The Panzer III Digital Library - Mid-War Panzer 200521

[ripley]

I would say  he's being sarcastic , as in they'll change the box art and plans but leave the wrong part on the sprue  .    Not something I could see Rubicon doing , remember , they retooled the Panzer III and IV because of imperfections in the kits , so why would they put out sub standard product in this case ? To fix it , they're going to have to recut the master , that's take time and money . If the wheel pieces were separate parts like in 1/35 kits , then they could just cast up a mini sprue of 4 idler wheels  to throw in the box , but as the wheels and tracks are all one piece its more complicated .

[H0ffmn]

Maybe Rubicon could do this as a quick fix- release the kit as is, and add to the sprues the two corrected rear idler wheels , or sell separate add on kits of the corrected rear idle wheels,either in resin or plastic.It would be a pain to cut the molded idler wheel off the plastic track run, but this way the corrected idler wheel could be modeled.
 Or , maybe a better and easier alternative, for us, maybe not for Rubicon , would be to add to the kit ,or release as a add on,  the corrected idler wheel with a slide molded section of track molded in one piece onto the replacement idler wheel.That way all that would be needed is to cut a rear section of the track, and glue the replacement track/idler wheel in its place. This way, Rubicon could add the detail to the rear section of track, which they  usually are only able to add to the front section of track.

[ripley]

While I think a resin idler with track and directions for installation ( cut here , etc ) would work for the model builder types who buy Rubicon kits , I think some would be put off by the need to "fix" the kit . Not all of the gamers I know are comfortable putting together a 6 piece resin kit never mind a 50 / 100 piece plastic /resin craftsman type  kit . IMO Rubicon should cut a new master of the track with roadwheels , idler front  and rear idler pieces , add it to the kit and reprint the instructions to reflect the changes

[H0ffmn]

Some gamers who 'would be put off by the need to fix the kit', probably wouldn't care if they had seven or eight spokes on their idle wheels. After all , it only took 6 months after the pictures of the sprues being posted, and a bunch of people viewing them, that it was pointed out that the idler is incorrect .
Hopefully,  and I'm sure that Rubicon will, make an acceptable fix

[EarlyWarGamer]

I am sure Rubicon will fix the issue as well. And they will do so without resorting to measures that would make them look less than professional to both the gaming and modeling worlds.  Somebody, somewhere is going to eat the cost of remaking the mold, and the final kit, while delayed, will include the proper parts.

[Tracks]

Had Rubicon Models made the track sets for the Panzer III in the same method they did for the Panzer IV, it would be an easy fix because the idler wheel is two separate parts. Unless the road wheels are different, I wonder why they just didn't do the same thing that they did with the Panzer IV. That is, the drive wheel and idler wheel are separate bits.

However, I do like that they reversed the road wheels on the Panzer III (as opposed to the Panzer IV). That is, the road wheels in the inside have the support frame (connecting bars) instead of them being on the outside. On the Panzer IV, its almost a must to have to remove these, but if they where in the inside, I can see the temptation to leave them on since they would be harder to see.

But getting back to the issue at had. What to do with that incorrect idler wheel already affixed to the track set. From what I know about how the molds are made, there is no way to fix it on the original mold. They would need to make a new mold, or just a new mold for that specific track set, and add it as a replacement part to the kit with an included note to the modeller.

Obviously I can't speak for everyone. I am more of a gamer than a die-hard rivet counter, so  I can live with the incorrect idler wheel (the seven spokes) that you have to use when assembling the early Panzer IIIs. Sadly, there will be some that will not buy this kit because of the mistake, and that would be bad for Rubicon Models.

However, if you were to assemble one of the early Panzer IIIs that were repaired or refurbished later, you can get away with using the track set with the newer idler wheel. Panzer III Es, Fs, and Gs are also know to have the new pattern drive and idler wheels, but these tanks were rebuilt and/or refurbished either in the field or at a factory. Also, it happened only after the introduction of the new designed idler and drive. However,  if you wanted a true representation of an early version of an E, F, or G, you cannot use the new design drive and idler.

Some gamers who 'would be put off by the need to fix the kit', probably wouldn't care if they had seven or eight spokes on their idle wheels. After all , it only took 6 months after the pictures of the sprues being posted, and a bunch of people viewing them, that it was pointed out that the idler is incorrect .

@Hoffmn - you  make a good point, but speaking for myself (and possibly others), even though I gave the sprue pictures a good look, I wasn't really looking for mistakes. Especially for something that I would be so obvious. I think in this case, Rubicon Models' reputation kept most of us from really looking for any obvious mistakes.

This is the picture that slipped past us...



Had we noticed the incorrect idler wheel here on the digital form before mold making, we could have caught it early.

[Rubicon Models]

To get into the holiday spirit, Rubicon Models is going to present a work-in-progress imagery every day until Christmas Eve! Here is our first one...

The Panzer III Ausf E was the first version of the mass-produced Panzer III tanks, it had 30mm armour all-round, other than the rear of the vehicle, which increased the weight to 20t. Suspension redesigned, switching from leaf-springs to torsion-bars, now using six larger roadwheels per side. Had a 300PS HL120 engine. A total of 96 was produced in 1939.

The Panzerbefehlswagen III Ausf E was the second command tank based on the Panzer III. Based on the standard Panzer III Ausf E, the main gun was replaced by a dummy gun, the hull machine gun removed, the turret bolted in place and the addition of an extra long-range radio set. It could be recognised by the distinctive frame antenna on the rear deck. A total of 45 was produced between 1939 and 1940.



Enjoy!

[Tracks]

In the picture of the Panzer III Ausf E and the Panzerbefehlswagen III Ausf E above, we still see the wrong idler wheel, but the models still look very good. Looking forward to seeing the Panzer III released from Rubicon Models. Mostly for the early version of the Panzer III, but because of the error in the idler wheel, I have a feeling the released date is pushed back significantly.

I wonder if Rubicon Models will just leave the current mold as is, but make a new mold that has just the corrected idler wheel. This can be added to the kit with a note for the correction. I'm really hoping its not going to be a resin fix.

[Rubicon Models]

The Panzer III Ausf F was very similar to the Ausf E and Ausf G. The factory painted dark grey (dunkelgrau RAL 46) and dark brown (dunkelbraun RAL 45) camouflage pattern but was discontinued by end of July 1940. They were just painted dunkelgrau after that date. Most were used in the invasion of Holland, Belgium and France in May 1940. These tanks were upgraded during their combat life with different guns, turrets and more armour.

Later Panzer III Ausf F was fitted with 5cm KwK 38 L/42 guns. An armoured vent was fitted to the roof of the turret and rear engine deck to enable it to cope with the dust and heat of the North African desert. It was painted in dark yellow (dunkelgelb). They were also used on the Eastern Front.  A total of 450 were built between 1939 and 1941.



Enjoy!

[Rubicon Models]

The Panzer III Ausf G was produced between March 1940 and early 1941, a total of 594 was produced. It was very similar to the Ausf E and Ausf F with minor differences in specifications. It was fitted with the 285hp HL120 TRM petrol/gasoline engine which had a different magneto and modified cooling system than the HL120 TR 250hp engine fitted on the Ausf E. The angled front glacis and lower hull plates were 25mm thick. The hull rear was 30mm thick on the Ausf G.

The first Ausf G tanks were armed with 3.7cm KwK L/46.5 tank gun. Some took part in the invasion of the Netherland, Belgium and France in May 1940. After experiences during the battle of France, later versions were armed with the 5cm KwK 38 L/42 gun. They were used on the Eastern Front and in North Africa. These tanks were upgraded during their combat life with different guns, turrets and more armour. Rear turret stowage boxes were sometimes fitted later.



Enjoy!

[ultravanillasmurf]

YMMV but in the UK, the Works has the Haynes' manual on offer: https://www.theworks.co.uk/p/military-books/haynes-panzer-iii-workshop-manual/9780857338273

[Rubicon Models]

The Panzer III Ausf H was the first version of the tank to be designed with a turret fitted with the 5cm KwK 38 L/42 tank gun and with 60mm of frontal armour, rather than having these specifications added later in an upgrade program. They started to be delivered in late 1940 and early 1941, a total of 286 was produced.  The 5cm Kampfwagenkanone L/42 tank gun was semi-automatic: the breech block remained open after firing to enable the next round to be loaded quicker. It's standard armour piercing AP shell could penetrate or 55mm of armour laid at an angle of 30 degrees at a range of 100m, 46mm at 500m and 36mm at a range of 1km. The turret only had one coaxial 7.92mm MG34 machine gun, another MG34 was mounted in the hull.

The Panzerbefehlswagen III Ausf H was the third version of command tank based on the Panzer III and was based on the standard Panzer III Ausf H. Like the earlier Ausf D1 and Ausf E, the Ausf H featured a dummy main gun, had its turret bolted in place and had a distinctive frame antenna on the rear deck. In early production, the dummy gun resembled the 3.7cm gun of the early Panzer III, but later in the run, a mock 5cm gun was used instead.  A total of 175 units were produced between 1940 and 1941.



Enjoy!

[Rubicon Models]

The Panzer III Ausf J was very similar to the Panzer III Ausf G. In the spring of 1941, additional armour plate was added internally to the front of the turret increasing it to a maximum of 57mm in places. The chassis was lengthened to create better engine compartment ventilation and tow eyes. The design of the armoured front brake vents was changed. The turret was fitted with an armoured extractor fan on the roof.

The 5cm KampfwagonKanone (KwK – tank gun) had a length of 2,100mm (L/42) from the muzzle to the back of the breech. It had a rate of fire of up to 20 rounds per minute. This was achieved by having a semi-automatic breech which opened before the end of the recoil, ejected the spent casing and allowed for the quick loading of the next shell.  From December 1941 the 5cm KwK L/60 tank gun started to be fitted instead of the 5cm KwK L/42 gun, as stocks arrived in factories. Tanks sent to North Africa had armoured vents fitted on the rear engine deck. In April 1941 stowage bins started to be fitted to the rear of the turret.  A total of 1,521 were produced between 1941 and 1942.

Using the appearance of spaced armour on Panzer III tanks is not a reliable way of identifying the different Ausf version. Late production Ausf J tanks had 20mm spaced armour fitted to the front of the turret and the hull. Some older tanks had it back fitted later.



Enjoy!

[Rubicon Models]

The Panzer III Ausf L was basically re-designated Ausf J equipped with the long 5cm gun, 20mm stand-off armour plates on hull and turret front. A total of 1,470 were produced between 1941 and 1942.

The Panzerbefehlswagen III Ausf J/L (Panzerbefehlswagen mit 5cm KwK L/42) was the first in the series of command tanks based on the Panzer III to retain the tank’s main gun. The lack of anything more potent than a machine gun had been a major drawback in the earlier models. A total of 81 were produced between 1941 and 1942.  The Panzerbefehlswagen III Ausf J/L was used to equip the newly formed SS Panzer Divisions, and to replace the very large number of tanks destroyed on the Eastern Front. The Ausf J was also used by Sturmpanzer and assault gun detachments.

The Panzerbefehlswagen III Ausf K (Panzerbefehlswagen mit 5cm KwK39 L/60) was the last in the series of command tanks based on the Panzer III, and the only one to be custom-built with its 5cm main gun intact. The Panzerbefehlswagen Ausf K was virtually identical to the standard Panzer III Ausf M, but with some of the ammunition removed to make way for the new radios. As with all of the command tanks extra vision ports were cut into the side of the superstructure. The Ausf K saw the replacement of the distinctive frame antenna with a more standard star antenna, removing the most obvious visual difference between the Panzerbefehlswagen and the standard Panzer III. Having said that the Panzerbefehlswagen Ausf K remained in front line service after the Panzer III itself had been withdrawn, rather reducing the difficulty of identifying it!  A total of 50 were produced between 1942 and 1943.



Enjoy!

[Rubicon Models]

The Panzer III Ausf M was Ausf L with minor modifications, such as deep-wading exhaust and Schürzen side-armour panels.  A total of 517 was produced between 1942 and 1943.

The specific model chosen for conversion into the Flammpanzer was the Panzerkampfwagen III Ausf M. This model had the additional "Vorpanzer" armour and was usually armed with 5cm KwK 39 gun. One-hundred of Ausf M were converted in 1943. During the production phase, the tanks were simply designated as "Flammpanzerwagen (SdKfz 141)". They were later designated as "PzKpfw III (fl) (SdKfz 141/3)". It is also sometimes known as the Flammpanzer III Ausf M or, simply, Flammpanzer III.

The flamethrower was the 14mm Flammenwerfer (14mm nozzle). It was mounted in the turret of the Panzer III, replacing the standard 5cm gun. In an effort to disguise the tank's role and to protect the stubby flame gun, a false barrel was designed, which was 1.5 meters long with a diameter of 120mm. It could spray a stream of liquid, unlit, inert oil to a maximum range of 50 meters, increasing to 60 when ignited. The flame gun was fed by 1,020 liters of fuel held in the vehicle’s hull in two 510-liter tanks on either side of the drive shaft. As a gunner and loader were unnecessary in a flame tank, the Flammpanzer only had a crew of three as the commander now assumed the role of flame gun operator. The other two crewmen were typical. A bow-gunner/radio operator at the front right and driver at the front left.

The Flammpanzer III saw action in both the Russian and Italian campaigns starting in 1943. Previously, Flammpanzers were attached to autonomous battalions which were in turn attached to higher headquarters for combat assignments. This changed in 1943, with the arrival of this new Panzer III(fl). Platoons of these vehicles were incorporated into standard Panzer-Abteilung Stabskompanie. These were officially known as Panzer-Flamm-Zug.



Enjoy!