CyberHobby

1/35 PzKpfw.III Ausf.E/F

Kit Number: 9111

Reviewed by  Michael Novosad, IPMS# 36721

MSRP: $ 38.95 Review kit from Dragon USA - Website: www.dragonmodelsusa.com References My references for this project include the venerable Panzer III in Action, Encyclopedia of German Tanks of World War II, and Panzer Tracts No. 3-2, Panzerkampfwagen III, Ausf. E, F, G and H. Instruction and Kit The instructions are typical Dragon/CyberHobby: an eight page fold-out. The cover page shows the Pz. Kpfw.III Ausf. E/F in profile, plus the sprue layouts showing what parts will not be used in the build. Visually it appears that about 1/3rd of the parts included in the kit can be sent to the spares box. The last pages shows four views of Panzer Grey Pz. Kpfw.III Ausf. F (but no E's??) stationed in Mozdok, 1942: Finland, 1941; Belgium 1940; and Yugoslavia, 1941. This kit will build a vehicle armed with the 3.7cm KwK L/46.5 main armament. There are several ejector pins marks on the underside of the fenders. These were filled and sanded smother before assembly. Also included are two small frets for engine deck screens and smoke discharger chains with very delicate chain reproductions. A small sheet of decals is provided for the four panzer grey vehicles shown on the instruction sheets. There are also bonus sprues consisting of parts for four figures dressed in camouflage smocks plus a separate smaller sprue containing their weapons. Construction Parts B26 and B27 (rear idler) have ejector pin marks on the raised spokes and some care will be required to eliminate these marks. Fixing the two halves of the rear idlers was a snug fit, and some clean up of the mating surfaces was required. Parts J2 for the drive sprockets had a portion of sprue in the center opening that required removal. This was awkward, and required cutting and sanding until the opening would accepted the raised portion of part J1 The shock absorbers, axle swing arm, bumper stops and other miscellaneous items are fixed in place in this step. There is a sub-detail that requires the removal of the molded-in-place mount for the foremost return roller. The new location is noted in millimeters on the instruction sheet. After checking the location of the molded on fitting I decided the "correction" was not worth the effort. In the typical CyberHobby/Dragon fashion the instructions indicate the right-hand and left-hand parts as B13(B14) for example. I found this a bit confusing and was not certain if B13 was the right side or the left side part. By dry fitting the parts I believe I placed the parts correctly. I am convinced the instructions switch the right-hand and left-hand designations from step-to-step. Next, the individual link tracks are assembled. There are two small bags of links: right side light grey) and left side (dark grey). Here it become obvious the instructions indicate the right-hand side of the vehicle is viewed from the front. Each link has two ejector pin marts that require removal. Although this task is tedious I rather enjoyed the effort Several raised outlines must be removed from part C8, and with help from the Panzer Tracts publication one additional outline not noted in the instructions must be removed. Some sink marks in the rear vertical sides of the upper hull were filled and sanded. Before placing part C10 refer to the Panzer Tracts publication for the correct orientation. The kit's instructions do not include all the parts molded-in detail, so it would be easy to install this part incorrectly. If you are planning to build the Ausf. E version do not install parts H4, H1 and H3 (smoke grenades), as these parts are used for the Ausf. F. Unfortunately the instructions do not note this distinction. Also, the two rear engine hatches were difficult to install, and once in place a bit of a gap appeared on the front side of each hatch. I filled these defects with white glue, as there was no moment in the hatches positioning. Step 16 starts the turret assembly. Everything fit just fine. There were a few small gaps between parts E29 (turret face) and O1 the turret itself. This may be a result of my carelessness, but it was easy to fix. I replaced parts E14 (grab handles) with bend brass rod, and super-glued them in place. Part K12 is a fake observation cover. The Panzer Tracts line drawings do not indicate this in place for either the Ausf. E or F versions, however several vintage photos do show this feature on many vehicles. Therefore, in the spirit of using as many of the parts as possible in this build I added the part to the build. In Step 20, since there is no interior detail included I elected to close the hatches. The hinges are a tight fit, and some finessing was required to align the parts before the solvent was applied. Part E13, the hatch stop is a butt connection, and some care is required to locate and fix in place. It is wise to set the turret down, right side up until the join cures hard to prevent the part from sagging. When the turret armament is installed, I drilled out the gun barrels for the two machine guns. The main armament required some effort to eliminate the seam. Here, the instructions note the installation of parts H2 (brake cooling vents) for the Ausf. F. There are no locating holes or outline to assist in placing these two parts, and once again the Panzer Tracts reference came in handy. The Figures There are four "bonus" figures included with this kit. Each figure is comprised of 20 parts. These are mini kits within themselves. I am not a good figure painter, but I assembled one figure to see how the parts fit, planning to paint them later. Finishing/Painting Before beginning the painting I airbrushed Tamiya flat black into the engine air intakes on both sides of the rear hull. Once the black had dried over night I placed the intake screens over the opening and applied super glue to hold them in place. The first step in painting is the application of a fine, white primer. I used Rustoleum's Painter's Touch, which provide a smooth, tough base for the finish painting. This is allowed to dry for at least 24 hours. Any imperfections in the work are addressed at this stage. Panzer grey can be a subjective color. I have seen images and read reports that indicate this color to be almost black. I saw a color image of a PzKpfw II that appeared to be black, and another was a light, blue-grey color. I decided to go the route of the later color, only from the standpoint of weathering the vehicle. My formula for Panzer Grey is made using Tamiya acrylic paints (XF-24 dark grey-20 parts, XF-2 white-2 parts plus, and finally X-4 blue, 1 part, all thinned with 91% isopropyl alcohol). The amount of white and blue added may vary depending on what I am trying to achieve. Not scientific, or accurate, but this makes me happy. The base color is applied, and then lightened and darkened to effect sun-fading. I applied a coat of Future floor was where the decals would be applied, and after the decals were placed and allowed to dry, a flat coat was applied preceding the weathering process. I used oil paints to achieve the weathering, washes and streaking. There are several raised outlines on the tops of the fenders that should be removed, but to do so will mar the pattern on the top surface. I had ample spare tracks left over, so I assembled several sections or varying lengths and after painting them laid them over the raised outlines. Each section was held in place with a spot of Gorilla Super Glue. Conclusion This kit may test the building skills of many modelers, but the effort is well worth the time. The box top indicates that there are "over 450 parts" in this kit. I counted approximately 420 used in the assembly, not including the figures, with a small tub of surplus parts left over. Overall the fit of most parts is not too bad. But in some instances a few parts have no positive locators and must be located by eye. Therein is the challenge. Thanks to Dragon Models USA for the opportunity to build this kit and to add this little gem to my collection. Recommended for sure.