The OFFICIAL Panzer III and Its Variants GB

Mike- LOL!  No worries we have somebody doing Ausf J so we are good.  

Guys-  Guess what came in the mail today.  PE stuff I and barrel ordered for the Ausf K kit.  Great Model rocks!  Hope it stays that way after the merge.  PE is for Ausf J and L. I am going to look for Ausf M PE at next show. I think I will be OK with what I have.  PE stuff for Ausf F was only 2.50! Needed it for the intake screen guard... 

Worked on the StuG a bit.  I realized I added one too many Fruilmodel links.  It had 100... Looks like 95 is the best fit with little sagging.  Applied decals but only three this time... Markings were very minimal for this.  

Unfortunately I have to work over the weekend traveling but I get to have a day off on Monday especially boys and wife will be away at school or work! 

Have a great weekend everybody!!!

GRRR! I browsed through a few cartons in my stash today and what should I find but Dragon's Pz III Ausf. J -- I did have that one after all! Hmph! No worries, I don't think I'll have time to do two before the deadline, so the StuH 42 is jusssst fine!

M/TB379

Steve -- welcome to the Tank Plant!

I just put the order in for the Cavalier waffle zim set, it should be delivered next week, then I can get to grips with the animal. I should have my latest Merk for the evergreen IDF II GB pretty much done by then.

Cheers, Mike/TB379

hey steve welcome aboard!  well guys im hoping to have my pics up tomorrow. but so far i got some primer on and have spent the last couple of days cleaning up a fe blimishes.  hopefully tonight ill shoot some red brown primer ive been wanting to try out. so we'll see how that goes.  as far as the buggy its on hold for a bit.  im hunting down a few parts right now.  i have an extra body for it so while i have the motor out i plan to do a full body swap.  so for the time being im just grinding off paint and rust.  and coating all my mating surfaces.   luckily its all easy enough just alot of effort.   

Steve- to the group build!  Am so glad you could join us.  Is that Pz III Flammpanzer you are going to build for this GB as shown in your avatar? Hope it was not that hard doing your first post.  Guys here have been a great help since I joined few years ago.

Guys- Steve and I met at the recent model show Roscoe Turner IMPS.  He took an award for a motorcycle he built.  Encouraged him to join our GB so here he is... please welcome him!

I still need to update the GB rooster list when I have the chance.  Three sign ups in two weeks... still looking good!

hello fellow modelers, my name is Steve and I would like to join your group build, if you'll let me. I am 46yrs old and have built mostly car models since about the age of 8, then about five or six years ago i kinda got out of building and now I'm back and trying my hand at military models.  must say I really like it, so far. lol thanks, Steve, the dude

Dupes was correct.  I am always learning something new... love this forum.  My bible Achtung Panzer has four pages dedicated to Ausf K at the very end.  It will be a big help too along with the site Dupes posted earlier.

FOR DISCUSSION PURPOSE ONLY:

If you can look at the text by the turret on the page, it came from Pz IV Ausf F. Here's the kit turret...

Strange thing about the sprue... it is unmarked.  Most of times Dragon would have sprues marked.  Others had either 'Pz III' or 'Pz III Ausf J'. 

Can't wait to attack this baby...

Dupes- WOW!  Thanks for the great link!  I am sure it will be useful when I start working on that kit. I am SO GLAD somebody has same disease.  LOL  You should have seen Fermis' Chinook... it took 1st place.  No surprise there!  I have to find a way to stop him from coming again.   Nah, it was so great meeting him!

Thanks for the tip about Ausf M being similar to Ausf K.   Last night I went ahead and ordered PE set from Edurado for Ausf L and 50mm long barrel from Great Model.  Man, I am going to miss that search tool if Sprue Brothers don't use it. AMPS show is coming up soon and I will look for that Ausf M/N PE set too.  Won't hurt to have few especially for this rare kit

I will take out the turret tonight and take pictures of it for us to find out.  Thanks for the head up... remind me if I forget! 

Malone- Thanks man! I will look out for that Voyager PE set online or at the show.  How is your build doing?  And that VW buggy thing too?

hey deaf the huey is awesome. i cant wait to have the nerve to take on a helo.  ive been using the voyager set for my ausf h and my m.  it has everything you need.  except the barrel.  and lucky model ships vayager for free i think.  

Last link, I promise! This one is a buildup of the kit you just got.

http://cmorrismodels.com/pz3.html

Still talking about a "modified" turret...although not specifically a pz.iv turret. Take a look at the sprues - are they all from the pz.iv kits?

This one has less info, more pictures. Some good ones, too - all the Ausf. K.

http://pzkpfwiii.devhub.com/blog/666032-pzbefwg-iii-ausf-k-mit-5-cm-kwk-39-l60/

Well, now I'm doubting that link I provided a bit. More dubious evidence:

http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_panzerbefehlswagen_III_ausf_K.html

This one states that it's "virtually identical" to an Ausf. M. Don't remember if Eduard (or anyone else) makes a set for the Imperial M/N.

Andy - congrats on the win! Must have been some stiff competition of you only took a 3rd with this guy.

deafpanzer

Quick update... John (ogrejohn) and I looked for an upgrade set for Ausf K at the show last Saturday but we couldn't find any.  We were wondering if it will work if I can just order Ausf J or L upgrade instead as they are more available everywhere?

The Eduard update set for the J would help you out on the hull somewhat - it's made for the DML kit, so all of those parts should be identical with a few minor exceptions. On the turret, however, it won't do anything for you. Can't vouch for the accuracy of these statements, but read here:

http://www.network54.com/Forum/47207/thread/997895842/997899176/Question+about+Panzer+IIIK%2C+DML+kit+%23+9018

deafpanzer

Now my workbench is all clean, clear and ready for me to attack the StuG!  That's a OCD thing... I clean it real good between builds. 

Hehehe...I'm the same way. Total douching in between builds.

Grin -- I wish I had a missus to tell me when my workspace starts to look like Red Green's shed!

I'm trying to find the Aber skirt set for the StuH 42 at a decent price, I could use the kit items but they're definitely overscale... Not sure yet, i don't want to keep raising the price, the zim alone will cost more than I actually gave for the kit!

M/TB379

Mike- Thanks man!  It was a fun build... nice quick break from building armors.  Took me 7 weeks and it has to be my new record to complete a kit!!!  Just call your wife for help to clean your workbench if you have to.

We are hoping to see more than 25 builds coming out of this GB.  It has been great and fun because of you guys.  Looking forward to see your WIP thread when you are ready to attack your StuH! 

Andy -- great work on that chopper, no wonder she took a prize!

Man, I would love to have a bench like that and one day I hope to. I try to clear up mine betwen builds but that seems to amount to putting the paints away, and it gets messy again so quick it's as if I didn't bother. I counted all builds underway recently, whether active or back in their boxes, and it's something like 23. That's not counting the StuH 42 either, which is earmarked to begin...

Cheers, Mike

Quick update... John (ogrejohn) and I looked for an upgrade set for Ausf K at the show last Saturday but we couldn't find any.  We were wondering if it will work if I can just order Ausf J or L upgrade instead as they are more available everywhere? 

I am happy to report that my Huey build is complete.  It bagged third place award at the show. My friend loved his 50th birthday gift... he flew it for 14 years when he was in the Army.

Better picture here...

Guess what Fed Ex has delivered to my porch today?

Another Imperial kit to be added to our GB... THANK YOU Satch ip for helping us out. Dig the box art!

I will build as soon as I am done with my StuG.  However I haven't done this before... two builds at the same time.  I have signed up for another GB and it expires in June or July too.

Now my workbench is all clean, clear and ready for me to attack the StuG!  That's a OCD thing... I clean it real good between builds. 

Oh, what is that thing on the workbench?  StuG III Ausf F/8 of course!

Andy -- I've been doing some research and info seems pretty scarce on StuH 42s in the east. I have verified that at least two units used this mark with waffle zim in the last winter of the war, one in the Kurland region, the other in East Prussia (both were marking options in the Dragon kit with the moulded zim). I have no info as yet as to whether these units had skirts fitted, but standoff armour on vehicles as old as the III/IV designs was probably pretty widespread by the end, and it's not too wild a speculation.

I already have the Eduard PE grill set for this kit in hand, and I mined the kit out of the stash earlier (not an easy job when the cartons are stacked ceiling-high, but at least my electronic catalog seems to be doing its job!)

Cheers, Mike/TB379

OK Andy, we'll check out the PE sets. If it's not there remember AMPS is coming in April. 

Mike/TB- The Tamiya kit looks great!  Now I know what kit you were talking about.  Glad you could join us!  It is going to be fun and you will get plenty of help if you need. 

Guys- Good news, one of our friends here 'satch ip' has offered me to buy his Dragon Imperial Pz III Ausf K for a very good price.  Thank you satch ip!   He was supposed to build it as his second build but things have changed at his end which I completely understood.  So the kit will be on the way here and I will do my best to finish it by July. 

Ogreohn-  You are off hook to help me look for a kit at the show this Saturday but maybe you can look for good upgrade sets instead. LOL

Andy -- here's the kit:

I didn't have to photograph the box, I remembered I already had this shot on Photobucket from when i built it in 2008 for The Hunters GB. That time I did a straight StuG III/G of the Stug Brigade of the Grossdeutschland, IIRC, without skirts, hatches closed, and featuring Echelon decals for Kursk.

I enjoyed doing a Cavalier zimmerit job on a Tamiya StuG IV about two years ago so it's time to have another go. I remember this kit builds like a breeze, and I'm looking forward to it, especially to exploiting the range of possibilities in the box.

Cheers, Mike/TB379

Mike/TB- OHHHH, a Tamiya kit?  It will be a nice change for us because we have seen a lot of Dragon and CyberHobby kits here.  Looking forward to this and the picture of the box artwork. 

Armor86- I am always a big fan of North Africa campaign and I am surprised there hasn't been a GB for more than three years.  Desert sand always look on Panzers!  Did you see wBill's camo job on his Bison in the armors forum?  Wondering if Panzer IIIs had those camo jobs too? 

That's cool deaf panzer ... The 2 in 1 Dragon 6463 will initial start the same way ... back end will be different and the main gun L60 ...  north africa theater. Have a new reference book 'Panzer III's in North Africa' ... Armor86

Andy -- it's the Tamiya StuG III, it has the StuH 42 option right in the box. Will snap the box top and post asap!

Cheers, Mike/TB379

malone duke- We posted at the same time.   What a beauty!!!  Your mustang... I have to say it is 100 times better looking than any of my builds. Thanks for posting great pictures! 

Your Beo is looking GREAT!   Loaded with PE and aftermarket parts.  Can't wait to see your next update... I have revised the build list from Ausf K to Beo Ausf H. Glad you are still with us.

Mike- You will like the details on resin figures from Tank.  I have few in stash and I used one already for my current build StuG Ausf F/8... check it out.

Little pricey but they look great especially the details. 

Please feel free to post a picture of your StuH kit box when you have the chance.  Is it a Dragon kit?  I will update the build list when I have the chance.  Thanks again... looking forward to have you aboard!

[View:/themes/fsm/utility/:550:0]

[View:/themes/fsm/utility/:550:0]

[View:/themes/fsm/utility/:550:0]

[View:/themes/fsm/utility/:550:0]

[View:/themes/fsm/utility/:550:0]

[View:/themes/fsm/utility/:550:0]

[View:/themes/fsm/utility/:550:0]

alrighty gents, here she is, my beo with added schurzen.  man all that photo etch was a pain.  its not all that great but i learned a few valuable lessons on this one.  mainly i got alot better at glue control.  as well i am getting a little better at bending.  i really need to get one of those bending tools.  top of my purchase list.  also my hands just werent all that into it this time as well.  you'll see in the extra pics my 1/1 scale 1966 ford mustang.  i just completed rebuilding the motor.  over a period of three weeks at around four hours a night.  i tried to get her as clean and detailed as my money permitted. dont think i did too bad..  now she'll run another 50 years.  now i can rebuild my 71 vw superbeetle motor. then on to body work.  oh and by the way.  if anyone ever gives you a hassle on rusting out exhaust systems.  show them this pic.  my exhaust manifold is completely rusted out three days after turning her over..  i spent two days grinding off all the grime and repainting it only to have it look like that again..  i have to get a new one in a while anyways, so ill just have it ceramic coated...  [View:/themes/fsm/utility/:550:0]

Right, I can order up the Cavalier zim set, and I've been researching figures, there's resin ones by Tank and a few others that might be applicable from other outfits...

Cheers, wanted to do this one for a long time,

Mike/TB379

Thunderbolt- YES!  That would be GREAT if you can do StuH 42 with waffle zim in winter scheme!  You are correct about Pz III Ausf L... couple have been built already and one more is on its way I think.  It will be more interesting and fun for us to follow your StuH 42 build. 

Now you got me all excited...

Hi DP,

I might have a combo to offer that might not have appeared yet -- a StuH 42 with waffle zim (never done that one before) in winter scheme (nor that) and mud (nor that) with schkurtzen and figures...

Interesting?

M/TB379