The Panzer III Digital Library - Mid-War Panzer 200521

[Rubicon Models]

77
The tools and tow cable stand out on the kit, separate pieces to glue on?

Most of the tools and the tow cable are now separate to ease painting and modelling.

77
The hatches on the nose of the new III should have the armored hinges as shown on the old III. CAD slip I hope, no III had hatch details like that in any of my reference books.

We have double checked the hatches and hinges for all the variants, and we believe they are correct.  We had used several blueprint references, including those by Spielberger, Doyle, and Squadron.

77
Still not too sure on the road wheels, something about them looks funny to me. The stress hole spacing, or maybe the thickness of the rim between the steel and the rubber tire, just something bugs me ....maybe it just needs to be painted.

Again, same as the hatches and hinges, we are quite sure the roadwheels are correct.

[ultravanillasmurf]

Looks good.

[ripley]

Your right , I'm wrong Rubicon  .  The M hull ( 250 with L/60 50mm gun produced ) had internal nose hatch hinges . The M hull was also used for 200 odd L/24 75mm gun versions ( SdKfz 141/2 N ) , the rest of the N vehicles ( about 500 ) built on the J/L hull with armored hinges

[Tracks]

The front hull maintenance hatches are incorrect, but overall the new Pz.III is looking good.
I know you said you double checked, but I'm looking at my various Pz.III books and somethings doesn't seem just right. Maybe its the four holes. Also missing hatch hinges?

[ripley]

No , they're right Tracks . As I stated above the M version  had internal hinges . After 250  L/60 50mm armed tanks , they built about 200 tanks with the short 75mm .  All  Panzer III's , weather a J , L or M hull  got called a N when armed with the 75mm . ( kind of like the Brit Centaur I being re-engined with the Meteor  and then being called a Cromwell III ) Just enough confusion to mess with our minds after too much Xmas cheer 

See no visible armored hinges . Took me a while to find a good picture , most pictures I can find have a row of track links across the nose hiding the hinges or lack of them . Here's the complete photo

[Tracks]

What is weird, is that I can't find detailed information (illustrations and photos) of the front hull maintenance hatches, and I got several good books on the Panzer III including "The Spielberger German Armor & Military Vehicles Volume 3 - Panzer III and its Variants".

What I can gather from the text information, photos, illustrations, and drawings in these books that I have, it does look like there were hatches you pictured above, but in the production. Most being the split hatch and the one piece hatch with visible hinges. But I can't find are photos or other information of hatches with four holes/dimples as shown in the example below. I will keep searching.

[Rubicon Models]

@Tracks - You can try Panzer Tracts 3-3 for references.  Both Ausf M and N had this maintenance hatches.  HTH.

[ripley]

I think maybe the 3D image makes the holes look much deeper than they really are .  It was a round flush bolt with a slot in it , you put in a " key " and turned . Think sheet metal BBQ covers or that type of equipt . Ever assemble IKEA furniture ?  Like those bolts 

[Jaeger]

 "The Spielberger German Armor & Military Vehicles Volume 3 - Panzer III and its Variants".
There's a volume 3? 
I need to go shopping.
Oh, wait.  It's just the third volume on the series.

[Pinky]

WOW ! What an improvement over the original III . The tools and tow cable stand out on the kit , separate pieces to glue on ? Also the Jack is very much improved . It looks the part now not just a " what is that supposed to be " blob on the old III . The hatches on the nose of the new III should have the armored hinges as shown on the old III . CAD slip I hope , no III had hatch details like that in any of my reference books . Not liking the turret and bow machine gun barrels , but I've replaced almost all the barrels on my 20 odd German tanks with plastic barrels from BA infantry sets . Still not too sure on the road wheels , something about them looks funny to me . The stress hole spacing , or maybe the thickness of the rim between the steel  and the rubber tire , just something  bugs me ....maybe it just needs to be painted 

It's certainly a vastly better looking kit.

I think the wheels are correct, Ripley - the size and spacing of the holes etc looks correct.  The only feature that might be 'off' is the rims, which seem thicker than the real thing.  But that's quite useful from modelling perspective, as it makes the wheels easier to paint!

I didn't know about this version of the maintenance hatches.  You live and learn...

[EarlyWarGamer]

This version of the hatches was limited (I believe) to the "M" model. And in looking for photos to back that up, I have found drawings and photos of Flamm Pz IIIs with those hatches. I have not yet found one of a regular tank.  So at the very least, those are the correct hatches for the Flamm Pz III.

[ripley]

I wonder if a lot of the M gun tanks were re armed with the flame gun making it a Fl  ? No matter what hull version J, L or  M once it got re armed with the short 75mm  it became a N . I think the Germans did the same thing with one of their Pzr II versions , built as gun tank , removed from service , re armed , became some else . There's a lot of that in the write ups ion\ Encyclopedia of German Tanks book  which is at home , I'm here at work , trying to look busy ....

[Rubicon Models]

We know you guys will be all over the prototypes 

There were two front maintenance hatch variants on the Ausf M (5cm KwK L/60) and Ausf N (7.5cm KwK L/24), the one we showed is one of them.

No worries, the hatches are swappable, so that you can plug in any pair of hatches to your liking!

[tyroflyer]

Well done Rubicon. I don't know if the discussion here triggered this response but a very good solution.

[Rubicon Models]

Well done Rubicon. I don't know if the discussion here triggered this response but a very good solution.

That was part of the design as we need the upper hull(s) to accommodate all the possible variants we wanted for the Panzer III.  We had already sent the files to mould making for sprue layout... awaiting reply.