I’m starting to look into my next build, since my current project is coming to a close. I’ve got a Dragon Pz.Kpfw.III Ausf.N Smart Kit that I’m going to do next. It appears to have a few interior items (mostly gun parts), but I was hoping to be able to open some of the hatches, etc. This would leave me looking for things like an engine, transmission, and various crew-related items.
I’ve found a few resin/PE kits that appear to be for a 1/35 Tamiya kit, and meant to be for earlier variants of the Pz III. (Like THIS one). Can anyone advise as to the suitability of this kit, or advise to where I might find a more suitable one? I’m a bit new to armor modeling, so I have not yet found all the good sources for such things.
Any advice on the best approach to adding interior details would be much appreciated! Thanks in advance!
The Pz III-L interior you linked to will work for what you want with the exception that the ammo bins/layout are for the 5.0cm gun vs. the 7.5cm gun that the N features…but that may not be much of an issue if all you’re looking to do is show that there’s “something there” in the lower hull areas. There isn’t an interior made for the DML kit available since you’re working on the Smart Kit so any interior you look to add will likely require some surgery/modifications to make it work vs. say the Tamiya kit this particular set was designed for.
Ahh, thanks for the info on the ammo bins, etc. That way I can hunt down some reference photos and modify as needed. I’m always up for a challenge, so I think I’ll have a shot at fitting these interior parts into the kit I have, as I think it’ll be a good learning experience.
Thanks again for the info and I’ll be sure to post some pictures once the project is under way.
Cap,Ipersonaly do’nt no anything for the smart kit.Be advised that most interior kits out there dont allow fordragons individual torsion bar set-up.So given that you must omit the forward tosion bars in the kit,or sand the resin floors that are avaible so thin they may be hard to handle.I think Jaguar makes a set for the panzer III.Verlinden makes one for the L. Again using any of these you lose the excellent torsion bars.You could get some photoetch floor plate in the correct pattern and fashion your own.Which will probably be the drivers floor.If my rusty memory serves me correctly there is a fighting compartment floor.Also the engine compartment can be done with most PzrIII stug III engine compartment sets.Just carefully sand the resin down to the longtitudal frames,one on each side of the engine,remove the torsion bar detail from the resin part.dry fit to ensure that the dragon torsion bars go through the holes provided. sounds tuff but it aint.just fit and sand,repeat.the look achieved by using the dragon suspension versus the resin is well worth the effort.Good luck and remember we’re here for ya.And please wear a respirator.
Good point on the torsion bars, as I wouldn’t want to lose those. I’ve been hunting around a bit online, trying to find some good photos of the interior of one of these tanks and it looks like there might have been little covers built around the bars in the real tanks. Perhaps I’ll end up building a new floor, but use all the other cabinets, seats, controls, etc that the interior kit has.
Either way, I think once I have some good reference, I should be able to adapt the resin bits to the Dragon kit, and hopefully build in some details to closer match the real tank. I’ve ordered the interior and engine bay kits, so I’ll have a better idea of what I’m in for once those arrive and I can see how the various parts all fit together.