Model Art Co, Ltd.

AFV Super Detail Photo Book Vol.6 Pz.Kpfw.III Ausf. J/L

Reviewed By  John Hoffman, IPMS# 45381

MSRP: ¥2,667 (Yen.) About $23.25 96 pages - 500+ photos - Japanese-English - Drawings - Color profiles - Explanation Review copy courtesy of Model Art (www.modelart.jp) Model Art is imported by Dragon USA (www.dragonmodelsusa.com) Model Art has added another great volume to it's AFV Super Detail series. If you are familiar with these books already you will find more of what made the others in this series so good. Those new to the series will find a great deal of information presented in a clear, well thought out manner. This book is packed with useful color photos of three surviving Pz.III's taken at the following museums, Aberdeen (Ausf. N), Bovington (Ausf. L), and Kubinka (Ausf. J early). Period Black and white photos are also included, showing the Pz.III in action. According to Model Arts website there are about 500 photos here. I did not try and count them, but it seems about right. Photos are grouped by components, turret, hull, running gear, ect, showing that area of all three Tanks in one "chapter". I find this more user friendly when working on a model than having the photos grouped by tank or museum. Colored borders on each photo indicate which museum the tank is from. A small drawing is provided at the top of the page indicating the location of the area in relation to the rest of the tank. Illustrations are provided showing changes associated with each version and general layout of the tank's equipment. Most of these refer to changes in the main gun, but there are a few others as well. 1/35 scale elevation views and two pages of color plates are included as well, and are nicely done. Text is in English/Japanese and is interspersed with the photos by section of the tank, as noted above. All major external components of the tank are discussed with the exception of the running gear. The turret and hull interior is described as well. A brief, but informative, history of the Pz.III is also included. This book is clearly aimed at the modeler, and will be very useful for super detailing your latest masterpiece, or just learning about the layout of these tanks. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the Pz.III or fans of AFV's in general. I would like to thank Model Art, Dragon USA, and IPMS/USA for the opportunity to review this book.

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