Tamiya

1/48 Panzerkampfwagen III Ausf. N

Kit Number: 32543

Reviewed by  Dave Morrissette, IPMS# 33653

MSRP: $29.95 Tamiya has started the rage with the armor kits in 1/48 scale and one of their latest releases is a Panzerkampfwagen III Ausf. N. The kit has excellent molding and the now normal cast metal lower hull with fixed running gear. There are also metal screws for attaching the top and bottom halves together as well as rubber grommets for attaching several parts. Schurzen armor is provided as an option also. Tracks are length and links and are very nice. There is no PE with the model. Fit is superb everywhere. Only the slightest amount of filler was used on some of the parts attached to the upper hull. I built the lower half of the hull and added the top and a lot of the details first prior to painting. There are some ejector pin marks under the side skits of the upper hull that need dealt with but not too many. If you are using the Schurzen, don't forget to open the necessary holes. I left the tracks and the all the road wheel off until after painting. I painted the base coat with Humbrol and Pactra dark green for the camouflage. I added the turret Schurzen next and the parts for the turret were a little fiddly. They fit well but were made from 11 parts so I added a piece and let it dry well prior to adding the next. The turret came out looking fine when done. I then built the tracks and added them. They fit very well if you follow the instructions. I got one side on easily and jumped to the other side (which had a separate instruction set) and thoroughly screwed it up by putting some parts in the wrong place. I fixed this but in the end, follow the instructions for the tracks and you won't have any issues. The rest of the small parts (jack, shovel, etc.) were added and so were the decals and a good flat coat and we're done. The kit should appeal to all armor fans. The fit is superb, so beginners should have no problem and get excellent results. More advanced builders can get add some PE and be contest competitive also. An excellent kit at a great price and recommended to all.

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