Dragon 1/35 Pz.Kpfw.III Ausf.J # 6394

About The Panzer III
The Panzer III helped form the backbone of Germany’s vaunted Panzer divisions, especially in the earlier stages of WWII.

To keep this medium tank competitive on the battlefield, it received a number of improvements in armour and armament throughout its life.

The Pz.Kpfw. III Ausf. J, manufactured between March 1941 and July 1942, was the first model to feature 50mm thick basic frontal armour.

The rear and engine deck were also redesigned since the hull was lengthened.

The Early Ausf. J retained the 5cm KwK38 L/42 gun, while Late models received the longer 5cm KwK38 L/60.

Dragon’s brand new 1/35 scale kit of a Panzer III Ausf. J was recently unveiled at the Shizuoka Show in Japan.

This is a 2-in-1 Smart Kit that allows both Early and Late models with their different gun barrels to be produced.

The kit is another masterpiece from the experienced Japanese design team, and because it’s a Smart Kit, ease of assembly is assured.

This kit is replete with a sizzling level of detail, and no effort has been spared in producing the world’s best model of this Panzer III variant.

A total of 1549 tanks of this mark were produced, ensuring that it was widely used on the Eastern Front and in North Africa.

Its diverse use against T-34s and KV-1 tanks in Russia, or Grants and Valentines on North Africa’s battlefields, provides modellers with even more opportunities in depicting this tank in different displays or dioramas.

This range of options is enhanced by a selection of high-quality decal markings.

This is an exciting new Panzer III kit from Dragon, and it easily maintains the impetus of Dragon’s trailblazing Smart Kits!

Features

Gun and Mantlet:
-Brand new 5cm Kw.K L/42 gun with delicate detail
-Newly tooled 5cm Kw.K L/60 gun with great detail is included as an option for variant
-Gun barrels are slide moulded
-Complete gun assembly w/full detail
-Slide-molded mantlet is newly tooled
-3 directional slide-moulded gun sleeve for greater detail
-Optional add-on armour for gun mantlet
-New top plate for spaced armour over mantlet
-Photo-etched parts provided as an option for mantlet add-on armour

Turret:
-Newly tooled turret made by 3-directional slide moulds
-New slide-moulded stowage bin w/fine details can be assembled open/closed
-Commander’s hatch w/interior detail
-Clear parts for vision port glass
-Direct sighting post can be made from supplied photo-etched part
-Commander’s cupola realistically recreates structural details
-Cupola vision blocks can be assembled open/closed
-Finely detailed vision block assembly with clear plastic parts
-Side hatches can be assembled open/closed with interior details
-Pistol ports can be shown open/closed
-Turret side hooks especially designed w/ undercut details
-Includes hollowed-out undercut on turret bottom
-Incorporates toothed ring in turret interior

Upper Hull & Engine Deck:
-Newly tooled fender with pattern detail on both top and bottom surfaces
-New injection-moulded tow cable
-Newly tooled slide-moulded engine deck for Pz.III Ausf.J
-Notek headlight w/exquisite detail
-Optional brackets for extra armour on hull top
-Optional extra armour on fighting compartment front plate
-Complete MG w/workable ball mount
-Cooling air intakes are slide moulded
-Photo-etched air intake grills
-Air intake covers w/ mounts realistically reproduced
-Toolbox w/ padlock produced by slide mould
-Injection-molded on-vehicle tools provided with clasps
-Jack reproduced in multiple parts

Chassis & Suspension:
-One-piece slide-moulded lower hull w/exquisite detail is newly designed
-Lower hull sides come with full detail
-Fully detailed weld seams on the hull bottom
-Slide-molded torsion bars included
-Exhaust pipes w/hollow ends
-Detailed track tension adjuster
-Idler wheels w/photo-etched parts
-Accurate sprocket wheels and road wheels
-Final drive housing covers are separate parts for maximum detail
-Slide-molded hydraulic shock absorbers are extremely well detailed
-Detailed suspension swing arms
-40cm Magic Tracks

Others:
-Cartograf Decals offers accurate markings