Hello
I have never done a tank build here and thought I would give it a try. I am really hoping to get some help on this from you guys as I want to make this a special build.
My brother passed away in August 2016 at 49 from cancer and before he died I asked him what Tank he liked the most and he said he liked the Panzer 3.

So I am going to build one and put in on my shelf to remind me of him.

I have a couple of questions already but will ask them as I go along the build in the hope I will get some help.

So lets start

Peter,

Sorry for your loss.

You'll find plenty of help here.

That Tamiya Pz III is a great kit. You'll definitely enjoy it. I'll be watching for updates as you go along.

Cheers,
Dustin

Hi Peter

Sorry to hear about your loss, but this is a great tribute to your brother.

I built this kit a few years ago and typical with Tamiya kits it went together like a dream. I'll be following your build.

It is great that you are doing a "memory build" for your brother! I would suggest also getting a plexiglass cover for it after it is done to protect it for the future.

Peter- The loss of your Brother is a tragedy, and our thoughts are with you and your other family members...

You picked a very nice kit to start out with us here at ARMORAMA- Rest assured that we'll be following your build, and we'll be happy to assist you in any way that we can...

It's touching that you are building this kit in your Brother's honor...

My condolences. I have built this kit and highly recommend the Eduard set to go with it. There are a few minor details missing, but I have been told that only rivet counters need worry about them.

[quote]My condolences. I have built this kit and highly recommend the Eduard set to go with it. There are a few minor details missing, but I have been told that only rivet counters need worry about t

AGREE with Matt on the EDUARD PE set. You may also want to consider the ABER PE set for this kit, as well. RB MODELS makes a really nice 5cm Metal Barrel with rifling for this kit, too.

Are you considering aftermarket Tracks? There are several different A/M manufacturers that make the 40cm Tracks for this particular model- None of them are exactly cheap, though...

Thankyou for all the kind words. I am a bit lost without him he was my best friend as well as my Bro.

First set of questions
I would like to do a tank that maybe would of been in the group of these tanks at the time......Kharkov?

https://67.media.tumblr.com/652c1875d8ea3eee49d5090640f6d99c/tumblr_nwplz9Bbm11s6zihxo1_500.jpg

I am going to do it grey with a whitewash I think.

Q1. What is the primer colour under the grey....is it red??
Q2. This is tricky but I am after a turret number/s for decals of a tank like mine that may have been there but there aren't any phots of. Why....because I would like to have some artistic licence without getting into trouble......does that make sense??

David - will do on the plexiglass cover

As far as primer goes, red oxide. I recommend CreateFX White Wash by Testors. Also, Vallejo Stencil White for the areas you want to look less worn. I don't have the book near me, right now but I'm sure somebody can give you a rundown of how German tanks were designated.

Q2- I chose to try to provide an answer to Q2 first, because I think that it is ultimately more important to you- Just my opinion, but I think that maybe you might want to consider this- Do you want to portray "artistic license" or build an accurate representation of your vehicle, as part of the unit(s) that are shown in your actual WWII (Kharkov) photo?

Artistic license is OK in MY book, especially if the model is to be built in memory of your Brother, but he MAY have appreciated authenticity, as well... What you eventually wind up with, IMO, is ENTIRELY up to you, of course.

Regarding the "Numbers" that you wish to apply to your Pz.III:

If you want to portray some continuity to the vehicles shown in your WWII photo with your Pz.III, I would consult some resources, beforehand. There are numerous sites online that you can visit, which deal with the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Battles for Kharkov, all of which have many fine photos, and copious text with which you can base your decisions upon. There are also very numerous books and magazine articles that you may want to consult, and of course, there are quite a few of our "WWII German Specialists" here on ARMORAMA, whom, I'm sure, would be very happy to help you out.

To my eye, the "Numbers" displayed upon the vehicles in your WWII photo appear to be White, over the standard Panzergrau, which was applied to all (European) German vehicles that were manufactured prior to February, 1943- But I could very well be wrong, in that SOME German vehicles also showed Red Numbers, with a White "surround"... Your thoughts AND facts, Gentlemen..?

Q-1 Also, IMO, this early-on in the "game", I doubt that the German Red Primer might have shown up anywhere on the vehicle's EXTERIOR yet, (Kharkov, Winter 1943?), especially if the "Winter Whitewash" had been applied, although ANYTHING is possible. I know for a FACT that German Panzers and StuG.s displayed the Red Primer in certain sections of the their Interiors, along with the color known as "Elfenbein", or "Panzer Interior Buff", as some choose to call it. Perhaps some of our "WWII German Specialists" could lend a hand, in respect to this question?

PS- If you can get hold of the Three Volume set of SQUADRON books, "PANZER COLORS", I suggest that you do so. Or, as I understand it, SQUADRON has chosen to combine all three books into a single volume recently, with the same title, "PANZER COLORS". These books provide a pretty comprehensive guide to German WWII Armored and Soft-skinned vehicles' COLORS AND MARKINGS, along with hundreds of photos and color illustrations. Mind you, these books ARE NOT the be-all and end-all "Holy Grail", because there ARE some errors shown within their numerous pages- These books are meant as a general GUIDE, only...

[quote]


I believe he is asking about primer, not the exterior paint.

I'm working on the same kit. Just started this past weekend. I'm going for the late, late, late war look

The hull was primed with red oxide, he barrel with a heat resistant dark gray lacquer.

I believe what Dennis was hinting at is that the early war Panzer Gray paint was quite durable and thus not prone to chipping. Yes there will be dings and scuffs, but no large areas of chipped paint down to the primer/bare metal.

G

THANK YOU, Wayne!

That's EXACTLY what I was trying to say. Perhaps I should have expressed myself in a better fashion, when I mentioned the "EXTERIOR", (my quote), of the vehicle in question...

Matt- I also understand where you're coming from, and I agree with your point, regarding the Red Oxide Primer. It was not my intention to imply that the Primer was an exterior color within the time frame that Peter is modelling his Pz.III. The Germans didn't start using the Red Oxide Primer as a "base-camo color" until late Autumn, 1944, because stocks of "Schokoladenbraun" became unavailable for about a month or two...

Thankyou for the tips about colour for both inside and out.
My tank will be buttoned up apart form the figure sitting in the top. I just need a good colour match for the interior cupola part you will see near figure
As for turret numbers/markings I was just wanting a number of a Panzer III L tank that may have been there but there are no photos of.

Just working on the Friulmodel tracks now

The inside of the hatches would be the same color as the exterior of the tank. The interior however would be a /buff/cream/off white color.

Let me add my condolences for your loss. When I was a kid many moons ago my big brother (who s a much better modeler than I, then and now, built me a Tamiya MkIII.

Yep he was my older brother also.
Guys as well as the turret numbers I have a new question
I would like to add detail that's easy where I can, so can I add the Mg34 with the cooling jacket in the link below to the hull mg postion. If so can it be as is or do I need the add the little sight things on the end from somewhere

http://www.karaya.pl/en/rb-model/0/7-92mm-mg34-35b39.html?ref=%2Fen%2Frb-model%2F0%2F3%2F6%2Fitems.html

I just like the look with the cooling jacket

The Eduard or Aber set would be a wise investment. The Eduard set has interior detailing that you can sell, if you don't plan on building any more panzers. I was able to assemble the entire set, within a few days. The Aber set is much more fiddly.

AGREE that the ABER set is more "fiddly". The advantages of the ABER Pz.III PE set are that you get all kinds of Periscopes that need building up, but are superb examples of said Periscopes, Hatch Handles, which come in handy if you display even just one set of Hatches in the "open" position, plus ALL KINDS of Straps, Buckles, Tool Holders, extra "Bolts & Screws", etc, in beautifully-rendered DETAIL. If you were to compare the EDUARD and ABER PE sets alongside each other, the ABER set is superior in sharpness and quality. I AM NOT trying to get you to buy either of the very nice PE sets in question, rather, I'm just voicing my own opinions regarding these PE sets. I believe that VOYAGER also makes a very nice PE set for the TAMIYA Pz.III Ausf.L kit. Which PE set you ultimately wind up buying, if indeed you want to embellish your Pz.III with PE, once again, is entirely up to you...

Matt
Have you got pics of your build somewhere?? (Link)
Not sure if I want to go down the PE road as I am worried I may never finish it and my skills may not be up to it.

I'm a little busy, with family due to arrive. But, I will try to get some posted today.

G’day,

My condolences also, you’ve touched on something that perhaps chimes with other contributors too, sure did with me. What got me back into this hobby in the mid-90’s was my late Dad finally publishing his WW2 memoirs in Lancaster squadrons so I built him an old Airfix kit to his specs. I learned that the only reason I or my brothers exist is because he swapped his one day of leave in Feb ’45 with a mate (so he visited the girl who became his wife, my mother) and that day 6 fully bombed-up/fuelled-up Lancs blew up on the apron at Waterbeach wiping out 97 guys & he would have been one of them – his mate was. Dad’s only consolation was it that it was his mate’s idea, in order to visit his own girlfriend the next week. We also later found out that “Dad’s” bombs fell on Hanover’s railhead in early Jan ’45 narrowly missing my future mother-in-law, who was locked in a cattle truck in the targeted sidings; and that my eldest brother’s future father-in-law was the only survivor of his Halifax, shot down in the very same raid! Spooky isn’t even close, we’re all so lucky to be around at all.

Then I graduated to less fragile & smaller alternatives for purely practical reasons i.e. AFVs, but still of “his” era i.e. WW2. Perhaps others also have deeper motives why they do what they do, either vets’ first-hand experiences or for others like me, memorializing in an admittedly peculiar way a loved one’s life. I realise yours are different to those examples but the bottom line’s the same, it’s a link to someone special.

As Dennis has said if it’s authenticity you’re after I’m not sure what other markings options that kit offers but the box art’s showing a support tank of Tiger unit sPzAbt 502 (the white mammoth), which operated in the Leningrad sector for most of the war. Maybe check out the other markings you have against where those units were based in case one suits better, otherwise unless you’ve got a very steady painting hand you’ll need to source appropriate decals. Good luck, plenty of other guys know more about Mark 3’s than I do and they're here - but maybe you’re right about PE, possibly the only question that really matters is whether you think your brother would have cared about it.

I see you’re a fellow Waratah, whereabouts?

Cheers, Tim

LOL
I got one for you as well.
The day the Japanese were bombing Darwin my dad was being born. Due to his mother being pregnant they tried to fly her out with the new born baby (my dad). the Japanese shot at my dads plane a couple of times and then turn around and never came back. Very lucky no Dad no me and none of my 6 brothers and sisters.

My Grandfather was given the role in Darwin to keep all the Americans well behaved
When they got to drunk or misbehaved a little tap on the head into the cell and in the morning he let them out

Here he is here...the man giving the headlock to the other man in the Petrov Affair
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-k_XX3BFxEew/UleDYN6K0UI/AAAAAAAAEh4/0zObeGQaFEM/s1600/petrov+darwin.jpeg