Dragon has announced the first variant in a popular Panzer family. They also have a new figure set.

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Thanks!

Just wish they would crack on with some very early Pz.KpfW Mk IIIs. This though is a very welcome kit even if I only concentrate on British WW2 subjects. I do have a soft spot for campaigns in 1939-40 though and I may even save some pennies and shell out on one of these.

The problem is the Pz. III Ausf. A-D is a VERY different vehicle from the E onward (see this thread). Instead of the torsion bar suspension, for example, it has leaf springs, so there would be a LOT of retooling.

And it's a tank that saw limited action in those early iterations, something like 70 total produced, so Dragon might be wondering how many kits they'd sell. The early IVs don't involve so much retooling from later kits.

This early Panzer IV is tempting me, but I have so much I want to build, never seems to be enough time.....

Shhh, that's how resellers make their living: from modeler/hoarders.

One guy I know said he gets his kit from the "three Ds."

Death

Divorce

Debt

Guaranteed they were very different but Brach Models have done a Pz IIIB in resin and I think I recall Coree Models did an early PzIII too. If DML/Cyber Hobby can hammer out all the Neubaufahrzeugs as new tools, then a Pz III A,B,C or D shouldn't present any undue problems AND there were more of them than the Neubaufahrzeugs!

Simon, there's no question DML CAN do an early III, but that doesn't mean they think there's enough of a market to justify the tooling cost.

I can't say I am really sent by seeing this come out - I like the IV, but - I'm probably "blind" but it doesn't look much different to me compared to that CyberHobby IV-B kit. I'm sure I'm missing something here - just not sure what!

Still... it does complete the IV family, and now we do have the option, so...!

I'd echo all who wish that there would appear a III A, B or C kit... Now THAT would be a little more interesting! Meanwhile, the D and CH have offered a III G and another III J kit. Yawn.

@Bill C.;

You aren't suggesting that the number actually built matters, are you? There were all of what? 2 Dicker Max, only one of that rather cool new "LeFH 18/40/2 (sf) auf GW Pz Kpfw III/IV Dragon just kitted, perhaps 40 IV B, etc. etc. etc. And there were but one of each of those named Tigers Dragon has been so fond of! Rare never seemed to phase the D in the past - why now?! Hey, there were perhaps 35 of these "A" built.

Given the numbers of folks I've seen posting something about wanting an early III, I'd bet the D could sell as many of those as he will these IV-A kits!

Cheers!

Bob

Well, at least its not another prototype paper panzer.

Now this raises an interesting possibility...by tooling a Pz IV Ausf A as a "Smart Kit", I wonder if this means that DML is setting plans to offer "Smart Kit" variants of the B-E "Super Kits"? Only time will tell I guess, but it does expand the Smart Kit line into the earlier variants where previously it had stopped at the F.

For the curious, the A had many different features that were unique vs. the B (drum-style cupola, square-style vision flaps on the turret front, split hatches for the driver and radio operator, the angled front hull with the ball MG mount, that funky hull-side AA MG swing-mount, etc.) so it will stand out on its own as a result I think. Will have to add this one to the list of kits to keep an eye on for the future.

Bob, the number built I think in this case will have a bearing on Dragon's thinking. They have had such a success with later versions of the III that work off the same basic tooling. Paper panzers and limited vehicles don't necessarily compare here. That's because the scarce or theoretical items like the Dicker Max are cool-looking, whereas the early III isn't that different in general physical outlines from the later versions. As for Tigers, there seems to be no limit to the number of them modelers will buy....

And while I don't mean to be disrespectful, the small handful of modelers saying "I want a Pz. III A-D" is tiny compared to the number of kits DML would have to sell to justify the investment. Far more likely will be the lobbying that goes on among Chinese bloggers than the few of us who would post something here.

Your mileage may vary.

Gonna get this one for sure... and build it too ..

seems like the smart kits cost so much that sometimes its better to buy the super kits.

This is really hi-jacking the main point of the thread, but I'm going to jump in. A few weeks back I started a thread about the early III models. A lot of the points mentioned here were brought up on it. I, too, am one who would jump at the chance to build one of them (or 2, or 3....). I would think that a German tank with documented real world history would definitely have better sales numbers than any of the "paper panzers".

The III has already proven to be an "in demand" vehicle. Why else would so many companies keep puttting out so many variants? Instead of just another common variant, what kind of small goldmine would a completely new III be?

As Bill mentioned, R&D costs would be a possible problem, but would they be any more than those for any other new model a company brings out? If it were truly that bad, how could the smaller companies, like Mirage and RPM (just to name a couple) do it? Granted, their models lack a lot of the refinements of the bigger names, They do make them though, and they do it at 30% to 50% of what the big companies charge?

In the other thread someone asked if I had written the companies to let them know of my wish. I have since contacted the "big 4" and will be doing so with others. I encourage any one interested in seeing an early III on the market, at a reasonable price, to do the same.