mm L/24 guns.
Produced from 02/43 to 08/43.
Modifications during production include:
- 02/43:
Two holes for driver's periscope no longer provided.
- 03/43:
New cupola with single lid hatch.
- 05/43:
Nebelkerzen removed (this might have been done as a setrofit).
- 05/43:
Schürzen fiited (also available for retrofit).
- 05/43:
AA mount on turret (also available for retrofit).
1.4.3. Third production batch
The third production batch consisted of remanufactured vehicles.
Mostly these were Ausf.J, L and M.
Produced from 07/43 to 06/44. Some of these might have received
Zimmerit during the remanufacturing process.
1.4.4. Remark
Note that because of the weight of the gun, the spaced armor
on the mantlet was never fitted.
For
those who are wondering, Ostketten only became available in May
1944, but a very few Panzer IIIs that survived this long were fitted
with them.
As
it might have been clear by now, it is difficult to judge a Panzer
III Ausf.N without knowing it's lineage that goes back to the Ausf.J.
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2.
So where does this leave us?
Those
of you that have been paying attention until now know that a Pz.Kpfw.
III Ausf.N can be anything from a war weary, early Ausf.J with a stubby
gun slapped onto it to a brand new, state of the art, end of production,
new-built infantry support tank. So which one is Dragon trying to
sell us here?
The boxtop indicates that we are looking at a vehicle from the second
batch, as these are the only ones fitted with the single lid cupola,
from March 1943. The Schürzen and lack of Nebelkerzen indicate
that the time frame is May 1943, or later. (Too late for Tunisia,
but in time for Kursk.) This does not necessarily mean the vehicle
was produced after May 1943, as Schürzen could be retrofitted
and Nebelkerzen removed, but it was definitely not produced before
March 1943.
When we look further into the manual, we see that this vehicle is
indeed based on the Ausf. M, keeping the deep-wading muffler. If you
don't want to install the deep-wading muffler, then you can use the
PE part that is included (not for use) instead.
3.
Quality and accuracy
By October
1942 the turret splash guard should have completely disappeared, because
the spaced armor on the driver's plate effectively took over the role
(as it protruded slightly above the roof level). As this kit represents
a vehicle that is not produced before March 1943, it should go.
The
holes for the driver's periscope are still there. While we go into
this in more detail in §4, one should note that the driver's
periscope openings were dropped in February 1943, while the new cupola
was introduced a month later. The earlier cupola is still provided
in the kit, however, and has separate hatches, while the new cupola
only has the closed hatch (for reasons I still cannot grasp and even
though it is shown open in the boxtop artwork). The modeler can thus
choose to install the earlier cupola (and install a crew figure),
leave the periscope openings unharmed and just assume the Schürzen
have been added in the field and the Nebelkerzen removed as ordered
in May 1943.
By this time, I would also expect it to have an AA mount for the commander,
which the kit lacks.
An outline
of the side escape hatches is present on the hull, which needs to
be sanded smooth. The instructions don't mention this. It's easy enough
to do, and might even be hidden behind the Schürzen.
About the Schürzen: the small segments that were sometimes seen
at the extreme ends are missing. Check your references for the particular
vehicle you want to build. The segments you do get are nicely staggered,
though.
Robert Kru also points out to us that the brackets for the turret
Schürzen have a twist which no other kit in the past has had.
This doesn't necessarily mean they are wrong, as clear photographs
of these parts (showing the presence or absence of a slight twist)
are hard to come by.
On the
left fender there is a small base for part b4 (the headlight). This
base is not present on the right fender for its headlight. Actually,
the base on the left fender is for the Notek, which was fitted to
earlier versions of the tank. It should not be here for this tank.
A slight
annoyance is the lack of tabs in the turret ring to keep the turret
in place. This is something almost all kits have had as long as I
can remember, and I feel attached to them.
While
Dragon's slide mould technology has given us some gems in the past,
the armored covers on the rear engine deck lack any sign of undercut.
Remember that these are covers for openings in the hatches that let
the air out (or in). The way Dragon represents them there is no way
any air will ever get into (or out of) the engine compartment. What
is more depressing is that these covers were separate parts in the
earlier released StuG
III. Dragon has clearly started to downgrade its newer declinations
of previously released kits.
The instructions
are somewhat of a hit-and-miss.
As far as I can tell, part A5 is not called for in the instructions,
while it is clearly needed for the rear lower hull. Staying at the
rear hull for a while, the parts b11 and b12 in the instructions are
actually b11+b13 and b12+b14.
Something
that the uninitiated might fail to catch is that the new cupola comes
in a lower and upper part. The instructions (including the parts lay-out)
only show a single piece, called "C". In fact there are
two parts, "C1" and "C2".
Something
else, which is a bit odd, is that the tracks are to be installed in
Step 9, while the Schürzen go on in Step 8. Good luck with that.
The experienced modeler will get around this, of course, but the novice
may learn a new expletive in the process.
I also noticed that part A37 (the antenna) is labelled as B15 (which
is in fact a Schürzen bracket). About the antenna: it is molded
in the stowed position. Modeling it in the upright position will require
some cutting.
All of
the above might be categorized as minor nitpicking, which it is, really.
What I cannot understand is why the instructions want us to install
the spaced armor on the mantlet. This was not compatible with the
weight of the L/24 gun and thus not fitted. Of course, as there is
no German word for never, there is always an exception and no sooner
had we published this preview as Patryk Placzek sent us the following
picture. This is so far the only vehicle in this configuration that
we have found.
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To add
insult to injury, the gun recuperator housing that the kit provides
is for the KwK38 L/60 gun, not the L/24 gun. (Thanks to Patryk Placzek
for pointing this out to us.)
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L/60
on the left, L/24 on the right.
Another
annoying omission are the spare tracks for the nose. The lower rack
is present, but no tracks are provided, even though they are shown
in the boxtop and on the color profiles. The bar for more tracks between
the ventilation covers is absent. Easy enough to scratchbuild the
rack, but an omission nevertheless. Finding tracks will be another
matter, though.
Yet another
error that can be categorized as more or less serious is the lack
of an armor plate on the lower nose. Robert Kru pointed this out to
us (see drawing below) and also noticed that this plate is lacking
in all of Dragon's Panzer III kits, while it is included in Dragon's
StuG III kits (although in the latter kit it is of the bolted variety).
It's a simple matter of adding some plasticard, but it should have
been included.
On the
positive side, Dragon has given the correct offset between left and
right roadwheels (which most manufacturers today seem to have noticed).
They have also corrected the instructions so that they now no longer
show the tracks installed upside down (as they did in previous declinations
of the Panzer III)
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We get
5 marking options (see scan above). (Note that this section has been
updated thanks to the help of Timothy Lau.)
- 2
Pz.Div. Kursk,1943. This unit had this type of vehicle and it was
present at Kursk.
It seems that the Panzer IIIs of this division carried an extra
box on the rear, cf. [4] and pictures below sent by Patryk Placzek.
The
marking instructions are a bit confusing, though, at least in my
opinion. The instructions tell you that 6 and 7 are "optional".
Marking 6 is (incidentally) a "6" and marking 7 is (if
I interpret this correctly) either "1", "2"
or "3".
I should check which combinations are correct, but the pictures
show that at least some of the Ausf.N were indeed from the second
production batch.
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Note
that this vehicle has Nebelkerzen on the turret, which are not mentioned
in the instructions, but given in the sprues.
Also note that the use of the decals in this kit and the spare 5cm
L/60 barrel might allow you to convert your Ausf.N to an earlier
version used by 2 Pz.Div..
- 6
Pz.Div.Kursk,1943.
A drawing was found in [4], which shows extra sections of Schürzen.
The pictures of this vehicle below sent by Patryk Placzek seem to
contradict this. The vehicle is clearly from the second production
batch.
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Note that this vehicle has Nebelkerzen on the turret, which are
not mentioned in the instructions, but given in the sprues.
- 18
Pz.Div.Kursk,1943.
This is most likely the captured vehicle seen here
and in and [6]. The photo in [6] confirms it is from the 2nd production
batch.
Note that this vehicle has Nebelkerzen on the turret, which are
not mentioned in the instructions, but given in the sprues.
- Pz.Brig.
Norwegen, Norway, 1945.
A drawing was found in [4], which shows extra sections of Schürzen.
[1]
shows photographs. The picture of a vehicle of the 2nd production
run had hull Schürzen with an extra segment at the front and
Zimmerit. The one from the 1st prduction run did not have Schürzen,
but had Zimmerit. At least one
vehicle had both Zimmerit and Schürzen. A picture of Ausf.N
in Norway can also be found here,
here
or here.
Note that some of these vehicle had Nebelkerzen on the turret, which
are not mentioned in the instructions, but given in the sprues.
- Pz.Abt.212,
Western Front, 1944.
This unit spent most of 1944 on Crete. In September 1944 it was
transferred to Yugoslavia and took over the Panzers (incl. Pz.Kpfw.III
ausf.N) from Pz.abt.208 [5]. One picture of a Panzer III Ausf. N
of Pz.Abt.212 unit can be found in [5], but it had different markings
(and it carried Zimmerit). The same reference show quite a number
of Pz.Kpfw.III Ausf.N from Pz.Abt.208 and it can be assumed that
their appearance did not change much after transfer. Most of the
Ausf.N seen in [5] are from the 2nd production series, carry turret
Schürzen, but no hull Schürzen (as the instructions show).
Most of these had Balkenkreuze and numbers on the turret
Schürzen. One vehicle seems to be devoid of markings (as in
the kit instructions) but carried Zimmerit.
Conclusion: I think this is not a vehicle from the Western Front.
Furthermore, the instructions don't tell you the Schürzen are
optional.
A general note about the marking options: the instructions
show a cleaning rod sticking out from behind the Schürzen. This
is not part of the kit, but pictures of the real vehicles seem to
confirm that none of them actually carried it.
4.
Conversion possibilities
Looking
at the parts layout, and the sprues (Dragon is known to offer some
discrepancies between both in some of their kits), we notice we get
the following spare parts.
- Sprue
A
- Older
type cupola with separate split hatches. We already discussed
this, but a spare cupola will always be nice for those that
want to build some type of Beutepanzer, as a lot of these (whatever
the type) were modified with the German cupola.
- An
optional right rear mudflap that goes with the Ausf. J and Ausf.
L that had the small light on the right rear fender.
- Nebelkerzen.
- Hull
escape hatches.
- Sprue
a. Only two parts are needed from this sprue, the rest are spares.
- Exhaust
deflector.
- Front
tow couplings.
- Small
headlights, taillight and Notek.
- Nose
plate with external hinges (correct for Ausf.J/L).
- Ausf.J/L
exhaust.
- Sprue
b. No spare parts according to the manual, but it does carry a spare
L/60 barrel. This sprue is typical for the Ausf. M.
- Sprue
B. No spare parts. This sprue carries Schürzen and fittings.
- Sprue
D. No spare parts. This sprue carries the running gear.
- Upper
hull.
- Lower
hull.
- Late
type cupola.
- Tracks.
- PE.
Note
that the way some parts are attached to the extremities of the sprue
is bound to damage them. Cut them off as soon as possible.
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Similarities
with other kits are as follows
Sprue
|
7372
(Ausf. J Late) |
7385
(Ausf. L) |
7290
(Ausf.M) |
7323
(Ausf. M
with Schürzen) |
7386
(Ausf. N "DAK"
based on Ausf.L) |
7407
(Ausf. N
based on Ausf.M) |
| A |
With
spaced mantlet and turret visors |
With
spaced mantlet but without turret visors |
With
spaced mantlet |
With
spaced mantlet but without turret visors |
Lacks
spaced mantlet and turret visors.
Side escape hatches not shown in parts diagram but provided. |
With
spaced mantlet but without turret visors. |
| B |
Not
included |
Not
included |
A
Sprue "B" is included, but this is the same as that
called "b" in the other kits, i.e. the one carrying
the typical Ausf. M parts. |
Included. Different sprue lay-out from the sprue in 7407. |
Not
included |
Included |
| C |
Not
included |
Not
included |
Not
included |
Not
included |
Not
included |
Included |
| D |
Included |
Included |
Included |
Included |
Included |
Included |
| F |
Not
included |
Actually
part of sprue "b" |
Not
included |
???? |
Not
included |
Not
included |
| a |
Without
75mm gun |
Without
75mm gun |
Not
included |
Not
included |
Included |
Included |
| b |
Included |
Part
of sprue b included and labeled as "F". |
A
Sprue "B" is included, but this is the same as that
called "b" in the other kits, i.e. the one carrying
the typical Ausf. M parts. |
Included |
Not
included |
Included |
| Upper
hull |
Has
turret splash guard
|
No
turret splash guard |
No
turret splash guard |
No
turret splash guard
|
No
turret splash guard |
Has
turret splash guard |
| PE |
MA
(as shown above) |
MA
+ MB (as shown above) |
MA
+ MB (as shown above) |
MB (as shown above) + PE Schürzen. |
MA
+ MB (as shown above) |
MA
+ MB (as shown above) |
What
does the table above teach us? Well, that kit 7407 actually carries
all the parts that can be found in all other Dragon kits of the Panzer
III combined, except the lateral turret visors. The turret splash
guard is an oddity, as kit 7407 does not need it (like all kits that
have spaced armor on the driver's front plate), and while Dragon has
not included it for the kits of the Ausf.L to Ausf.M it re-appeared
on one of the Ausf.N kits. At the same time the ready-made
models based on this kit do not seem to have it. This might actually
mean that some of the kits of 7407 actually have an upper hull without
splash guard as Dragon sometimes seems to correct mistakes on the
fly.
At any rate, if you have a copy of kit 7407 with a splash guard, it's
best to remove it, but as removing is easier than adding, it eases
the conversion possibilities.
Note
that 7372 represents a very late Ausf.J due to the gun, engine dack
and spaced armor, making it very much an Ausf.L with turret visors.
This makes this kit (7407) the most polyvalent of them all, as you
can build it almost like any other kit, apart from the decals. (I
am sure you will find the manual of the other kits somewhere online
to guide you with this.)
What the Schürzen are concerned. Kit 7323 has a different sprue
lay-out for the Schürzen, but (judging from information found
on the internet) the parts are externally similar to those in kit
7407. This would make sense, as 7407 basically represents a re-armed
Ausf.M, so there is no real reason to change the Schürzen.
If only it also carried those two small turret visors as well, it
would have been a real winner in my eyes !
After
this review was published my eye fell on a picture in Stephen
Brezinski's review of the "other" Ausf.N. After checking
with him, it seems that his copies kits 7372 and 7386 lack the anti-grid
pattern on the fenders. This seemed strange as the StuG III kits from
Dragon have the anti-grid pattern and kit 7407 has it as well. At
some time, Dragon must have realized their mistake and corrected the
fenders in the latest Panzer III kit. As these are on sprue "A",
which is included in all the kits, Dragon might include the corrected
sprue in new batches of all the kits that were previously released
with smooth fenders. Indeed, it seems this has already happened with
kit 7372 as Timothy Lau's copy does have the anti-skid pattern.
As the
kit, built accoring to the instructions, represents the last production
configuration (except for the AA mount) there is little scope for
postdating this vehicle. But what about pre-dating or conversion?
4.1.
Conversion to an Ausf. J
Keeping
scratchbuilding to an acceptable level, only the very late (March
1942) Ausf. J can be built. Even then, turret visors will need to
be found somewhere and the turret splash needs to be kept. The hull
spaced armor mounting must be shaved off.
4.2.
Conversion to an Ausf. L
Conversion
to some batches of the Ausf. L are possible (cf § 1.2), as the
small lights for the fenders, hull escape hatches, externally hinged
transmission hatches, etc. are included.
Building a version without spaced armor is doable, but will require
the removal of their mountings that are molded with the upper hull.
Building a vehicle with only the mantlet Vorpanzer frame (but not
the extra armor itself) will require some scratchbuilding.
Building a very early Ausf. L will require scratchbuilding the turret
visors, which started to disappear in March 1942.
For all conversions that do not have the spaced armor for the driver's
plate the turret splash guard needs to be kept.
Of
course, the 5cm L/60 should be used on this version.
4.3.
Conversion to an Ausf. M
As the
version that this kit depicts is hardly more than a very late Ausf.M
with a stubby gun, conversion is straightforward, respecting §
1.3. All parts that are required are included in the kit. The spaced
armor should be fitted, but note that the sides of the mantlet armor
should be open. (The kit part is correct for an early Ausf.L.)
4.4.
Conversion to a model of the Ausf.N from the first production batch.
Check §1.4.1 and §4.2 and build the vehicle as an Ausf.L.
Except for the very first of this batch, that still might have had
turret visors, you can easiliy build any tank from this production
run.
4.5.
Conversion to another model of the Ausf.N from the second production
batch.
This is fairly simple (cf. §1.4.2.). It's just a matter of not
correcting the driver's periscope holes, replacing the cupola, omitting
the Schürzen and/or adding the Nebelkerzen. All of this is provided
in the kit.
4.6.
Conversion to a model of the Ausf.N from the third production batch.
This is also simple. Build the kit as an Ausf. J, L or M (cf. §
4.1, 4.2 or 4.3 respectively) and replace the gun by the L/24 with
its mantlet. As noted, if you chose the Ausf.J conversion, turret
visors are called for.
5.
Further remarks about the other Pz.Kpfw.III kits (by Timothy Lau)
5.1.
7372 Ausf. J
This
kit can basically represent everything from December 1941 (engine
decks with single hatches, longitudinally placed ventilation covers)
except for the lack of visor on the right side of the gun mantlet,
which (without correction) would limit it to an Ausf.J built between
March and April 1942.
Note
that, because Dragon was lazy, it did not completely fix the mold
of the upper hull from the other kits to adapt it to the lack of the
spaced armor on the front. (It did, however, add the turret splash
guard.) So the builder (at least of tank "523" of 22. Pz.Div.
as seen in the decals) must scrape off the mountings for the spaced
armor. Actually, almost anyone who builds the model would need to
do this bit of surgery.
The vehicle
from 24 Pz.Div. would at least need the extra mantlet visor, as
does the Wiking
vehicle that are both given in the marking options. Note that
the Wiking insgnia is on the decal sheet, but the instructions fail
to mention it.
,_Panzer_III.jpg)
Pictures from Bundesarchiv, for discussion purposes
only.
Contrary
to the instructions, the vehicle from 13 Pz.Div, numbered 711, did
not have smoke grenade launchers. Also, on the starboard side, the
decal should be cut to read 117. 7 should be to the front on all sides.
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Pictures
provided by Tim Lau, found on Missing Lynx, for discussion purposes
only.
711, however, is fine on the rear of the turret bin. It will be necessary
to source the 13.Pz.Div. divisional insignia for the port side and
the rear of the vehicle. Also, vehicle 711 also needs S-mine launchers,
which are not provided by the kit and which will have to be sourced
from elsewhere.
There
is no need to buy this kit instead of 7407 unless you want the visors,
and the decals.
5.2. 7385 Ausf. L Late
This kit lacks the turret splash guard and has optional Nebelkerzen
for the turret, so it can represent everything from:
06-10/42: Turret splash guard gradually disappears. (It is no longer
needed because of the height of the extra armor in front of the driver.);
hull side escape hatches gradually disappear.
09/42: Bosch headlights replace Notek; tow coupling installed (also
retrofitted); Nebelkerzen installed on turret and droppped at rear.
10/42: Rear convoy light replaced by cylindrical light; Winterketten
available.
05/43: Nebelkerzen removed.
To the end of Ausf. L: no AA mount.
There
is no need to buy this kit instead of 7407 unless you want the decals.
5.3. 7290 Ausf. M with wading muffler
There
is no need to buy this kit instead of 7323 or even 7407 unless you
want the decals.
5.4.
7323 Ausf. M with Schurzen
This
kit can represent everything from:
10/42:
Rear convoy light replaced by cylindrical light; 10/42: Winterketten
available.
05/43: Nebelkerzen removed; Schürzen fiited (also available for
retrofit).
As with
kit 7407, it lacks the AA mount, which would have probably been fitted
to the real vehicle.
Compared with kit 7407 this kit has PE for the Schürzen but lacks
the PE for the engine vents.
5.5. 7386 Ausf. N DAK
This
kit represents an Ausf. N derived from an Ausf. L. but without visors
and turret splash guard. It also lacks the AA mount.
The kit is called DAK because the decals are "Afrika," but
I don't think this version only operated in Afrika.
There is no reason to buy this kit instead of 7407 unless you want
the decals.
References
[1] Panzerkampfwagen
III Ausf. J, L, M und N, Panzer Tracts 3-3, T.L. Jentz & H.L.
Doyle.
(This is, together with [2], actually about the only book you really
must have. The others are complementary, even contradictory, but might
contain many more photos.)
[2] Panzerkampfwagen III Ausf. E,F,G und H, Panzer Tracts 3-2, T.L.
Jentz & H.L. Doyle.
[3] Achtung Panzer 2: Panzerkampfwagen III, Dai Nippon Kaiga
[4] The Panzerkampfwagen III at war, M. Jerchel & W. Trojca. Concord
Publications
[5] Deutsche Panzereinheiten in der OZAK, S. Di Gusto, Tankograd Publishing
[6] La bataille de Kursk, F. De Lannoy, Editions Heimdal
Preview
sample purchased (in multiples) by the author.
Dragon kits can
be purchased from
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