Enhancing the Tamiya 1/35 Panzer III Ausf. N

By  Jack Bruno, IPMS# 25313

Tamiya 1/35 Panzer III Ausf. N Kit Number: 35290 MSRP: $66.00 Web Site: www.tamiya.com Short History The Panzer III Ausf. N was primarily a support tank for infantry and heavy tanks. It was assembled from late Panzer III hulls such as the Ausf. M and L and mounted a short barreled 7.5cm L/24 Gun. . There are several chapters in some great reference books on it and pictures are your best bet to help in the final look at this little project. It fought on the Eastern and Western Fronts as well as North Africa. Some great models can be made depicting a vehicle in the Russian Winter or the African sand!!! The Kit What can I say about a Tamiya Tank that hasn't already been said??? If you have in your stash a Tamiya Ausf. L then you already have most of the kit except for a new sprue that has the parts for the snub nose gun and a couple of the other goodies. Tamiya includes a metal gun barrel which fits perfectly into the mantlet. My only gripe is those tracks. They are not up to other standards currently out there. Needless to say, a nice set FRUIL Tracks now reside on my Ausf. N. Most of the kit was assembled in the better part of a few days without too much clean up to do other than some mold seams. This time around the PE screens are provided in the kit for the upper hull and underside making the after market examples not required. This is a big plus as the finished example will show. Now........let the fun begin......... The Build In my quest to enhance a few things, I looked at some photo's and drooled over the thought of adding a scratch built rear stowage rack and beefing up the frontal armor with some sand bags and FRUIL track to keep those pesky Allied Sherman's from brewing it up. Using plastic strip, the rear rack was done in an hour at the IPMS/Duneland Meeting.......yes, they actually build models at the model meeting :) A few extra jerry cans, wooden boxes and rolls were added and everything is taking shape. I also took liberties in adding some extra welding beads where I thought they should enhance things a bit. This was done using some DR MICROTOOL putty.......yup, I still got some!!!! Foil rolled canvas covers were made and spread out where needed. I also added the electrical leads for the front end in the usual manner with fine solder wire. DO pick some up at better Hardware Stores or Electrical Supply houses. But if you know Ed Nowak, bug him for some. I still got the stash he gave me 10 years ago!!!! After all this your ready for the paint shop. All of my armor is sprayed entirely flat black......that goes for the extras talked about in the previous paragraph. Nothing like shadows!!! I then proceeded to paint the tank like it was going to be all German gray.........that means three progressive shades that makes you feel like a sin because your going to cover it up and it's looking bad a$@!!!! When you get to that point, get out the Dark Yellow and African Yellow. Now remember, most of the time these tanks were German Gray, so you want to go with the Dark Yellow first and lightly cover some area's.........then using the African Yellow, hit the center of the Dark Yellow area's you just painted. Let the gray show through on the well worn area's like hatch covers and turret tops and engine decks. When this was all to my liking, I then painted the knick knacks and coated it with Future. I decaled my little Panzer using the kit markings for the Eighth Panzer Regiment, 15th Panzer Division. Afrika Korps. Going to my turpentine and Windsor-Newton oils....(Van Dyke Brown) I applied a few washes to bring out the detail and when the oil dried......took off the film with a cotton pair of underwear and some Q-Tips. A flat coat was then sprayed and some rusty pastels added in a few places along with some additional wear and tear. A dry brushing session followed using yellows and whites. Always use different colors to dry brush over the different colors you use....it blends and is pleasing to the eyes. The ATL 04 FRIUL track was used, and after each side was assembled and proper sag given, it was soaked in BLACKEN IT....twice each side for about 20 minutes each over three days. (ask your Hobby Shop...it's in the train section) These were then given a dark brown wash and set aside to dry. Mounting was very easy.....if you plan ahead and not glue the wheels on! I did give the tracks a little silver pencil treatment to show wear and tear in the harsh desert climate. Hey............your almost there. Nothing like sifted sand.......mixed with some water and white glue for a base and to spread out on your lower hull. Let it dry and see if you need to run a light wash in it to bring it out. I did and really like the results. I also mounted the kit on a base made from driftwood found near Kasserine. Add some picture wire tow cables.....chains.....pots...pans...you got a looker! My thanks to Tamiya and IPMS/USA for the chance to review the kit. Thanks to IPMS, Uncle Dave and TAMIYA for the sample!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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