In this post, I continue my exploration of all things panzer with Dragon's 1/35 Panzer III Ausf. E/F Smart Kit. I chose to build the Ausführung. F. because my panzer series is meant to capture the as-intended evolution of German WW2 armor. Once a design was fielded, many modifications would find their way into and onto the vehicles. In fact, the Panzer III is a great example of this. It started in the anti-armor role, received numerous upgrades, and ultimately ended service in an infantry support role. In essence, the PIII's rise and fall parallels that of the Wehrmacht's in WW2.
Now let's hit the books and the bench to see how it all played out!
Intention meets reality
The PIII was the backbone of Germany's panzer units in the early war. It was also the third panzer in Germany's famed panzer series. However, the PIII is not so much an evolution of the PI and PII as its name might suggest. Let's take a step back.
Shortly after the conclusion of WWI it became clear to German officials that Europe was on another collision course. Military officers including Heinz Guderian, foresaw a conflict where several different tank designs would hold prominent roles. At the risk of oversimplification, one tank design would seek and destroy enemy armored units, while another tank design would support infantry. This vision would materialize as the PIII and PIV, respectively. However arms restrictions from the Treaty of Versailles limited Germany's industrial base and prevented them from accumulating tanks.
Therefore, the PI, which was designed in secret, was used to prepare the industrial base and establish doctrine for the armored warfare that was sure to come. By the mid-1930s it was evident that the PIII and PIV designs were progressing slower than expected and may not be ready for the looming conflict. To solve this problem, a tank which is now known as the PII was ordered as a stopgap. Bottom line, neither the PI nor the PII were intended to be the iron fists in Germany's future armored corps, the PIII and PIV were.
The Panzer III
Development of the Panzer III was approved in January 1934 under the project name Z.W., which stood for Zugführerwagen, or "platoon commander's vehicle". This designation was in line with the practice of using "tractor" in earlier projects to disguise the fact that a medium tank, prohibited by the Treaty of Versailles, was in development.
Early plans called for a vehicle with a crew of five. The five-man crew allowed each member to specialize in the role of gunner, loader, driver, radio operator, or commander. Engagements against tanks with smaller, task saturated, two and three-man crews, proved the German five-man crew concept superior. Notably, three crew members were housed in the turret allowing easy communication in the heat of battle.
The vehicle was intended to have a maximum speed of 40 km/h. Ausf. A through D models were equipped with a 250 HP Maybach HL108 TR engine, while later models sported a 300 HP Maybach HL 2120 TRM engine. The suspension underwent several design overhauls. These included 1) coiled springs in a five-wheel configuration, 2) eight-wheels in a leaf-spring arrangement, before settling on 3) a relatively simple six-wheel torsion bar arrangement on the Ausf. E.
A 3.7 cm KwK 36 L/46.5 main gun was fielded as the primary weapon on PIII Ausf. A through Ausf. G. This decision was not without controversy. On the one hand, the gun was a derivative of the standard 3.7 cm PaK 36 anti-tank gun used by the infantry. This meant simplified logistics. On the other hand, many senior officers felt the gun would become obsolete, and indeed future engagements would prove this to be the case. To end the design stalemate, a compromise was made whereby the PIII would be built with an enlarged turret ring to accommodate a 5 cm gun once it became available.
The PIII saw its first substantial combat actions during Germany's early war campaigns in France, North Africa, and Russia. In the French campaign, PIIIs acquitted themselves well against light tanks like the Renault R35 and Hotchkiss H35. However, against the medium tank SOMUA S35, the early PIII's 3.7 cm gun was found to lack penetrating power. And against France's largest tank, the Char B1, the PIII was at a clear disadvantage in armor and firepower. However the PIII was able to use its robust five-man crew arrangement, mobility, communications, and blitzkrieg tactics to achieve decisive results.
In North Africa, PIIIs formed the backbone of Field Marshall Erwin Rommel's famed Afrika Korps from March 1941 to March 1943. Importantly, many of the deployed PIIIs were equipped with the more powerful 5 cm KwK 38 L/42 tank gun that designers had originally envisioned. With this improved armament, PIIIs were successful against allied light tanks like the M3 Stuart, but as in France, saw performance taper against heavier tanks such as the Matilda II, M3 Grant, and M4 Sherman.
Operation Barbarossa, or the invasion of the Soviet Union, all but concluded the PIII's story that was hinted at during the invasions of France and North Africa. Namely, the PIII achieved success against the Soviet's older and lighter tanks like the T-26 and BT tank. But when up against newer and heavier tanks, such as the KV-1 and T-34, the PIII was no match in terms of armament or armor. Thus, the PIII's firepower was upgraded again and received a longer barreled 5 cm gun, the KwK 39 L/60. More armor was also added, and by the time the Ausf. L came into production in 1941, armor sideskirts known as schürzen were bolted to the hull.
But it wouldn't be enough. It wasn't long before the Wehrmacht concluded that a high velocity 7.5 cm gun was needed for the PIII to continue its anti-armor role. However a pain point lay with the turret ring. Remember that during the design phase, the turret ring maxed out at a 5 cm gun capability. Consequently, rather than persisting with the PIII for anti-armor purposes, the PIV was swapped into the role with its high velocity 7.5 cm KwK 40 L/48, while the PIII would assume the PIV's role on infantry support duty. Indeed, the last variant of the PIII fielded the short-barreled 7.5 cm KwK 37 L/24 gun as found on early PIVs.
In conclusion, the PIII represents Germany's pre-war attempt to develop a medium tank according to intended doctrine. It compared favorably against peers and was a crucial component in Germany's early-war blitzkrieg offensives. Upgrades to armor and armament prolonged its effectiveness in the anti-armor role. But by the middle stage of the WW2, it was clear that the PIII was obsolete. As PIIIs were being withdrawn from frontline service, the Wehrmacht was no longer able to mount sustained offensive operations. In essence, the PIII holds a mirror to Germany's war effort.
A second life and honorable mention
While production of the PIII ceased in 1943, production of the chassis continued until the end of the war. These chassis formed the basis of Germany's most widely produced tracked vehicle, the Sturmgeschütz III assault gun. And once again, these PIII descendants reflected the state of Germany's ability to wage war. That's because Germany's casemate style vehicles:
Could leverage limited industry to convert tried and true chassis to carry guns. Think: no hull is left behind
Were cheaper to produce than tanks
Are better suited to the ambush role - important when waging a fighting retreat
Ironically, the PIII chassis, in this casemate variant, would eventually carry slightly modified versions of the long-barreled 7.5 cm guns found on late model PIVs.
The kit
Over the years I have seen Dragon kits grace countless pages of FineScale Modeler. Based out of Hong Kong, Dragon has an extremely extensive lineup of armored fighting vehicles, especially panzers. And so it shouldn't be a surprise that they are the only kit manufacturer, so far as I can tell, with a PIII Ausf. F, the PIII's first full rate production variant.
While I've never built a Dragon tank kit before, I've always heard that they cram the boxes full of plastic and leave plenty of food for the spares box. Looks accurate! This 2 in 1 kit is a good example why. First, Dragon is known for over-engineering their kits, so you're already going to have a ton of parts. Second, Dragon usually starts off with a single variant of a subject, and then adds extra sprues so you can build different versions of it. That means the E/F kit contents likely weren't produced from the beginning as an E/F kit. It's more likely that Dragon started with yet another Panzer III variant and added E/F contents!
Plastic aside, there is a small photoetch fret and a bonus metal bucket that makes me particularly happy. Oh, and a set of DS tracks.
Informed Modeler: DS tracks you say?
Mido: Yep, that's right! They look pretty good don't they?
Informed Modeler: Mwhahahahahahahahahahaha! Mwhahahahahahahaha! [Evil laugh continues and fades as Informed Modeler briskly walks away]
Building
I'll be straight with you. Building this kit was not the best experience. True to Dragon's online reputation, there really were tons of parts and assemblies. By itself this might not be a bad thing. In fact I usually enjoy the building part the most. But with this kit, assemblies didn't always seem purposeful, the instructions were a cluttered mess, the plastic didn't always line up with the instructions, and the kit suffered from fitment issues.
So yea, not great, Bob!
I had to shelve the kit several times before I made it to the end. So much so that I was able to splice in a full Tamiya T-34/76 build between the PIII breaks! I guess this parallels with the vehicles’ respective 1/1 design philosophies (read ruthless production efficiency vs. over-engineered) and scale manufacturer reputations.
Tracks
The build was tough. But the worst part of the project was definitely those DS tracks! When it came time to fit them to the running gear, it was obvious that the tracks were too short.
Editor's note: There it is again! Informed Modeler's evil laugh!
Enter the aftermarket.
At the aftermarket I found an overwhelming availability of PIII track products. Both at 1/1 scale (remarkable!), and at 1/35 scale. In combing through it all, I learned that 1/1 PIIIs eventually switched from 350mm to 380mm wide tracks. Each width had several styles. To the modeler's delight, most of the variations are represented at scale. It took me a while to narrow down the specific type of track that was likely used on my PIII Ausf. F. Once I had the style picked out, I then had to choose between different track providers and materials. I settled on 3-D printed individual tracks from T-Rex Studios. Two pins hold each incremental link to the chain. That means I quickly went from 2 rubber bands, to [checks notes...] 600 track pieces and many more hours of build time!
Damnit, Bob!
Build time and effort aside, they look phenomenal to my eye. I can't imagine the finished model without them. But they were fiddly to put together, and very difficult to handle while painting and weathering. Sadly, track pins routinely fell out of the links. I would only recommend them for more experienced modelers.
Painting
This project marked my second attempt at post-shading. Even though the effect might not be for everyone, I am thrilled with how it looks! Best part, it's relatively easy to do. First start with a dark base. Then add the main body color. Next add progressively lighter and thinner versions of the body color to smaller and smaller areas. Areas receiving the lightest color are usually the highest points on the model or areas that you want to emphasize. Think of the layers as a paint pyramid: darkest at the base and lightest at the top.
If the finish gets too contrasty, or too highlighted, you can always spray a light mist coat of the base color to tie things back together. Remember too, that varnishes, decals, and weathering will also help visually blend everything. Point is, the technique is more forgiving than you might expect.
Decals
Hardly any. But the ones there are, added plenty of life. Excellent. The kit included four different marking options and I chose the 1st Panzer Division in Russia, 1941.
Weathering
I’ve got to admit, with all the construction headaches on this build, I was eager to plow through the weathering stages. I wanted this build done.
Scratches, chipping and rusting were kept to a minimum. While this may sound like a surrender, I can also justify it because the Ausf. F represents an early war vehicle. Consider this storytelling. I relied on Vallejo’s Rust, Stain, and Streaking set for most of the weathering effects. First I used German Camo Black Brown (70.822) to make deep chips, then I added smaller amounts of the lighter Chocolate Brown (70.872) to the edges. The Chocolate Brown helps to create depth and variation in the chips. Highly diluted rust colors were added as I saw fit. To add visual interest, I used Vallejo’s Dark Sea Grey (70.991) for scratches, outlining corners, highlighting rivets and other raised details.
Editor’s note: A little goes a very long way. Be sure to take breaks here, let the rust dry, your eyes adjust, and assess how far you want to push the effects. Acrylic-based weathering is easy to overdo and hard to correct!
To enhance the model's depth, I applied a pin wash using a home-brewed dark grey oil wash. My formulation uses several Winsor & Newton Winton Oil Colours thinned with Gamblin's Gamsol odorless mineral spirits. There is no specific recipe, just mix colors until you have a "yucky" looking dark grey color. White, black, brown, some blue, see what works for you! Oils were also used to add streaking effects and to boost the build’s contrast and style.
Exhausts were done with several Tamiya products, including their Panel Line Accent Color and Weathering Master pigments. Pigments from Vallejo were also added.
The running gear received a generous dose of pigments and washes. I wish I could say more about this process, but truth be told, I didn’t really have a plan. I simply added different colors as I went. Some things in the hobby are less about process, and more about feel. So let this be a reminder to experiment and have fun! When I was satisfied with the look, I used AK’s Pigment Fixer to seal everything in.
The Bucket
Maybe the best part about this kit was the "Bonus PE Bucket". After such a grueling build, it was a relief to have an accent piece that couldn't be screwed up. I used the bucket as an opportunity to add color to the build, and made sure to dirty it up. What do you think of the effort?
Final thoughts
The PIII was an interesting subject to research. First, it introduces the two-tank PIII anti-armor and PIV infantry support duo that Germany intended its armored units to fight with. Second, its turret ring highlights the importance of designing for platform growth from the outset. Third, modifications like schürzen demonstrate how hard-learned field lessons can be addressed. Lastly, using the chassis design for the casemate Stug. III is a small window into German production resourcefulness. In the end, the PIII's initial success and subsequent obsolescence correlate well with Germany's rise and fall in WW2.
As a build, this PIII was a struggle. I hope(?) that comes across in the post. Even though I shelved it and took time to build a Tamiya T-34/76 in between (thus confirming my love of all things Tamiya, and finding an appreciation of Soviet armor's simplicity), I'm happy I persevered with the PIII.
The experience with 3D printed tracks was eye-opening. They added incredible detail to the build, but at what cost in time and effort? They also were not "cheap". Individual tracks are something that I will certainly explore again, but maybe not for a little while.
To sum it up: Fascinating subject. Tough build. I have an outcome that I love, but went down a path I am not eager to repeat.
Thanks for reading,
Mido
Contact the author: mido@igluemodels.com or on IG , Twitter, and Bluesky @igluemodels
Sources, information, and other useful links
Well Done, and I especially appreciate the discussion on weathering/finishing.
Superior result, as always.
Seeing the T-34 next to the PIII is eye-opening. The T-34, being 7 or so years newer than the PIII incorporates so many lessons learned, in particular the angled armor and the more effective weaponry.