In Box Review of Zvezda 1/35th Scale
German Pz.Kpfw. III Ausf. F Tank
Kit no. 2571
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright 2004
Out of production
Available at Mega Hobby for $32.36 in a later boxing or Dragon’s kit no. 6631, also at Mega Hobby in a copyright 2010 boxing and 4 locations overseas on the web.
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright 2004
Out of production
Available at Mega Hobby for $32.36 in a later boxing or Dragon’s kit no. 6631, also at Mega Hobby in a copyright 2010 boxing and 4 locations overseas on the web.
HISTORY:
The Panzerkampfwagen III, commonly known as the Panzer III, was a medium tank developed in the 1930s by Germany, and was used extensively in World War II. The official German ordnance designation was Sd.Kfz. 141.
It was intended to fight other armoured fighting vehicles and serve alongside and support the similar Panzer IV, which was originally designed for infantry support. However, as the Germans faced the formidable T-34, more powerful anti-tank guns were needed, and since the Panzer IV had more development potential with a larger turret ring, it was redesigned to mount the long-barrelled 7.5 cm KwK 40 gun.
The Panzer III effectively swapped roles with the Panzer IV, as from 1942 the last version of Panzer III mounted the 7.5 cm KwK 37 L/24 that was better suited for infantry support. Production of the Panzer III ceased in 1943. Nevertheless, the Panzer III's capable chassis provided hulls for the Sturmgeschütz III assault gun until the end of the war.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Type: Medium tank
Place of origin: Nazi Germany
In service: 1939–1945
Used by: Germany, Hungary, Romania, Slovak Republic, Croatia, Norway, Turkey
Wars: World War II
Designer: Daimler-Benz
Designed: 1935–1937
Manufacturer: Daimler-Benz
Unit cost: 103,163 Reichsmark (Ausf. M)
Produced: 1939–1943
No. built: 5,774 (excluding StuG III)
Mass: 23.0 tonnes (25.4 short tons)
Length: 5.56 m (18 ft 3 in)
Width: 2.90 m (9 ft 6 in)
Height: 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in)
Crew: 5 (commander, gunner, loader, driver, radio operator/bow machine-gunner)
Armour: Ausf A-C: 15 mm all around, Ausf D-G: 30 mm all around, Ausf J +: 50 mm all around
Main-armament: 1 × 3.7 cm KwK 36 Ausf. A-G, 1 × 5 cm KwK 38 Ausf. F-J, 1 × 5 cm KwK 39 Ausf. J¹-M, 1 × 7.5 cm KwK 37 Ausf. N
Secondary armament: 2–3 × 7.92 mm Maschinengewehr 34
Engine: 12-cylinder Maybach HL120 TRM of 300 PS (296 hp, 220 kW)
Power/weight: 12 hp (9.6 kW) / tonne
Suspension: Torsion-bar
Fuel capacity: 300-320 litres
Operational range: 165 km (103 mi)
Maximum speed: Road: 40 km/h (25 mph), Off-road: 20 km/h (12 mph)
The Panzerkampfwagen III, commonly known as the Panzer III, was a medium tank developed in the 1930s by Germany, and was used extensively in World War II. The official German ordnance designation was Sd.Kfz. 141.
It was intended to fight other armoured fighting vehicles and serve alongside and support the similar Panzer IV, which was originally designed for infantry support. However, as the Germans faced the formidable T-34, more powerful anti-tank guns were needed, and since the Panzer IV had more development potential with a larger turret ring, it was redesigned to mount the long-barrelled 7.5 cm KwK 40 gun.
The Panzer III effectively swapped roles with the Panzer IV, as from 1942 the last version of Panzer III mounted the 7.5 cm KwK 37 L/24 that was better suited for infantry support. Production of the Panzer III ceased in 1943. Nevertheless, the Panzer III's capable chassis provided hulls for the Sturmgeschütz III assault gun until the end of the war.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Type: Medium tank
Place of origin: Nazi Germany
In service: 1939–1945
Used by: Germany, Hungary, Romania, Slovak Republic, Croatia, Norway, Turkey
Wars: World War II
Designer: Daimler-Benz
Designed: 1935–1937
Manufacturer: Daimler-Benz
Unit cost: 103,163 Reichsmark (Ausf. M)
Produced: 1939–1943
No. built: 5,774 (excluding StuG III)
Mass: 23.0 tonnes (25.4 short tons)
Length: 5.56 m (18 ft 3 in)
Width: 2.90 m (9 ft 6 in)
Height: 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in)
Crew: 5 (commander, gunner, loader, driver, radio operator/bow machine-gunner)
Armour: Ausf A-C: 15 mm all around, Ausf D-G: 30 mm all around, Ausf J +: 50 mm all around
Main-armament: 1 × 3.7 cm KwK 36 Ausf. A-G, 1 × 5 cm KwK 38 Ausf. F-J, 1 × 5 cm KwK 39 Ausf. J¹-M, 1 × 7.5 cm KwK 37 Ausf. N
Secondary armament: 2–3 × 7.92 mm Maschinengewehr 34
Engine: 12-cylinder Maybach HL120 TRM of 300 PS (296 hp, 220 kW)
Power/weight: 12 hp (9.6 kW) / tonne
Suspension: Torsion-bar
Fuel capacity: 300-320 litres
Operational range: 165 km (103 mi)
Maximum speed: Road: 40 km/h (25 mph), Off-road: 20 km/h (12 mph)
THE KIT:
Zvezda is an old prolific model company based in the Moscow District, Russia. They make all manner of model subjects in the popular scales.
This kit comes in a blousy, shrink-wrapped tray and lid type box. It is 2 ½” too long and 1” too wide. Creating a letter “L” void around the parts.
The cover art shows a color illustration of 2 Pz.Kpfw. III Ausf. F’s moving across a field past a third Pz.Kpfw. III Ausf. F that is burning.
All three tanks are overall Panzer gray.
The tank in the foreground has a white number 432, followed by the German cross on the sides of its hull. On the right side of the front wall there is a yellow tactical marking of an upside down letter Y with 2 small vertical bars beside it.
One side panel has one-paragraph histories of the tank in Russian, English, Italian, German, French and Spanish. Each language is labeled with a color illustration of the flag of the country that speaks the language.
Zvezda is an old prolific model company based in the Moscow District, Russia. They make all manner of model subjects in the popular scales.
This kit comes in a blousy, shrink-wrapped tray and lid type box. It is 2 ½” too long and 1” too wide. Creating a letter “L” void around the parts.
The cover art shows a color illustration of 2 Pz.Kpfw. III Ausf. F’s moving across a field past a third Pz.Kpfw. III Ausf. F that is burning.
All three tanks are overall Panzer gray.
The tank in the foreground has a white number 432, followed by the German cross on the sides of its hull. On the right side of the front wall there is a yellow tactical marking of an upside down letter Y with 2 small vertical bars beside it.
One side panel has one-paragraph histories of the tank in Russian, English, Italian, German, French and Spanish. Each language is labeled with a color illustration of the flag of the country that speaks the language.
The other side panel says: Kit is not suitable for children under 3 years because of small parts. It is for modelers 10 and over. In multiple languages including English.
WHAT’S IN THE BOX:
The kit contains 6 medium gray trees, a loose medium gray hull tub part, 3 loose medium gray drive sprockets, the decal sheet and the instructions. Nothing is in cello bags.
There is a small slip that says that Italeri in Italy is the European distributor of Zvezda kits.
I have added On the Mark brand’s brass PE set, no. TMP-3509, that cost me $12.00 and a Jordi Rubio brand turned aluminum gun barrel, kit no. TG-02, that cost me $4.50 to this kit.
The kit contains 6 medium gray trees, a loose medium gray hull tub part, 3 loose medium gray drive sprockets, the decal sheet and the instructions. Nothing is in cello bags.
There is a small slip that says that Italeri in Italy is the European distributor of Zvezda kits.
I have added On the Mark brand’s brass PE set, no. TMP-3509, that cost me $12.00 and a Jordi Rubio brand turned aluminum gun barrel, kit no. TG-02, that cost me $4.50 to this kit.
The instructions consist of a single-sheet that is folded in the center to create 4 pages in 9 ¼” x 11 ½” page format.
Page 1 begins with a suggested paint color listing of Model Master brand hobby paints, next to a side view, 2-view and a 3-view of the Pz.Kpfw. III Ausf. F.
The side view is overall Panzer gray. It carries an insignia of a white rectangle with a black rectangle that has a white winged dragon on it on its turret sides and a white skeletal type German cross on the sides of the hull. It is as it appeared on the Eastern Front in 1941.
The 2-view is overall dark-green. It has the white number 04 followed by a white Soviet hammer and sickle insignia on the sides of the turret. It is how it looked after capture by the Red Army.
The 3-view is overall Panzer-gray. It carries the white serial number 431 followed by a white skeletal type German cross and small white serial no. 65428 on the sides of its hull. It has a tactical mark of a yellow upside down letter “Y” with a small vertical bar beside it. It is how the tank looked on the Eastern Front in 1943.
No units are named for these three.
At the bottom of the page is ATTENTIONS about the kit and the 6 single-paragraph histories in the 6 languages repeated off the side panel with the flag labels.
Page 2 through 4 gives a grand total of 19 assembly steps.
In step 19 we are shown to heat seal the vinyl tread lengths into a loop with a hot screwdriver.
Trees are alphabetized, but not illustrated in the instructions.
Medium gray letter A tree holds: the hull top, fenders, rear hull wall, jack, muffler, tools etc. (40 parts)
Page 1 begins with a suggested paint color listing of Model Master brand hobby paints, next to a side view, 2-view and a 3-view of the Pz.Kpfw. III Ausf. F.
The side view is overall Panzer gray. It carries an insignia of a white rectangle with a black rectangle that has a white winged dragon on it on its turret sides and a white skeletal type German cross on the sides of the hull. It is as it appeared on the Eastern Front in 1941.
The 2-view is overall dark-green. It has the white number 04 followed by a white Soviet hammer and sickle insignia on the sides of the turret. It is how it looked after capture by the Red Army.
The 3-view is overall Panzer-gray. It carries the white serial number 431 followed by a white skeletal type German cross and small white serial no. 65428 on the sides of its hull. It has a tactical mark of a yellow upside down letter “Y” with a small vertical bar beside it. It is how the tank looked on the Eastern Front in 1943.
No units are named for these three.
At the bottom of the page is ATTENTIONS about the kit and the 6 single-paragraph histories in the 6 languages repeated off the side panel with the flag labels.
Page 2 through 4 gives a grand total of 19 assembly steps.
In step 19 we are shown to heat seal the vinyl tread lengths into a loop with a hot screwdriver.
Trees are alphabetized, but not illustrated in the instructions.
Medium gray letter A tree holds: the hull top, fenders, rear hull wall, jack, muffler, tools etc. (40 parts)
There are 2 identical medium gray letter B trees. They hold: road wheels, exhaust pipes, final transfer covers, idler wheels, drive sprockets, tow hooks, bogies etc. (63 parts ea.)
lettering jumps to the medium gray letter F tree. It holds: alternate fenders, turret parts, cupola, hatch doors, gun barrel etc. (38 parts)
There are 2 identical medium gray letter G trees. They hold drive sprockets etc. (19 parts ea.)
The loose hull tub and 4 loose alternate drive sprockets are next.
The decal sheet completes the kit.
There are no crew figures or clear parts and not interior details.
External detail is great.
External detail is great.
Highly recommended.